Week 5 Blogs

This week again you've produced some very well developed and interesting blogs. The personal connections to what you've read, and the connections to other courses or books, or movies etc. are always very helpful insights. Jody, for example, provided us with quotes from the Book Of Daniel. These quotes were not only revealing in their connection to the chapter on dreams, but also emphasized many of the common features of ASC's we've already discussed. Josh S. makes the connection between a class where they're discussing the creation of the telescope and microscope. The telescope was able to provide evidence of planetary systems which ancient civilizations were already aware of, but at least it gave a scientific "proof" for what had long been considered myth. The microscope opened up new discoveries in medicine, allowing scientists to finally see the bacteria contained in "another world" which caused diseases. I wonder what we might discover in as yet unseen "other worlds" which, when we create a device to view them, might provide us with even more medical insights. Are "primitive" cultures already privy to such a device or devices?

This idea brings us to Pearce's theme of "seek and ye shall find" since it's an idea representative of every culture's need to seek answers to something. Pearce's theme, then, in conjunction with Hughes ideas on dreams, brings us full circle to a device (the dream) utilized for creativity and discoveries. As Ken points out, not everyone will be, or is, able to tap into such devices, hence the lateral and vertical thinkers.

With three different writers, and three different styles, and three seemingly disparate topics, it's difficult sometimes to find the connections in the readings. But they are there, and many of you are slowly uncovering the intersdisciplinary nature of the course topic.