Normal isn't really defined, it's just based on majority. So everyone is weird or different. But what's your perception of normal and how do you, as an individual, decide what's weird/different and what's normal to you?
2006-07-28 18:50:56 · 27 answers · asked by Kirsten 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
I just want to know other people's opinions, I already have my own.
2006-07-28 18:55:13 · update #1
It's obvious that you've already formed your own opinion; the way you frame your question shows your bias. What you fail to realize is that "normal" is not just a social convention; it's not just a point of view. "Normal" means behavior corresponding to a norm – that is, an average, a prevailing pattern. Given a sufficient amount of data, it is possible to determine *exactly* how normal a given behavior is, in terms of the cultural context in which it occurs.
Of course, no one is perfectly normal in every respect; moreover, if someone were, he probably wouldn't strike you that way, since it's likely that your concept of what's normal differs somewhat from the reality. (Make no mistake, you DO have a concept of normal, however much you may protest. In fact, the question that you've asked is itself a response to a perceived norm: the norm of believing that the word "normal" has a coherent definition, which is a belief you don't share.) Most people comply with certain norms and disregard others.
Some norms are fairly superficial: different styles of dress, preferences in music. Others are more profound: response to authority, personal ambition, compassion for others. To the extent that these qualities can be quantified, the norms for them can determined.
Everybody is different, of course, but some are more different than others. Believing otherwise is simply a willful blindness to the facts.
2006-07-29 07:55:05 · answer #1 · answered by Keither 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
IQ is intelligence quotient... a possibility. Humans love to categorize things. However, average is a funny and illusive thing. Average, also known as the mean, median, and mode...they all are different. However, it is a matter of the way we use the term, not the meaning... if you deviate from the norm (that which is expected or accepted) then you are by definition a deviate. However, being a deviant is not all that bad.
To illustrate, if the average IQ in the United States runs between 95-105 and the average and the "average" IQ of a college graduate is 115, then college graduates are certified diploma holding deviates...:)
See the website listed... normal is not as normal as one might think. An additional example is that 3 out of 4 women are sexually assaulted or molested at sometime in their life in the US... therefore; could we say that sexual assault and molestation is normal behavior in the US... surely we would not imply that it is the "preferred" behavior!
2006-07-29 02:09:50 · answer #2 · answered by Time-on-My-Hands 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Everybody wants to be different.
Just like everyone else,
in that case, being different is actually being the same.
If you don't try to be different,
does that make you different?
or the same as others?
Basically, Normal has a wide range.
Average is in the middle of the normal range.
Some people are so far out there that they cannot function in society. They don't make sense to nearly everyone. They are barely functional. These may be the ones which are not considered normal.
God Bless You, ;-)
2006-07-29 02:31:04 · answer #3 · answered by Deena 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, when you have a bunch of different things, one thing you can do to get a 'norm' is to average them out. Add them all together, then divide that number by the number of individual units. Then there is also the majority decision creation process - that's when a bunch of different people might suddenly decide that one of them is better than the others, sort of by proxy, then we get anomalies like President Bush, Eminem, Michael Jackson, and such like, who on their own, under their own spotlight, would seem to be really weird, but have somehow been elected as some kind of 'norm'. Strange, isnT it.
2006-07-29 03:02:23 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
What's normal is what everyone has in common.
We can all be unique (and we all are) and yet also have things in common. In fact, we can all be unique and have more in common than we have differences.
All humans have a set of needs in common. All humans are made of the same sort of stuff, all need air, food and water to live, all have a set of genes in common that make us a species (even though, with the exception of identical twins, we each have a unique set of genes). We have this planet in common - it is the only home we have - possibly the only one we can have and still remain human.
Strangeness or weirdness don't necessarily mean badness. Variety is the spice of life. Human life thrives on differences. But too much difference means loss of humanity. Variety with balance is the key.
2006-07-29 03:04:54 · answer #5 · answered by brucebirdfield 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Everyone is different. The question is do you accept them the way they are? There is at least one culture where even the weirdest of us can fit. The way in which "you" look at others is what defines normal or weird.
2006-07-29 02:24:49 · answer #6 · answered by ceiltz 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good thinking:)
thats a really nice question...
we all might be different on a superficial level...but deep down subconsciously we are all the same...
everyone feels love, sorrow, hatred etc...
we all crave for happiness...our ways might be different...but what we eventually want is the same...
that is the adulation of our spirit...
which is the purpose of all purposes...
we all smile, grin, cry, dream, aspire, struggle with our endeavours...
there is something common about everyone...
"everyone is unique"
do you see the contradiction in that statement?
if everybody was really different, nobody could have related with others...there wouldn't have been any communication possible...
there wouldn't be any art...
what is normal...is our TRUE nature...
something that unites us with everyone and with everything...
2006-07-29 02:06:05 · answer #7 · answered by . 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Normal for me, is doing something that people won't laugh at me for doing. But that just goes back to what you said...it's based on the majority. And sometimes I wonder what "normal" is. Is it doing what everyone says you should or being happy with yourself?
2006-07-29 01:57:20 · answer #8 · answered by shynomore 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its normal to be different and being normal is not even real. set a standard for society and u will have your version of normal. Just remember when u have those abnormal days where u fell tottally out of place that that is perfectly normal.
2006-07-29 01:56:18 · answer #9 · answered by the sponge 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In an office, suppose, there are 10 people. Each one does his/her job which is different from the rest. One man's work is continuation of another man's work. All are different. All go normal.
2006-07-29 07:55:55 · answer #10 · answered by latterviews 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