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Western Mindscapes: A Philosophical Challenge

The concept of a mindscape invites philosophical analysis. In the context of Canadian philosophy (see Armour and Trott, The Faces of Reason), such an analysis will be essentially dialectical. This approach finds its origins in the works of Hegel and other neo-Hegelian philosophers, such as F. H. Bradley, T. H. Green, and Bernard Bosanquet, writing in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Neo-Hegelian traditions influenced the writings of most of the early philosophers across Canada. The Hegelian dialectical method was a tool for making sense of and bringing sense to the young Canada. More recently, Hegelian dialectical methods are found in works by philosophers (George Grant, Charles Taylor, Leslie Armour), literary critics (Northrop Frye, Linda Hutcheon, Robin Mathews), historians, sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists, and film critics (Barry Cooper, Ian Angus, David McGregor, Stanley Barrett, Bruce Elder, among others) (see McGregor). Dialectical reasoning has a basic premise: we develop concepts of understanding as well as concepts for understanding through a consideration of opposing ideas, each of which requires the other for its meaning to be grasped. Often such opposing ideas generate a synthesis, a third idea that emerges from the other two. One of Hegel's examples concerns existence. That some particular thing exists only makes sense against the logic of being and not-being. The processes of affirming the existence of something and negating the existence of something are logical categories of the mind, but empty of referential content. Concepts of and about existence (and existing things) are made possible by these categories of the rational mind. One can rightly ask if a mindscape, as a concept, can be presumed or acquired in isolation from other reference points against which such a metaphor of cultural identity can be understood. I shall explore the idea of a Western mindscape in the Canadian context. Are there oppositions to be identified out of which a concept of the West arises? The elaboration of "Western" mindscape will involve: first, a comparison of the concept mindscape with the concept of landscape; second, an inquiry as to whether a Western mindscape is a determinate or indeterminate idea; and, third, a proposal that accords with the dialectical nature of all concepts. Underlying all concept formation is a worldview. In Canada, the expression of a mindscape rests on a worldview grounded in logic. Such an expression presupposes an understanding of the dialectical processes whereby we draw conceptual borders, cultural boundaries, and a sense of place. What we exclude in such existential exercises is as critical to our sense of self and identity as what we include. That sense of self, of course, could include being a Westerner. Mindscapes and Landscapes The term "Western mindscape" is ambiguous. It could apply as meaningfully to an aesthetic analysis of twentieth-century literature as to a description of propagandistic advertising during World War Two. What presuppositions lie behind the word "mindscape"? We can begin by comparing a mindscape with a landscape. Landscapes do not exist independently of human perceptions. Landscapes can come into existence and be identified in two ways. First, they can be created by framing procedures. The use of frames, as in photography and other two-dimensional artworks, marks out the focus for the viewer. A set of binoculars, a window, or a doorframe can serve similar aesthetic purposes. The optics of the eye can mark out a landscape--a selected view (vision) that occupies our attention. Second, landscapes can be created. We hire outdoor landscapers to alter visual places, examples of which can be property, streets, an undeveloped geographic location, or buildings. A place that is landscaped can be identified prior to the l andscaping. It may also come into existence because of the landscaping. …