Thinking Pictures

The movie "Temple Grandin" raises several issues related to the field of Aesthetics. Temple was diagnosed with Autism at age four. Her perception of the world differs from others; she thinks in pictures. On one hand, this movie depicts the diversity of human experience to such an extent that it is almost sublime. If one person’s experience of what seems to be the same world can differ so radically from my own, then what’s considered normal seems almost contrived. In fact, we really have very little idea what’s going on in the mind of even our closest friend. Speech, or more generally, language, offers a medium to convey ideas. What may be regarding as one’s consciousness are the words he thinks to himself. He may impute his thoughts onto others in as much as the latter can deduce these thoughts from the worlds he chooses to represent and convey them. Hence, language provides a means to understanding others’ thoughts. For whatever reason, Temple thinks in pictures. This gives her a better understanding of science but because she thinks differently than others, she is socially awkward. Several times in the movie, someone said something which she pictured literally in her mind, often with comical results. Thinking in pictures doesn’t pose an inherent problem; Temple aptly demonstrates this in her mastership of mechanics. However, a problem does arise in that it is difficult to convey these visual thoughts. One can speak what’s on one’s mind only insofar as these thoughts conform to his language. If a person is not already thinking linguistically then talking becomes much more of a conscious effort. We speak and interact naturally because even when we are not speaking there is a dialogue constantly going on inside our head. If this dialogue is absent, then when one is prompted to speak, words must then be called to mind. I relate this to speaking a foreign language. But because Temple demonstrates command of language in speaking she must have the capacity to think it. Ultimately, no matter what your condition, it is impossible to get into the mind of others. Temple’s autism is just an example of how diverse individual thinking can be.