red tinted glasses

In chapter 25, 2 different attitudes are being explored in our world, rationalists and the empiricists. Rationalists believe that all knowledge is based in the mind, or through experiences. Empiricists believe that all knowledge is based on our senses. “The Red tinted glasses” is a metaphor which suggests that everything we discover is limited to a certain extent. In the case of the red glasses, we would see everything as tinted red, and as we approach something new, we would see them as red and believe that in reality, they are red.

Likewise, our morals can be described as “red tinted glasses”. The “red tinted glasses” we wear simply affect how we perceive new things. It alters our reasoning according to how we perceive the world. There are many possibilities, but most of the factors are our ethnic background, group in society, upbringing, and even the people we are normally with.

Kant was able to see both sides of the argument between the rationalists and the empiricists. He believed that neither of them was correct and that neither of them could be the only explanation of how people discover things. He believed that people must perceive things through 2 methods, sensory perception and reason. Without either one of them, it would be impossible to complete the structure of a person. He felt that it is impossible for both processes to operate separately, but rather, simultaneously.

In my opinion, I believe that the “red tinted glasses” is more of a personal prejudice about certain things. We are not born with them, but rather, we choose to put them on ourselves through the morals and values we’re taught. The only way we can see differently, is whether we have the courage to see things on the other side, through a different perception, by taking off the glasses. That way, we will not only see red, and perhaps leave alone our individual reasoning.