“…it is central to the rest of this course that you fully understand the difference between a sophist and a philosopher. [Sophists are] self-opinionated know-it-alls who are satisfied with what little they know, or who boast of knowing a whole lot about subjects they haven’t the faintest notion of. […] A real philosopher…knows that in reality he knows very little. That is why he constantly strives to achieve true insight. […] A philosopher is therefore someone who recognizes that there is still a lot he does not understand, and is troubled by it. In that sense, he is still wiser than all those who brag about their knowledge of things they know nothing about. […] Socrates himself said, “One thing only I know, and that is that I know nothing.” […]
The most subversive people are those who ask questions.
Giving answers is not nearly as threatening.
Any one question can be more explosive than a thousand answers.”
~ Jostein Gaarder, Sophie’s World ~
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
First Assignments In - Let the Blogging Begin!
Dear 2010-11 APers,
Thanks for being so prompt in turning in your essays. I'm very much looking forward to reading them and getting to know each of you a little better. If you would please click the "Follow" button on this blog, you should be able to see a notification on your blog that I have updated mine. I plan to use my blog for my own writing and reflections over the summer, and I encourage you to do the same. Also, I have linked each of your blogs to mine so that I can see them easily. Feel free to link your classmates' blogs to your own; I hope that these blogs will help us build a sense of community, even over the summer, and we will use them for feedback in writing, among other things, once the year begins.
Last semester I created a Facebook fan page for my English class (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Ms-Smiths-English-Class/289798125778). If you have a Facebook account, go ahead and be a fan of my class; I use it as a sort-of homework hotline / bulletin board for the class, and it's also an easy way to ask a question or send a message, though I suppose email does that pretty well too.
Have a glorious summer and I hope you enjoy your reading and writing!
Thanks for being so prompt in turning in your essays. I'm very much looking forward to reading them and getting to know each of you a little better. If you would please click the "Follow" button on this blog, you should be able to see a notification on your blog that I have updated mine. I plan to use my blog for my own writing and reflections over the summer, and I encourage you to do the same. Also, I have linked each of your blogs to mine so that I can see them easily. Feel free to link your classmates' blogs to your own; I hope that these blogs will help us build a sense of community, even over the summer, and we will use them for feedback in writing, among other things, once the year begins.
Last semester I created a Facebook fan page for my English class (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Ms-Smiths-English-Class/289798125778). If you have a Facebook account, go ahead and be a fan of my class; I use it as a sort-of homework hotline / bulletin board for the class, and it's also an easy way to ask a question or send a message, though I suppose email does that pretty well too.
Have a glorious summer and I hope you enjoy your reading and writing!
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