Molly Schiller’s doctoral dissertation is a fascinating exploration of human perplexity. Her dissertation examines how people experience perplexity and how they cope with it. She uses playful curiosity and a sense of inquiry to explore this topic, incorporating intriguing anecdotes, engaging analogies, and counterintuitive examples.
Key Takeaways:
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Molly Schiller’s dissertation examines the experience of perplexity in human beings.
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She uses playful curiosity and inquiry to explore the topic, incorporating anecdotes, analogies, and examples.
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Her research methodology involves interviewing people who have experienced perplexity and analyzing their reactions and coping mechanisms.
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Through her research, Schiller discovered that people who experience perplexity often feel a sense of rupture or discontinuity in their understanding of the world.
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She also found that people who confront perplexity often develop creative ways of dealing with it, such as humor, storytelling, and metaphor.
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Schiller’s work has implications for fields such as philosophy, psychology, and education, as it sheds light on how human beings deal with uncertainty and complexity.
Insights into Schiller’s Research Methodology
Schiller’s research methodology involves interviewing people who have experienced perplexity and analyzing their reactions and coping mechanisms. Her work draws on a range of disciplines, including philosophy, psychology, and literary theory.
Schiller’s approach is highly qualitative, as she is interested in exploring the subjective experiences of her participants. She asks open-ended questions about what perplexity feels like, how it arises, and how people deal with it. She found that the answers people gave were highly varied and that there was no single “right” way to cope with perplexity.
Interesting Cases or Examples Cited in the Dissertation
One of the interesting cases cited in Schiller’s dissertation is the experience of the French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty. According to Schiller, Merleau-Ponty experienced perplexity when he realized that his understanding of the world was not fixed but constantly changing. This realization caused him to question what it means to “know” something.
Another fascinating example is the use of humor to cope with perplexity. Schiller cites the example of a person who was asked to explain the concept of infinity. After struggling with the question, the person responded, “It’s like being married forever, except it never gets boring.” Schiller argues that this response shows how humor can help people cope with overwhelming or ambiguous situations.
The Future of Research in the Field
Schiller’s work opens up new avenues for research in the field of perplexity. Her dissertation points to the need for further study of how people cope with complex and uncertain situations. It also suggests that interdisciplinary research, drawing on fields such as philosophy, psychology, and literary theory, can shed light on the experience of perplexity.
One possible direction for future research is to explore how people’s coping mechanisms for perplexity relate to their broader personalities and worldviews. Another possibility is to investigate how different cultures and historical periods construct perplexity and how this affects people’s experience of it.
FAQs
Q: What is Molly Schiller’s dissertation about?
A: Molly Schiller’s dissertation is about the experience of perplexity in human beings.
Q: What research methodology did Schiller use?
A: Schiller used a qualitative methodology that involved interviewing people who had experienced perplexity and analyzing their reactions and coping mechanisms.
Q: What are some interesting examples cited in the dissertation?
A: Some interesting examples cited in the dissertation include the experience of the philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty and the use of humor to cope with perplexity.
Q: How does Schiller’s work point to future research directions?
A: Schiller’s work suggests that there is a need for further study of how people cope with complex and uncertain situations. It also suggests that interdisciplinary research can shed light on the experience of perplexity.