We Believe

Call it a pet peeve, but I hate when one person attempts to speak for an entire nation, group, or tribe.

Perhaps it happens as a matter of shorthand, but Oren Lyons (Barry Lopez, "The Leadership Imperative," page 205- 213) falls right into that trap. He says "We believe that everything is made by a Creator" (209). Oh really? So there's no place for atheism in Native American cultures?

That's just one example of the "we" statement, although there are plenty more throughout the essay. Some of the time the "we" refers to Native Americans from times long ago (like before the European invasion), and sometimes it refers to the current generation. So, not only is he speaking for everyone living today, but he's speaking for all of those that lived throughout hundreds of years of history.

Does being born into a tradition make you a spokesperson for that tradition? Does it make you the authority on that tradition's history? Does it give you the right to speak for all?

Maybe I'm just being sensitive here, but...

Virtual, non-authentic experiences

Lowell Monke's "Charlotte's Webpage" (pages 194-204) suggests that too much technology isn't good for the souls of little boys and girls.

And here's something to consider: if you're overexposed to a "similated world," you risk becoming dead to the real world. You risk losing all sense of connection, your sense of place.

Basically put, technology is way too powerful for human beings to use sensibly, especially little boys and girls with undeveloped brains.

Computers come with a cost, one that Monke describes as "a Faustian bargain." Wow.

Again, I understand the points Monke is making, although I do feel that he's being a bit over the top. Do kids need more experiential learning opportunities? Sure. Is too much exposure to technology, especially computers and gaming systems, harmful? Well, maybe. But maybe not to the extent that Monke suggests.

I was saddened to learn that many schools have eliminated recess. I cannot imagine how a school can eliminate the milk break at 10, the lunch break at 12, and the afternoon respite at 2. Seriously. Kids gots to play. And schools that don't get that are more of a threat than schools that spend money on technology.

Love It before You Know It

David Sobel's "Beyond Ecophobia" (pages 181-193) begins the Reverence section of The Future of Nature.

It's hard to disagree with what he's saying, but let's be careful. He seems to suggest that we should insulate kids from the realities of the big bad world, and I guess I disagree.

I do agree that it's important to get kids outside, to give them an appreciation for nature before asking them to "save" the world; but I don't think it's necessarily an either/or question. And really, neither does Sobel.

When I attended grade school in the early 1980s, I distinctly remember a lack of science in the curriculum. We would do Math, Reading, and social sciences every day, but we only did science once a week. Is this because our tiny little minds couldn't handle science? Couldn't handle theories and so on?

Sobel also warns about "curricular brainwashing." What is that? When does something move beyond education to brainwashing? When does something become "activism"? And when do kids lose the ability to choose and decide for themselves?

All important questions, and this is a good article to help get the discussion started.

Protecting Human Stories

William Cronon's "The Riddle of Apostle Islands" (pp. 167-177) is about protecting human stories. It's about the silliness of federal regulations, and it is against creating illusions of "wildness." I get all that, but I still find it difficult to get very worked up about the author's main thesis. And, judging by the author's own language -- "Why does this bother me so much?"-- Cronon seems to acknowledge as much. He knows people probably aren't going to care as much as he does about this topic.

I like the concept of "rewilding," and there certainly is value to making it clear that people have, for example, changed the landscape of the Apostle Islands. What we see, Cronon points out, isn't virgin wilderness. It's been "touched" by man, and there's no reason to try to imagine otherwise. In fact, clinging to the idea of the virginal can have dangerous consequences. True enough, but if I were going to visit the Apostle Islands, I'd probably be there for nature -- not for the cultural experience.

Do I care about Bill and Anna Mae Hill, and who planted the apple trees fifty years ago? Not really, but maybe that's just me. Like Cronon, I don't see the value in expunging their existence from the historical record, but I also don't see a lot of value in going out of our way to save evidence that they existed...

A Vinyl Killer

Sandra Steingraber ("The Pirates of Illiopolis," pp. 268-283) is making an appearance at RCTC tonight, which prompted me to skip ahead in The Future of Nature to read her article.

Illiopolis is a small town between Decatur and Springfield, about 90 minutes from the town I grew up in. It's a pretty boring part of Illinois, actually, but it sure must have been a hoping place a few years back when the PVC plant blew up...

Is there more cancer in the community? Apparently no one has bothered to check. Is vinyl a dangerous product to make? Apparently so, but no one seems to care enough to do much about it.

The article mentioned the accident at Graniteville, South Carolina. This one killed a few people, and shut down the local community college for a week. I know, because I worked there at the time. Graniteville is South Carolina's version of Illiopolis: poor, run-down, and overlooked.

You know why no one cares about PVC and cancer and small town America? The short answer is money. Places that house chemical plants don't have any. The makers of chemicals have all the political pull.

And nobody ever bothers to think that the product they're walking on is dangerous.

Socrates--a gadfly martyred for free speech?

