Comments on: Oh, the humanities… http://www.daveswhiteboard.com/archives/2139?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=oh-the-humanities Dave Ferguson's interests, ideas, notions, tangents Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:23:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Dave http://www.daveswhiteboard.com/archives/2139/comment-page-1#comment-12586 Dave Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:17:07 +0000 http://www.daveswhiteboard.com/?p=2139#comment-12586 True enough, Wes--though I see the ambiguity sneaking in <i>after</i> you answer: So, if we don't have any of his work in his hand--how do we know it's his? What does "his work" mean? (And I'm cheerfully skipping over the "who wrote Shakespeare" angle.) True enough, Wes–though I see the ambiguity sneaking in after you answer: So, if we don’t have any of his work in his hand–how do we know it’s his? What does “his work” mean? (And I’m cheerfully skipping over the “who wrote Shakespeare” angle.)

]]> By: Wes Hopper http://www.daveswhiteboard.com/archives/2139/comment-page-1#comment-12585 Wes Hopper Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:59:46 +0000 http://www.daveswhiteboard.com/?p=2139#comment-12585 Your humanities question was slanted to the scientific mindset, because it had a "right/wrong" answer. A true humanities question would require an essay answer and deal with meaning. Ambiguity drives scientists nuts! It was fun, though. Your humanities question was slanted to the scientific mindset, because it had a “right/wrong” answer. A true humanities question would require an essay answer and deal with meaning. Ambiguity drives scientists nuts! It was fun, though.

]]> By: Dave http://www.daveswhiteboard.com/archives/2139/comment-page-1#comment-12583 Dave Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:04:59 +0000 http://www.daveswhiteboard.com/?p=2139#comment-12583 Andrew: I considered starting with <b>Abstract</b>, but that didn't seem like a good strategy. Elia: you're right, of course. I wanted to nudge people to one side or another of Snow's dichotomy. I'd like to think I straddle--I've read and enjoyed things like Kandel's <i>In Search of Memory</i>, and I leisurely go through Levitin's <i>Cognitive Psychology</i>. The account of the first gene map, in <i>Time Love Memory</i>, was the sort of science I wish I'd heard when I was in school. Still, I freely admit more comfort in the humanities. That said, a certain level of non-comfort is often beneficial for learning. Andrew: I considered starting with Abstract, but that didn’t seem like a good strategy.

Elia: you’re right, of course. I wanted to nudge people to one side or another of Snow’s dichotomy. I’d like to think I straddle–I’ve read and enjoyed things like Kandel’s In Search of Memory, and I leisurely go through Levitin’s Cognitive Psychology. The account of the first gene map, in Time Love Memory, was the sort of science I wish I’d heard when I was in school.

Still, I freely admit more comfort in the humanities. That said, a certain level of non-comfort is often beneficial for learning.

]]> By: Elia Ben-Ari http://www.daveswhiteboard.com/archives/2139/comment-page-1#comment-12582 Elia Ben-Ari Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:45:24 +0000 http://www.daveswhiteboard.com/?p=2139#comment-12582 I enjoyed the poll, Dave. But some of us straddle both cultures, so I think you should include that as an option in Part 2. I enjoyed the poll, Dave. But some of us straddle both cultures, so I think you should include that as an option in Part 2.

]]> By: Andrew Maynard http://www.daveswhiteboard.com/archives/2139/comment-page-1#comment-12580 Andrew Maynard Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:36:47 +0000 http://www.daveswhiteboard.com/?p=2139#comment-12580 Come on Dave, I'm a scientist - you don't expect me to read to the end of the page do you?! :-) Come on Dave, I’m a scientist – you don’t expect me to read to the end of the page do you?! :-)

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