Representation, reality and epistemological problem
In the first place, I will begin by defining and explaining the three words that I consider key to answer this issue, I refer to: representation, reality and the epistemological problem or epistemology.
The representation, consists in producing meaning through the use of language, which is formed by signs and through this we can refer to reality. To represent, we use language, with this we make sense of the world and everything that surrounds us and that we mean or express. To do this, as we said at the beginning, we used signs, which we exchanged with each other. We are all members of the same culture. As we have seen in one of the three readings, specifically in “The work of the representation” of Stuart Hall, there are three theories about representation: the reflexive, the intentional and the constructionist. Each of these defends a different way of interpreting the representation;The first of them points to us that language gives meaning to objects, that sense we already know them, that is, it is existing. The second, ensures that the only thing that manifests us is what its own author means. For example;If an artist performs a work, as a picture, the meaning to be given to this is exclusively the one that the author wanted to express in him, not what we want. Finally, the construction theory, assures us that the meaning we give to language, we only give it to it while we use it, that is, while we use it we are building it.
For representation, as in all the above theories we have manifested, language is used, through which, we make sense of any object, person, image … of which we are spoken to us. We interpret and make sense of the world through this. Like there are several theories, which we have previously defined, there are also two representation systems. We are all able to interpret those signs, since most of us belong to the same culture, this is the reason we will see the world in a more or less similar way. These signs mentioned, are structured in languages, languages that we all share and know, precisely because it corresponds to the same culture. These give us the ability to translate everything that they communicate (concepts or thoughts) in words, sounds, objects or symbols among others. To these, we later give them meaning and we use them again to use them with others. It should also be noted that through representation, on many occasions, "we add" and "we take away" things to the world, however this does not represent the truth. In summary, representing is to make something possible through signs, many times what we want to represent and to those we want to make sense is reality.
When we talk about reality, we are referring to everything that as much as we want and wants to disappear. This is so, because the world and reality are as they are, we cannot modify or change them, just as we cannot disappear everything that does not agree, it is not our liking … we will have to know it suggests and living with it, does not depend on our will. A clear example of this can be the current situation we are living, if we would eliminate this stage for all of us to return to the normality in which we lived until this began, but reality are as it is and does not depend on our will. Reality at the same time is true. On the other hand, when we talk about epistemology and everything that this entails, we are referring to knowledge, and everything related to this. We understand as knowledge the information that a person possesses thanks to the experience and education received. Through this we can know how reality is.
Knowing all this, we can first say that the relationship between representation and reality is evident, one leads to the other. We say this, since we make sense of reality through language and the signs we use for the use of this. All human beings communicate with each other, in this process there must always be an issuer and a receiver. When one communicates with the other through the relevant signs, he who receives said message has to interpret and make sense of what the other party refers, in most cases that we usually refer to is thereality. We perceive knowledge that make us knowing that reality. It is for all this, so we say that the relationship of representation with reality raises an epistemological problem, knowledge is involved in reality and is in turn in representation. We can also say that when an individual has a greater degree of knowledge, greater treatment of reality can do. Having a high level of epistemology involves having a greater knowledge of reality, can give it a sense already known and even expand the same.
In conclusion, the relationship of representation with reality raises as an epistemological problem, because everything is related to each other. Through representation, we are able to interpret reality, making sense of language. At the same time, knowledge or epistemology makes us know reality, and through this we can obtain more of that knowledge about it, and then represent someone so that someone, just like we also did meaning through the use of language.
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