Is the human brain set to a default setting on how to think? According to David Foster Wallace’s article, “Kenyon Commencement Speech” it is. He believes that the brain thinks in a situation unconsciously. Wallace speaks about how to think and the alternative to unconscious thinking. Wallace believes that knowledge is not the key to success but based on cliche sayings it it, that humans minds are on a default setting, which causes them to think unconsciously. With Wallace’s beliefs, he gives a speech that describes how liberal arts are cliche that turn the brain on a default setting, which expresses different scenarios and the worship of different beliefs. Cliche thinking and sayings have different meanings and reasonings as to why they are thought. Wallace believes that a cliche saying can actually be true when the meaning of the cliche itself comes to life. In his commencement speech, he discusses the cliche way of teaching liberal arts and the way students see it from the outside. Wallace himself speaks, “So let’s talk about the single most pervasive cliche in the commencement speech genre, which is that a liberal arts education is not so much about filling you up with knowledge as it is about ‘teaching you how to think’” (199). Wallace is saying that students look at the liberal arts as a way to “teach you how to think” but actually will teach a student how to think when a student listens. Wallace believes liberal arts can teach a student how to think when the student doesn’t see the concept of “teaching you how to think” as a cliche. He wants students to look at thinking the way he believes they should by giving examples as to how he thinks when on “default.” To follow, Wallace continues to speak about “teaching you how to think” when in different scenarios. Wallace believes thinking in certain situations comes easily to adults by saying how he thinks in traffic looking at a bumper sticker to being in the grocery store after a long day. Wallace states, “... Patriotic or religious bumper stickers always seem to be on the biggest, must distinguishably… driven by the ugliest, most inconsiderate drivers” (205). He feels that this situation is annoying, that this is an unconscious way of thinking. Wallace goes on to say that when the checkout line at the supermarket is long it is stupid and makes him angry (204). His point is that thinking this way tends to be so easy that he just automatically thinks on default. Wallace explains that it his natural default setting (205). To conclude, Wallace believes a mind is set on a “natural default setting” and that there is an alternative way of thinking by learning how to think. From operating on a default setting to trying to learn how to think, the brain is worshipping the default as well. Wallace says, that there is no such thing as not worshipping, and no matter what humans worship (207). He is adamant when talking about all the choices of desires a person has to worship but that the reality of it will not be as great as thought. Wallace continues with, “Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you” (207). In other words, he is saying that there will always be cliches, proverbs, and more to worship but this is all linked back to the default setting. Wallace continues to explain that the real freedom and worship is being educated on how to think (208). In cessation, Wallace understands how the default setting works, how what the brain worships controls the life of human beings, and without learning the correct way to think brains will be on the default setting. In “Kenyon Commencement Speech” by David Foster Wallace, Wallace believes the brain is set on a default setting on how to think. Wallace expresses his view in his speech when he explains the cliche of the liberal arts on “teaching you how to think.” He continues to talk about different scenarios and how his mind thinks in situations. Wallace believes that liberal arts are not a cliche and that liberal arts give freedom by speaking about the brain's default setting, expressing different scenarios, and how the brain worships.
Works Cited Wallace, David. "Kenyon’s Commencement Speech" They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 198-210. Print