I admit, while I love perusing the blog and seeing what my classmates have to say about various philosophical topics, I find I have difficulty contributing to the conversations.
Part of this is my personal mild dislike of blogs in general. I find blogs to be distasteful due to their very structure. Blogs are places where one can post their own opinions and discuss amongst their peers, however they are far too sterile for true discussion to take place. Even now, I'm censoring, picking words, attempting to be eloquent, doing whatever necessary to try to get my opinion across without conveying misinformation or facilitating incorrect interpretation. In response, my classmates (you) will possibly respond to what they think I'm trying (clumsily) to convey in this post. I will skim the comments, or be disappointed at a lack of comments, and this thread will be dead.
I far prefer face-to-face discussions. I like to sit with another person and talk about philosophy, coffee, the weather, philosophy again, classes, etc. These discussions are organic, they meander, they move, they are insightful, or not. I can tell immediately if someone is understanding what I'm trying to convey or if there has been a misinterpretation, usually by the look on their face or another non-verbal clue. I can tell if they agree or disagree. Here on the blog, I simply cast out my ideas to the abyss, wondering if they are accepted, or even read. I find the impersonality of the setup disconcerting and not conductive to discussion on my part.
The conclusion, let's talk. Face-to-face over coffee, after class, meeting in the halls, all are acceptable. It would be an interesting social experiment :)
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Very insightful.
ReplyDeleteI think that yes, indeed, blogs are not in the least bit like face-to-face discussion.
ReplyDeleteIt would be the same if we used a class wiki or *any* online medium.
I think the blog is a good idea for getting people to put out their ideas for the following reasons:
-Some people might are not comfortable with face-to-face/in-class discussion. Therefore this is a place they can give ideas safely.
-It's a place for that 1 a.m. thought, that brilliance that hits you when nobody is around and you would really like to share it.
However...
-A fair amount of the students don't seem to care about engaging in discussion, be it in class or on a blog. It's just a humanities class, so obviously they don't need to think, right? Mm-hmm, ok. Some people who won't talk in class won't talk here, which sadly leaves holes in potentially great philosophical conversation.
I totally agree with your point about this being a medium for intellectual "safety" as it were. A blog is a great place to facilitate discussion for those who are less likely to speak up in class. Too bad more people don't take advantage of it!
ReplyDeleteI'm simply stating my difficulty I have with a blog. I've even tried starting one on my own and never got very far.
I don't want to play pool...
ReplyDeleteMore specifically, I won't play pool anymore.
When I was in the Air Force, many, many, moons ago, we had a pool table in the barracks. I called a shot: off three rails into the side pocket.
And made it.
I put the cue down and walked away, knowing that I could never better that shot.
If you have to go out, always go out on top.
Ms. White, I don't know who you are. Most of the time when I leave class I have to go to work, or home to sleep (when I'm working graveyards), or home to decompress. These are my truths with a capital T: work, mortgage, bills, life, death and taxes. However, I would be more than happy to try to find a mutual time that would serve to sit down and have a face-to-face discussion.
As far as pool goes... I know I would love to. Maybe so much I'd get distracted. I fear an unraveling into non-philosophical enjoyment...
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