I don't think the internet is a good place to find an intellectual community. The closest I've come is blogging, but - as you said - a blog is centered on an individual.
I've thought about having a week on the video project where we all ask the same question. I think it would be worth trying.
Writing letters is closer to an intellectual community, but it is pretty much limited to two people. Honestly, I think actually meeting people and talking with them may be the best way to share and think about things. Conversation is - I think - a requirement for intellectual community. Short of actually meeting people in real life, I guess the closest thing would be conference calls or group chats. But coffee shops are better.
"I've thought about having a week on the video project where we all ask the same question." I was also thinking about this, in fact . . . directly connected to your idea of intellectual community, Wednesday . . . thinking perhaps that if we all talk about the same thing sometime, it could really spark good discussion.
Advice to the wise, Wednesday: Don't get a facebook.
In person conversation would be fantastic. I had a crazy idea a while ago after I got back form Wheatstone last year . . . about starting some kind of book discussion at a library. Not a lame book discussion, but really hard, deep books . . . and kind of just hope I could find people in the community where I lived who would be interested. *shrug*.
In other news, I am all for having a conference call with some (or all) of you guys, sometime :)
I think . . . that any intellectual community worth its salt would also be a community of friends, or at least people who generally like each other. It . . . isn't really possible for human beings to have healthy unwhole relationships with people, like just people you "think" with. Or . . . maybe I just don't think it should be.
I . . . wonder about the internet being an obstacle to being in your Place, where you are. Is connecting with and communicating with real people over the internet distracting you from your place? . . . in some sense I guess it is. But . . . not in the same way that wasting time on the internet, in shallow meaningless interaction is.
Boring? This video has so many interesting thoughts that I'm having difficulty putting all of my own thoughts into a response!
I agree with Monday that the internet is not the best place to develop the sort of community you're thinking of. However, while not the best, it is still a perfectly viable place to share idesa with others. Like you said, though, the more popular outlets for thought (social networking sites, blogs, discussion forums, youtube) have their limitations.
I absolutely love in-person discussion groups. To hear from people their honest opinions, free from internet anonymity and in real time, is thrilling to me. If it's not the best way to develop an intellectual community, it's my favorite out of the ones in which I've been involved.
I think that it would be a great thing for those of us who love this type of conversation to start groups like this, to start building a community. I'm inspired to do it. The reason I'm still a proponent of the internet is, of course, because I want to be in a group with you guys.
This channel/blog has been great for that, but I do think we've done a poor job of community bulding, partially because of our inexperience and partially because of the casual nature of the entire project.
However, we still have over half a year left. I think it would be amazing if we could find ways to include more people in the conversation. I was so happy when Sunday's video garnered some passionate discussion. Seriously awesome. If that can happen, this will be a much more rewarding project for me in terms of discussion and sharing.
Oh, and two other things.
1. I would love to do a week where we all discuss the same question, this week or any week. Let's do it! 2. Sign me up for the conference call! :)
I'm still kind of torn about the question of internet community. Part of me thinks that you can't get everything in a in-person community... like my church with so few teenagers, my family with few intuitive thinkers, even the idea that we read books because there are lots of awesome people we'll never get to meet. But I still experience the feeling of being divided, or not fully present, because of wanting to keep up elsewhere.
Thursday, I love that you're talking about being in your Place. I do want to know why you think I shouldn't get a facebook.
Perhaps the reason why members of a community have to like each other is because they have to be in it together to find out truth as a group, building off what everyone's perspectives. Maybe meeing in-person can help people be honest in that way.
"I think that it would be a great thing for those of us who love this type of conversation to start groups like this, to start building a community." Yet in keeping with what's been said... wouldn't it make most sense to just discuss ideas or books or culture with communities you're already part of? Hmm...
I think that it's true that there are lots of awesome people we'll never get to meet. I also think that one of the saddest things in life is that there are lots of awesome people we see every day that we'll never really get to meet - people we label as those we would not get along with, or whom we wouldn't consider getting to know. I've been thinking recently about the fact that I know so few people in my church, even though I've shaken hands with nearly all of them at one time or another. As I meet new people through whatever circumstance, I realize that they're just as awesome as the people I already know.
