American Indian Mind In A Linear World

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In The American Indian Mind in a Linear World, Donald Fixico describes the circular method of thinking used by traditional American Indians. Fixico also compares and contrasts this perspective with the linear thinking used by most Americans. As described by Fixico, circular thinking occurs when all things are viewed as related to one another (Fixico 1). This method is described as “more open to truth and facts” (Fixico 9). However, with the linear way of thinking, ideas tend to be considered separately and accepted only in the presence of empirical evidence, such as in cases of cause and effect (Fixico 9). This leads to a more limited view of the world and surroundings. Fixico successfully shows that using circular thinking when approaching …show more content…

While young, tribal members learn from elders how to see and listen to nature and to use all of their senses to observe nature. The mundane daily tasks of tribal members, like working fields, could be used as a way to understand and predict natural events. Even daydreams and visions were widely accepted as knowledge sources. Some tribes, such as the Creek and Oglala, had a person designated to interpret the meaning and information within tribal members’ dreams (Fixico 3). While some would not consider this to be a legitimate source of information or history due to the seemingly primitive nature of the method, it is not so different from the visions or prophecies seen in the Old Testament of the Bible or the dream analysis performed by psychologists today. This information from the subconscious should therefore considered as it has been by many different cultures in the past. This is the beauty of circular thinking: it accepts any kind of information or knowledge to work towards connecting the things around people. As linear thinking only takes into account direct and easily repeated observations, it simply cannot get as wide a scope of information and therefore cannot work well to explain some …show more content…

Although there are similarities between these two perspectives, there are also several major differences, including the linear method’s need for empirical evidence, the types of data that is considered, and the types of conclusions drawn. These differences are not irreconcilable. In fact, the opposite is true. Those who are willing to open their minds will always have two ways to approach any situation that they encounter. In some people, this combination of the two approaches exists, due to an American Indian upbringing and an American education. Others yet have learned to adopt a circular perspective after realizing the limitations of the linear perspective. It seems that this combination of thinking methods in American Indians in modern times may offer the best understanding of our natural surroundings. For certain, circular thinking is a necessary viewpoint to take when observing new ideas or phenomena. Looking for a larger picture or a relationship to previous knowledge often makes understanding new observations easier and can open up new pathways to explore in the seeking of knowledge on a

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