Thought: expression and perception

The Scientific Circle of the Students of Archaeology at the Institute of Prehistory at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań kindly encourage to take part in 13^th Interdisciplinary International Students’ Session. This year the leitmotiv for our papers, discussions and workshops is going to be the expression of thought and the perception of it’s materialization. 

            Human being form the very beginning of the existence lives in a world which part he/she is. Man lives in an environment which moulds him but also he/she lives in the environment by which he is formed. Hence individual’s natural environment is not composed only by the formations in which a person found him or herself and on which he or she did not have any influence, but also from formations that were by man created and shaped. Thus, here, by the natural environment we understand both the nature and socio-cultural system in which a human person is embedded. Therefore, natural environment’s parts are the trees, clouds, axes, chain-saws as well as the higher education system.

            Relations between human being and his/her milieu are manifested through thoughts and actions. But these have to be revealed to be transmitted. However, the reflection is never an ideal image (mimesis) of a thought. It is always a product of negotiation between the idea, material, body and language. Thus expression of thoughts is limited not only by a person but also by his or her environment. Thought is presented (mediated) through a picture, a sound, a move or smell and this is consequently felt through senses (so this is a peculiar senses’ game).

            During this year Session we would like to focus on the thought that is connected with expression and perception. The interesting question that we would like to touch is how a person reveals his/her relations with the environment through transmission. Another significant topic is how people negotiate their visualization and thoughts’ transmission in their surroundings. But first of all, how and why man chooses a specific forms of expression.

            Material presentation of one’s thought can be a contribution, inspiration to create another/new thought both by it’s own creator as well as a recipient. In connection with this we talk about a productive function of our thought’s expression. It means that we are constantly choosing between the forms of its’ presentation. Selection is closely related to recipient's perception of expression. Hence thinking about perception is inseparable part of self-expression. That is why we would like to encourage the participants to zero their considerations on the ways of expression and perception in the past. For us, a perspective of both the creator and the recipient embedded in their surroundings is important. We would like to think of the topic: how a depiction expressed attitude and relations of man with environment and what makes the announcement understandable for both sides. We propose to concentrate on four forms of transmission (expression): picture (image), move, sound and smell; and on perception through senses: hearing, vision, touch, smell and taste.