I would love for you to get a Facebook, but only because it would mean getting to connect with you a little more. However... it will likely be a disappointment. You'll warm up to it after a while, but it's largely a waste of time. There are a few major advantages to having one, and for me those are enough to warrant logging in, so long as I don't waste my time on the stupid stuff.
I must add, though, that I think you are the type of person who would do well on Facebook; be able to avoid the pointlesness and make great use of the good stuff.
"Maybe meeting in-person can help people be honest in that way."
I completely agree with that. That's kind of what I was trying to say about it in my last comment.
"...Wouldn't it make most sense to just discuss ideas or books or culture with communities you're already part of?"
Yes, this is a good point. I think both are a good idea. I mean, they're not mutually exclusive, are they?
I love that we're having an intellectual discussion about intellectual discussion. XD
Okay, here's why I think you should not get a facebook: 1) It is almost unavoidably a shallow way of communicating, and staying "connected" in unmeaningful ways. This would frustrate you, I think. 2) It's a big time waster. Though, this you might be able to navigate around, you seem adept at avoiding wasting time.
Really . . . Facebook is just plain lame, and, perhaps this is just me, but now that I have a facebook I feel almost unable to get rid of it without losing something, but I wish I never had one to begin with. If you really want to connect well with people, get their email addresses. And you can always log onto Kristen's for the pictures ;)
No, it's not just you. Actually, you described my Facebook predicament fairly well. I would be missing something if I left, but it is mostly a time waster for me. And you know Wednesday better than I (reason you should get a Facebook... or just why we should talk more sans Facebook), and if one is great at wasting time, Facebook can compound that issue.
A Year Of Questions is a project begun on March 22, 2010, by seven teens who want to be better at asking questions and articulating answers. This blog exists to make it easier to discuss these questions (because a 500 character limit on YouTube comments is rather limiting). Enjoy!
7 comments:
I don't think the internet is a good place to find an intellectual community. The closest I've come is blogging, but - as you said - a blog is centered on an individual.
I've thought about having a week on the video project where we all ask the same question. I think it would be worth trying.
Writing letters is closer to an intellectual community, but it is pretty much limited to two people. Honestly, I think actually meeting people and talking with them may be the best way to share and think about things. Conversation is - I think - a requirement for intellectual community. Short of actually meeting people in real life, I guess the closest thing would be conference calls or group chats. But coffee shops are better.
"I've thought about having a week on the video project where we all ask the same question." I was also thinking about this, in fact . . . directly connected to your idea of intellectual community, Wednesday . . . thinking perhaps that if we all talk about the same thing sometime, it could really spark good discussion.
Advice to the wise, Wednesday: Don't get a facebook.
In person conversation would be fantastic. I had a crazy idea a while ago after I got back form Wheatstone last year . . . about starting some kind of book discussion at a library. Not a lame book discussion, but really hard, deep books . . . and kind of just hope I could find people in the community where I lived who would be interested. *shrug*.
In other news, I am all for having a conference call with some (or all) of you guys, sometime :)
I think . . . that any intellectual community worth its salt would also be a community of friends, or at least people who generally like each other. It . . . isn't really possible for human beings to have healthy unwhole relationships with people, like just people you "think" with. Or . . . maybe I just don't think it should be.
I . . . wonder about the internet being an obstacle to being in your Place, where you are. Is connecting with and communicating with real people over the internet distracting you from your place? . . . in some sense I guess it is. But . . . not in the same way that wasting time on the internet, in shallow meaningless interaction is.
Boring? This video has so many interesting thoughts that I'm having difficulty putting all of my own thoughts into a response!
I agree with Monday that the internet is not the best place to develop the sort of community you're thinking of. However, while not the best, it is still a perfectly viable place to share idesa with others. Like you said, though, the more popular outlets for thought (social networking sites, blogs, discussion forums, youtube) have their limitations.
