- Feb 11, 2003
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Let one member of the group acquire the following thirteen items:
a toy fire truck;
a Barbie doll;
a reproduction of a Picasso painting;
a brick;
a screwdriver;
a hammer;
a turkey feather;
a piece of balsa wood;
a rubber ball;
a piece of hard wood, such as birch;
a "ghetto blaster" (portable stereo);
a pornographic novel;
a philosophical treatise by Bishop George Berkeley;
Place these items on the floor and let everybody sit around them. First, divide them into two groups- red things and not-red things. See how many times ambiguous cases arise (e.g., should a book with a red-and-white cover go in the red pile or the not-red pile?)
Let the 13 items be divided into another two groups- useful objects and toys. See how many ambiguities arise. (Does art belong among toys? Does the porno?)
Each week, as long as the group continues, let somebody think of another dualism and divide the 13 items into two piles according to the new dichotomy.
Note each case where two things fall into different groups according to one dualist system, and fall into the same groups according to another dualist system. (e.g., balsa wood and hard wood will fall into the same group if one divides "wooden things" from "non-wooden things", but will fall into different groups if one divides "things that float" from "things that do not float".)
Note how the Aristotelian argument "It 'is' either an A or a not-A" appears after you have found several things that belong on the same side of one dualism but on opposite sides of other dualisms.
Some suggestions for other dualisms: "educational things" and "entertaining things", "scientific things" and "non-scientific things", "good things" and "bad things", "organic things" and "inorganic things".
See how many odd and imaginatice dualisms the group can create.
At this point, an obvious fact seems worthy of special emphasis. Actually doing these exercizes in a group, as suggested, teaches much more than merely reading about them.
Taken from this book without permission.
Red vs. Blue, me vs. you..
It shouldn't be this way in every case.
Edit: for spelling
a toy fire truck;
a Barbie doll;
a reproduction of a Picasso painting;
a brick;
a screwdriver;
a hammer;
a turkey feather;
a piece of balsa wood;
a rubber ball;
a piece of hard wood, such as birch;
a "ghetto blaster" (portable stereo);
a pornographic novel;
a philosophical treatise by Bishop George Berkeley;
Place these items on the floor and let everybody sit around them. First, divide them into two groups- red things and not-red things. See how many times ambiguous cases arise (e.g., should a book with a red-and-white cover go in the red pile or the not-red pile?)
Let the 13 items be divided into another two groups- useful objects and toys. See how many ambiguities arise. (Does art belong among toys? Does the porno?)
Each week, as long as the group continues, let somebody think of another dualism and divide the 13 items into two piles according to the new dichotomy.
Note each case where two things fall into different groups according to one dualist system, and fall into the same groups according to another dualist system. (e.g., balsa wood and hard wood will fall into the same group if one divides "wooden things" from "non-wooden things", but will fall into different groups if one divides "things that float" from "things that do not float".)
Note how the Aristotelian argument "It 'is' either an A or a not-A" appears after you have found several things that belong on the same side of one dualism but on opposite sides of other dualisms.
Some suggestions for other dualisms: "educational things" and "entertaining things", "scientific things" and "non-scientific things", "good things" and "bad things", "organic things" and "inorganic things".
See how many odd and imaginatice dualisms the group can create.
At this point, an obvious fact seems worthy of special emphasis. Actually doing these exercizes in a group, as suggested, teaches much more than merely reading about them.
Taken from this book without permission.
Red vs. Blue, me vs. you..
It shouldn't be this way in every case.
Edit: for spelling
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