Liberal Art Exam (Heisenberg's Dilemma)

Liberal Art Exam

              

               Heisenberg's Dilemma

   You can fool around in one place (position)
   Or you can move on down the road (velocity)

A couple years ago in an early morning class

we were questioning & exposing everything:

definitions, somewhat-hidden assumptions,

controlling metaphors, the role of contradiction

& paradox, pushing analogies beyond their

intent, heightening distinctions between

description and  prescription, diagnosis and

value,  and round  and round we went, down

and down we went, loving the spin we were

in;  and I said: look  don’t be trying this in them

other classes: this is context-specific practice

not to  be exercised anywhere, or if you don’t

believe me go ahead try it in your next class,

I dare you: throw the converseactional

monkey wrench and see what happens.

Well, one kid did & the prof exploded,

appropriately castigating me as source and
instigator and abandoned class--walked out
and never returned. No: he never returned.
The student showed up in my office a few
minutes later, quite disturbed and accusing
me of setting him up.

          Now here’s the question:  

Was that a terrible  thing to have done?
                     Awful?

Was that a terrific thing to have  done?
                 Awesome?

       Shameful? Admirable? 

 On my part? On the student’s part?

("That" = the disruption by challenging
authority, protocol, assumption, definition,
controlling metaphor etc. etc etc.)

Explain your answer. Reasons and rationale.

and of course demonstrate your critical thinking.

skills because this is at the heart of the crucial
difference between Liberal Art education on the
one hand and, on the other hand, The Liberal Arts
—them majors and minors and poster & capstone
events