I absolutely love in-person discussion groups. To hear from people their honest opinions, free from internet anonymity and in real time, is thrilling to me. If it's not the best way to develop an intellectual community, it's my favorite out of the ones in which I've been involved.
I think that it would be a great thing for those of us who love this type of conversation to start groups like this, to start building a community. I'm inspired to do it. The reason I'm still a proponent of the internet is, of course, because I want to be in a group with you guys.
This channel/blog has been great for that, but I do think we've done a poor job of community bulding, partially because of our inexperience and partially because of the casual nature of the entire project.
However, we still have over half a year left. I think it would be amazing if we could find ways to include more people in the conversation. I was so happy when Sunday's video garnered some passionate discussion. Seriously awesome. If that can happen, this will be a much more rewarding project for me in terms of discussion and sharing.
Oh, and two other things.
1. I would love to do a week where we all discuss the same question, this week or any week. Let's do it!
2. Sign me up for the conference call! :)
Ditto Tuesday's last two things.
I'm still kind of torn about the question of internet community. Part of me thinks that you can't get everything in a in-person community... like my church with so few teenagers, my family with few intuitive thinkers, even the idea that we read books because there are lots of awesome people we'll never get to meet. But I still experience the feeling of being divided, or not fully present, because of wanting to keep up elsewhere.
Thursday, I love that you're talking about being in your Place. I do want to know why you think I shouldn't get a facebook.
Perhaps the reason why members of a community have to like each other is because they have to be in it together to find out truth as a group, building off what everyone's perspectives. Maybe meeing in-person can help people be honest in that way.
"I think that it would be a great thing for those of us who love this type of conversation to start groups like this, to start building a community." Yet in keeping with what's been said... wouldn't it make most sense to just discuss ideas or books or culture with communities you're already part of? Hmm...
I love that I'm actually getting to discuss this.
I think that it's true that there are lots of awesome people we'll never get to meet. I also think that one of the saddest things in life is that there are lots of awesome people we see every day that we'll never really get to meet - people we label as those we would not get along with, or whom we wouldn't consider getting to know. I've been thinking recently about the fact that I know so few people in my church, even though I've shaken hands with nearly all of them at one time or another. As I meet new people through whatever circumstance, I realize that they're just as awesome as the people I already know.
I would love for you to get a Facebook, but only because it would mean getting to connect with you a little more. However... it will likely be a disappointment. You'll warm up to it after a while, but it's largely a waste of time. There are a few major advantages to having one, and for me those are enough to warrant logging in, so long as I don't waste my time on the stupid stuff.
I must add, though, that I think you are the type of person who would do well on Facebook; be able to avoid the pointlesness and make great use of the good stuff.
"Maybe meeting in-person can help people be honest in that way."
I completely agree with that. That's kind of what I was trying to say about it in my last comment.
"...Wouldn't it make most sense to just discuss ideas or books or culture with communities you're already part of?"
Yes, this is a good point. I think both are a good idea. I mean, they're not mutually exclusive, are they?
I love that we're having an intellectual discussion about intellectual discussion. XD
Okay, here's why I think you should not get a facebook:
1) It is almost unavoidably a shallow way of communicating, and staying "connected" in unmeaningful ways. This would frustrate you, I think.
2) It's a big time waster. Though, this you might be able to navigate around, you seem adept at avoiding wasting time.
Really . . . Facebook is just plain lame, and, perhaps this is just me, but now that I have a facebook I feel almost unable to get rid of it without losing something, but I wish I never had one to begin with. If you really want to connect well with people, get their email addresses. And you can always log onto Kristen's for the pictures ;)
There's my duly requested two cents.
No, it's not just you. Actually, you described my Facebook predicament fairly well. I would be missing something if I left, but it is mostly a time waster for me. And you know Wednesday better than I (reason you should get a Facebook... or just why we should talk more sans Facebook), and if one is great at wasting time, Facebook can compound that issue.
Post a Comment