Nathaniel Haggard
Blumenberg Response 2
Due: 6/18/2011
The second passage I picked was named “Detours”. This is another passage that really stood out. The idea that detours are not just an inconvenience caused by road problems, but a representation of each individual life, every fiction, and every story is a fantastic idea.
The shortest route, one route, represented usually by an interstate, can also be a representation of a world without culture, ideas, and individuals. It would be a world of robots. Each following the most logical, fast path; a world without any thought outside of optimization and efficiency.
But a detour, usually an annoyance, is what occurs when you stray from the shortest route. Detours usually take you on a road you had not been, through a town that is quaint and off of the beaten path. Detours are representations of everything that is wonderful; every emotion, culture, and idea. Every person creates their own detour. In this way, every person gains their own experience but not everyone has the same experience. In this way, the individual and cultural identity is created.
Obviously, the idea of detours is not all good. There are disadvantages to having different experiences and opinions. This is why war and fighting happen. Different experiences and different views cause us all to be differently experienced and to have different opinions. Although this can be a great thing, this idea can also be very bad. As seen with every war, different ideas and cultures can cause untold death and destruction.
In conclusion, detours are what make life interesting and valuable. It is what separates us from robots and makes us human. I had never thought of detours quite like this before, but it is very accurate and intriguing.
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I also really liked reading the section on detours. I strongly believe as well that detours make life interesting and valuable. So many brilliant men and women stumbled across world famous inventions because they decided to construct or try things differently that carried them down "a road less traveled". I thought it was very interesting to relate and compare culture to a detour and after reading the section I thought it made a great argument. Without detours and human error how could life every be meaningful? We really would become boring, repetitive, and robotic. Straying away from the norm spices up life and makes it interesting.
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