25 May 2005

And our guest facilitator, WonderWit, wants to open the discussion with:

Which civilization could or would produce a better (more interesting or what have you) culture?

One that is more introverted (the civilization, not the individual people) or more extroverted (just the city itself, not the individual people) ? Ideas to consider: political outcomes, cultural acceptances and taboos, differences, environmental effects, the people?

16 May 2005

Well, I closed the last thread after two weeks. . .and wonderwit had just asked for discussion on the subject of insanity. . . one commonly cited definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, yet expecting different results.

That certainly defines the insanity of people like me who keep trying something in the face of what seems occasionally like insurmountable odds. Yet I do persist, because occasionally a kid I've started to wonder about does something beautiful and I get to watch.

BTW, thank you all for the chances you've given me to catch you in the act of thinking, trusting, connecting to the world around you, and just generally being amazing. I sometimes can't believe they actually pay me for this!

30 April 2005

We've had some discussions in class and a few "cool people" presentations which bordered on the subject of contributions to humanity. It has also come into play in some of the blog conversations. I really am curious, and, of course, will never get to truly know which people in our era will live into history, the kind of history which last for millenia. If, as Weston posts, this really is a new Dark Ages, then who will be the Constantine--or the Saladin--the Temujin of our time? Or, if it really is a Renaissance, who is the Dante--the Michaelangelo --the Queen Elizabeth--the Shakespeare? I postulate that the true leaders will never be seen as so perfect again, mostly due to media attention, but surely we have some who will live into history for great deeds, or ideas, or important creations. (Of course, you'll then have to decide which time frame "our era" means. . .)

19 April 2005

It occurs to me to wonder if this era could be compared to a period of history. . .and is it more the Dark Ages or the Renaissance, or another period? Remember to put the date at the top of your blog and back your point with proof, please.

5 April 2005

What really defines the essence of HUMAN civilization?

It seems a little bit like we're circling around to the First Contact question again . . .(I think it's the same question in two different forms.)

What would you show to an alien to justify humanity's existence on Earth? Imagine that the artifact would make or break a case for the survival of the human race. . .this implies that the first contact would be with a superior race, but it seems possible that we could meet someone more advanced someday. New ground rules, though--it has to be visible with the naked human eye, portable (by one unassisted person), and self-sustaining (in other words, no power cords or umbilicals of any sort). It also has to be explainable in less than 100 words. This sort of requires that the artifact be representative of something larger, even symbolic, but its true essence has to be definable, and mostly self-explanatory.

March 23, 2005

So, I've decided the real name of this course should be Humanities Survey: Dangerous Minds. . .and I will leave it up to my adoring public to decide which minds the title refers to--the cool dead guys or y'all.

Kern's top ten list of great ideas and ideamakers:

10) whoever decided to eat the olive that soaked in the firepit all winter

9) that nameless person who realized how to leaven bread with wild yeast

8) the first people who figured out that if they both kept a promise, there could be peace, and the babies could live to make more

7) Margaret Mead

6) Michaelangelo Buonarotti

5) the woman who decided to teach her daughters how to survive childbirth--and inspired the rest of the tribe to pass on the knowledge

4) Irving Stone, who wrote great books about great minds--how cool is that!

3) the inventor of the bicycle--and the folks who figured out how to harness people power in other great fashions. . .like foot-operated well pumps and things which make us happier on a daily basis even though we don't always know it

2) the person who invented (discovered??) the pigment which became cobalt blue glass because it makes me happy

1) all of those people who perpetuate language, because it is what I do. . .and it makes me happy.

So, as to avoid pseudo-intellectualism, here's your shot to say something real--but no pseudo-rebellion or anger just to follow the flock.

March 11, 2005

Here I am, an English teacher trying to think of fascinating subjects to get you folks started on. . .and all I can think of is literature. (No real shock there!) Voltaire's Candide spends a life in search of the best of all possible worlds. . . I wonder what that would really be, and could we agree on one version? Even more interesting--if our little tiny group could agree, could a larger group? I guess this comes back around to the idea of what is civilization, and is there a universal definition? (And, of course, for Aaron and Miroslav--could it survive first contact?)