I find it interesting that Gross portrays Socrates as a martyr for freedom--specifically freedom of speech. I submit that Socrates was not a martyr or a "gadfly" in the sense of a Thoreau, Gandhi, or Martin Luther King. Socrates was indeed a "gadfly"but in what sense? Was Socrates' purpose in his role as a "gadfly" to awaken the city of Athens as a dissident, whistleblower, maverick (after this past election, I loathe this word), or revolutionary? Was Socrates an advocate of free speech as such? Or, was Socrates a problem for Athens because it was his charge, given by the god, to live the life of the philosopher by examining himself and others--in the process inviting, or teaching by his example, his chosen young men to question (hence, a corrupter of the young) the legitimacy of the common opinions that were the glue that held the city together (see 18b,19b,23b,and 24b to see what opinions Socrates was thought to have subverted).

Now the Athenian jurors had at least three choices or alternatives in dealing with Socrates. They could have changed their way of life in order to accord to Socrates' view of the life well-lived, they could silence him, or they simply could have tolerated him. Is toleration of Socrates the best choice Athens could have made and would Plato have agreed? John Stuart Mill, in his On Liberty, assumes that the trial, conviction, and execution of Socrates is an instance of what might happen if complete freedom of speech is not allowed. Socrates is portrayed by Mill, and by Gross, as a defender of an open society in which all are free to think and speak as they wish unrestricted by the city or community. But is this consistent with Socrates' teaching in the Crito-- which Gross claims (how he arrives at this I fail to see) is a dialogue with a "classic formulation of the doctrine of 'civil disobedience'? This is not the message of the laws Plato relates through Socrates in the Crito--which Socrates accepts--for he refuses on the grounds of justice his friends' pleas to escape with no consideration for the laws of Athens. Consider, too--Athens had allowed Socrates to live to 70, which suggests that Athens did possess a certain amount of patience.

Is there evidence in Plato's Apology, giving an account of the trial of Socrates, to support this view? Remember that Socrates claimed to be wiser than all those he has encountered in Athens, because Socrates, unlike the leading citizens of Athens and their claims, at least knew that he knew nothing (21a-22e). So, in his questioning of these individuals and the cherished religious and moral beliefs of Athens, might we infer that Socrates was asking the Athenians to be tolerant of a variety of opinions no matter how startling and new?

Or, was Socrates actually taking an intolerant position himself? By claiming that those who think they are wise are really not and that he himself is wise in knowing that he knows nothing, Socrates is assuming that he knows what it means to know. In other words, in order to recognize and expose ignorance, Socrates must have certainty of his own standards of truth--he presupposes that one can know what wisdom is (17a-b, 22c-e). Socrates, then, never advocates freedom to pursue one's own truth per se. Rather, Socrates argues for the best kind of life--that of the philosopher--who searches, but perhaps never possesses, the truth. And living the best life for humans, sadly, is not possible for the vast majority of us.

For example, is the Socratic way of life a model to be emulated? Plato's dialogues do not tell us to live as Socrates lived. Socrates' way of life is possible because he was possessed of a "daimonic" gift and a charge from the god--do we possess such a gift and charge? Perhaps the dialogues teaching, then, is not live as Socrates lived, but live as Socrates tells us to live. And given Socratic irony and his tailorng of his teaching to the nature of the soul of his interlocutors, this is not as easy to discern as one might suppose--including Gross who neatly packages "Socrate's way" into seven neat and tidy "master keys" allowing us to use our mind to the utmost. There is a reason why Socrates was suspicious of writing (it is equally accessible to all and it does not know to whom to talk to and to whom to be silent because it says the same thing to everyone) that points to the heart of his teaching--it is not democratic; we are not all possessed of souls capable of Socrates' attention and the Platonic dialogues reflect this understanding.

Question(s)

I do not have any gems of wisdom or thought-provoking questions pertinent to teaching, but I am wondering about the picture of Michael Gross (in full Socratic garb) on the back of the book. He is emerging from the Times Square 42nd Street Station and directly behind him, quite visible, are McDonald's Golden Arches.

I am wondering if he receives any compensation from McDonalds for the picture.

Also, his bio mentions that he has "portrayed Socrates, imparting his (Socrates' I assume) methods and techniques, before more than 100,000 professionals and business people at major national conventions and conferences." I wonder what Gross' rate is for imparting Socrates' "methods and techniques." Evidently he made no appearances at any of the major banking and financing conventions over the past 10 years or so...or no one was listening. Well, even the real Socrates had his Alcibiades. Still, perhaps Mr. Gross might serve Justice by volunteering his services as professional "gadfly" as part of Ponzi-schemer Madoff's sentence: a Socratic fury constantly goading and stinging Madoff, speaking truth to him and constantly questioning him on the most important questions the pursuit of which constitutes a life well-lived.

More later....I have some further questions about Gross' understanding of Socrates.

Questions: 10 Types

Any questions?

This is something we might ask our students, but that's not really a question, is it? We're soliciting questions from our students, but why don't we spend more time asking them specific questions?

