Epistemology

In “The Way of Zen,” Alan Watts described two types of vision—central and peripheral—in the broader discussion of conventional knowledge. Central vision is “focused” — “conscious” — Watts says, while peripheral vision is “less conscious” — “subconscious.” I captured my unconscious thinking by recording improvisational impulses that came to my mind, which was a passive process, really. I simply let my unconscious mind generate material. Afterward, I transcribed each impulse on a separate index card and laid them out before me, then — for my conscious thinking — ordered them in ways that made sense and didn’t make sense. Isn’t that how remembering goes (as Mr. Blackwell implied)? Ordering our past into sense and nonsense? I further reflected this by erasing parts in my score, for sometimes we only remember fragments of the past. Additionally, inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh, who posited that there is no such thing as endings or beginnings, I ended my piece on an impulse that lent no sense of completion, subverting my desires for such (which I expressed at the beginning of the term).