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Notes on Introduction to the Humanities -- Hum A212 William Jamison - Instructor Lecture 2 This lecture concerns a review of the dawn of culture and a first look at theory. First a look at time. I approach the concept of time since we have had the issue concerning the nature of time since the (Yes!) dawn of time! Most of our look at the history of the Humanities uses an evolutionary or secular model but there are others that we must consider. This issue at least has been with us since Parmenides (roughly Greek for "Two fixed ideas") and another favorite explanation of this is in the writings of Saint Augustine (see chapter 10). The point of view continues in the work of our contemporaries such as Brian Greene. See his work on the nature of time in the universe and an excerpt from his new book The Fabric of the Cosmos. Our standard way to understand this is two view knowledge as complex models or tools that we use in order to accomplish things. Each tool has different uses and should be kept and used appropriately. From the one model, the universe is one and complete. Einstein calls this model Absolute Space Time. Brian Greene uses the metaphor of a frozen river to talk about a river that appears to be moving from secular time but from Absolute Space Time is always frozen in space. Our limited way of being aware of space time only allows us to see or experience things from second to second (secular) but theoretically all time exists at once (eternal). While both of these perspectives seem contrary to one another we have to keep them compartmented or contextualized. One model is for one thing, the other for another but both are true. If we feel dumb trying to understand this remember that is okay! As Goldie Hawn says, "Dumb is Beautiful". Goldie Hawn's argument for why dumb is beautiful.
Another set of models I love to use to show how this works concerns the Galileo Incident. Specifically, I ask whether we are taught if the sun goes around the earth or the earth goes around the sun? Most often Galileo is considered to have demonstrated that Copernicus was right, that the earth goes around the sun and not that the sun goes around the earth. But it is more complex than that. What Galileo actually demonstrated was that the other planets do not go around the earth as the center of their orbits but around the sun. Further, that there are moons that go around some of those other planets. In other words, the various Ptolemaic models were flawed and a Heliocentric model more efficient. (Notice both of these linked articles in Wiki take a limited correspondence theory of truth point of view). But from a perspective on the earth, the geocentric model is correct. To view things from an heliocentric model one has to imagine being off the earth in space. Today astronomers use both models since each model is useful for different things. It seems a much more powerful position to say both views are good models for the things we use them for and it is incorrect to say that either is false. Notice also that these are not the only models. If we think of the sun's relationship to the Galaxy (it seems silly to say "Milky Way Galaxy" since that just says "Milky Way Milky Way" in two languages) then the sun is traveling in its orbit and bringing the planets with it. If you diagram this model neither the sun nor the planets are going around each other but all are traveling in relatively parallel lines along with each other in a path through the Galaxy. And there are still other models! While there can certainly be mistakes with our models and as we learn we correct those mistakes, it seems the only false position to take is to say that only one model is true and the others false. This does not mean there is no truth, but that the truth is the model that includes all true and useful models. Hegel said, "The truth is the whole". Regarding the color wheel: it reminds me for some reason of the I Am the President/Radio Free Nixon by David Frye (Audio CD) album (Disc 1 track 8) "Colors! I want to learn colors!" (Sorry. I reminisce.) I used this to launch on an issue concerning facts and interpretation. I ask: are there any colors we haven't discovered yet? That is, are the colors identified in the color wheel all of the colors? Certainly in one sense, hypothetically at least, there is an infinity of colors between, say yellow and blue. Can we imagine all possible colors if there is an infinity of them? Beyond those colors we perceive, we are also aware of colors outside the normal range of human perception -- those in the infrared and ultraviolet. I might mention that parakeets can see UV colors. Only thanks to technologies that expand our abilities have we become aware of our limitations and recognition that are animals have capabilities we do not. So even when we focus on what we might call a fact, should realize there is already a limitation in the way we make note of the fact. Our perception is specific to the means of perception and there are other aspects of things beyond the capacity of that means of perception. In class we did not discuss this next set of notes yet but went right to ancient artifacts. Next issue: facts versus values (or interpretation, or theory). See: The Collapse of the Fact/Value Dichotomy and Other Essays by Hilary Putnam (Paperback - Mar 30, 2004) for a contemporary look at this issue. How do we recognize the difference between a fact and non-fact? Further, what is the role of the non-factual? Earlier (or in other courses) I discuss the importance of narrative for our memory. We remember narratives very well. In this sense we may be better described as homo narrans instead of homo sapiens sapiens. (See Homo Narrans: The Poetics and Anthropology of Oral Literature by John D. Niles (Hardcover - Nov 1999)) (Or see: http://www.ic.arizona.edu/~comm300/mary/group/narrativepara/tsld002.htm ) We will do a close reading of the text LC 1. Consider the word "text" to refer to more than literature. "World view" read as "Meta narrative". Reconcile relativism and an absolute interpretation of a text. King Tutankhamen at the Egyptian Museum, Cairo: http://www.egyptianmuseum.gov.eg/collection_tut.html
Interpretation? http://www.templartrails.co.uk/tours/reshel.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flannery_O%27Connor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasia_%28film%29
For those who would like to look at Dr Gabrielle Barnett's web page for the class it is posted here: http://afgrb.uaa.alaska.edu/hum212/hum212home.html Companion web site for 2nd edition: http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_benton_introhuman_2/0,9449,1514830-,00.html and the web site for the 3rd edition is here: http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_benton_introhuman_3 This is the Prentice Hall page for "Arts and Culture".
Goldie Hawn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIA1VS2bDa4 Video explanation for the sun's movement through the Galaxy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLvEKE6iyfY Graphic display of movement towards Vega: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5L3rRm6XZU&feature=related The most important image ever taken: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpkSeVgvA0o&feature=related |
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This page is maintained by William S. Jamison. It was last updated January 12, 2008. All links on these pages are either to open source or public domain materials or they are marked with the appropriate copyright information. I frequently check the links I have made to other web sites but each source is responsible for their own content. |