Perhaps we don't ask questions because we're afraid of what our students might say (or not say). It can be awkward asking a specific question to a student. The student might not know "the answer," might take the class on a tangent, or might ask the instructor a question that the instructor isn't prepared for.

But to me, the real value of a class is the questions we ask. Pages 60-61 offer ten types of questions that we can use. Study this list and use it wisely.

The Way(s)

I like this line: "To truly follow Socrates' Way, we must find our own" (17).

Yeah, that's pretty zen-sounding, isn't it?

But I love the notion of being constantly prompted to think deeply, and not just to "assume" that what we believe on the surface is actually what we beleive.

Elevating the Discussion Beyond "Politics as Usual"

I am thoroughly enjoying this book!

I have found that students most often have either an indifferent view or a cynical view of American politics or things political. In my discussion forums, then, from the beginning I try to ask questions that highlight the most fundamental issues and questions about the nature of political life. I do so in the hopes of opening students to the essentially philosophical nature of politics and to be open to the importance of politics to how we may best live our lives.

Now, Socrates exemplifies a person who wants to know what is the best way of life for a human being. Such a person will prefer those political arrangements that help or assist him/her in this pursuit. To some extent, does this not represent all of us? Do we not all seek to live the most fulfilling lives that we are able? And, do we not evaluate or judge our politics or political life by how well (or not so well) it helps us in this search? And, as Americans, do we not hold it to be "self-evident" that the end, purpose, or task of any just government is to secure our "pursuit of Happiness?"

Students are not used to approaching politics in such a fashion. Many find it uncomfortable to dialogue in the forums using terms like "just" and "unjust," and considering the possibility that there is any fixed standard by which we are able to evaluate our way of life and our politics beyond personal opinion. I encourage students to be open to the possibility that, through dialogue and reasoning, some standard of the good life for humans and for a political system that allows for living such a life might be arrived at.

I constantly try to encourage my students to consider politics and the way we choose to live our lives from this perspective. In doing so, I struggle with finding a proper balance in the discussion forums between student to student and student-instructor dialogue.

One way I attempt to find this balance is by encouraging each student, through forums, the "news items," and emails, to constantly do their best to put forward their opinion regarding questions on the basis of reason, analysis, and criticism of texts, each other's postings, and especially my postings. I offer examples, too, of good, reasoned dialogue in a discussion forum.

I stress again and again that we are engaging in a journey from opinion towards knowledge of such questions and that my opinions are not "gospel"--that to not question my opinions and assumptions would be to do me an injustice for I too am engaged in the very same process of trying to live a good life in a shared political community.

When students give good reasons for their opinions regarding a question or in questioning a classmate's posting or one of my postings, I really try to compliment them, both in the forum and through email. And I especially compliment them when they question and criticize my postings.

It takes a few weeks, but students do start to respond to my postings...when they dare or take care to offer an opposing view based upon reasoning, contrary evidence, or a different interpretation of a text or argument it is very encouraging!

This is pretty elementary, I guess. But I have found that students do appreciate persistence on my part. They see that I am concerned with fundamental questions--that my constant prodding to view these matters beyond "Politics as Usual" indicates my care and love for the questions, for their opinions on the questions, and for the journey to move beyond opinion towards knowledge of the most important questions.

This is all heady stuff. I offer forums, too, where students may post on lighter questions--a few students have been comfortable enough to post who is their favorite president and why, and to write a POEM about him. I will try to continue to offer opportunities for students to express themselves in a "wacky" or offbeat way on various topics.

I also offer a forum where students may honestly and anonymously post their opinions as to how the course is going, give suggestions and/or likes and dislikes on all course-related matters, or offer suggestions of what they would like to explore in the course. Again, I try to stress as much as possible that I take their opinions seriously because it is a serious undertaking to address political questions.---WWSD?

Whew! I feel as if I am in the process of giving birth!--as if I would truly know!---Midwives? Anyone?

Questions Elevate the Mundane

Here's a good question to keep in mind:

What question could I ask that could elevate this conversation above the mundane? (xix).

This seems especially important for online classes that rely heavily on discussion boards. I know there's a balancing act here. An instructor doesn't want to get too involved in the discussion boards -- students need to have some space to speak for themselves -- but we must know when it's appropriate for us to step in.

And offer the kind of question that no other keeps the discussion moving forward, but does so in such a way that "elevates the mundane."

Ideas Midwife

In Michael Gelb's introduction to Socrates' Way, he writes: "Socrates refused to be recognized as a teacher.... Instead, he asked to be seen as a 'midwife of ideas'" (xiv).

What a lovely expression that is.

How do you see yourself? Have you ever considered yourself to be an ideas midwife? How does that "role" change the way you view what you do??

Socrates' Way -- Spring 09 Book

Greetings, Booklovers.

Do you still love books? If so, I hope you will join us as we read Socrates' Way: Seven Keys to Using the Mind to the Utmost.

If you're interested in using your mind to the utmost (what fun!), I will be happy to reserve a copy for you; reading will commence in mid-February, but I will start posting my thoughts forthwith.

(Sponsored by the same people that brought you How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci.)