John Dewey* says we exalt philosophy, thought, and intellect because they make knowledge seem certain. Practical action on the other hand is inherently attended by uncertainty.
But it's the uncertainty of creating an information problem and then trying to solve it through considered research and weighing opposing views that I want the most for my students. It's what Hal and I talk about all the time. Certainty is the enemy of discovery and growth. I think Dewey and I can at least agree on that.
*in The Quest for Certainty: A Study of the Relation of Knowledge and Action
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Self Education
In my dream I'm having the typical problem: I have to get somewhere, I can't get there, I don't have what I need, I'm running out of time. The specifics: I'm in an airport trying to fly home. I finally find my gate and I'm relieved that I'm not too late to board. Unfortunately, I don't have my boarding pass or my ticket. Neither do I have a receipt. Briefly it seems that one of the employees will find a way to get me on the flight if I can produce two pieces of identification. I fumble through my wallet to find them but by the time I do, the offer has been revoked. I talk to a manager; she says she can help and then never comes back. I think I can see her at the other end of the office, feverishly searching through files, but she will not acknowledge me. I'm not going to be able to get home.
But for the first time in any of my frantic dreams like this, Hal is with me. At first I'm frustrated with him because he won't be flying with me. It's not clear how he's going to get home, but his only interest at that moment is to help me to figure out what I'm going to do. He's calm and positive. He's in no hurry and so he doesn't leave me during all of the time I struggle to find a way onto the plane. The same type of dream scenario that would normally leave me miserable and sweaty is, instead, merely frustrating. It's even slightly comical in that detached, zen way of looking at life's hassles. Because Hal is with me, it's entirely managable and will inevitably work out just fine.
Even though the dream ended before the transportation issues were resolved, I was left with the feeling that I was safe, essentially content, and able to find a way around the problem. I figured I was probably going to just take Hal's route home.
But for the first time in any of my frantic dreams like this, Hal is with me. At first I'm frustrated with him because he won't be flying with me. It's not clear how he's going to get home, but his only interest at that moment is to help me to figure out what I'm going to do. He's calm and positive. He's in no hurry and so he doesn't leave me during all of the time I struggle to find a way onto the plane. The same type of dream scenario that would normally leave me miserable and sweaty is, instead, merely frustrating. It's even slightly comical in that detached, zen way of looking at life's hassles. Because Hal is with me, it's entirely managable and will inevitably work out just fine.
Even though the dream ended before the transportation issues were resolved, I was left with the feeling that I was safe, essentially content, and able to find a way around the problem. I figured I was probably going to just take Hal's route home.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
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