Last week, I was told of a travel show put on by Ricky Gervais called An Idiot Abroad. The premise of this show involves Gervais's dim-witted friend Karl Pilkington traveling the globe to see the New Seven Wonders of the World (including the Great Pyramids instead of the Colosseum). Along the way, Karl must navigate local cultures and customs much to his chagrin and Gervais's delight.
The very title of the show sort of sums it all up. Karl has been labeled an idiot. Stephen Merchant describes Karl as a "typical small Englander" who doesn't care much for travel. Gervais and Merchant put Karl through all manner of awful experiences that most budget travelers are all too familiar with. He stays in awful hotels and hostels, is kept awake by street noise and party-goers, is forced to eat foods that are he considers absolutely disgusting, etc., etc. Believe me, if you've ever traveled as a backpacker, you've probably experienced most of what he goes through.
However, the most interesting thing about the show wasn't the Wonders or the cultures. It was Karl himself. Despite the constant complaining and cringing, I was amazed at the humorous, yet oddly poignant observations this so-called simpleton made. In Mexico on Easter Sunday, Karl was witness to the Burning of Judas festival. He asks his guide what this has to do with Easter, since he doesn't see Jesus or chocolate eggs anywhere. The guide is stymied for a second and has to formulate an answer, which tells me that he hasn't really thought much about it himself. After thinking for a few seconds, the guide explains that the burning objects are a proxy for Judas Iscariot, and that the festival is symbolic revenge for betraying Jesus.
Now, here's where I begin to view Karl as less of an idiot and more of a Socratic philosopher. By his line of uncomplicated questioning, Karl made his local guide think about the festival and explain it. I'm inclined to believe that Karl has forced a deeper understanding of the festival upon the guide, even though he himself admitted to knowing nothing about it. I was also beginning to view Karl as a hell of an amateur anthropologist. I mean, I went to school for six years to learn how to ask this sort of simple question, and he's doing it naturally. Now, as unintentional as this may have been, is this the work of a proper idiot?
I did some Internet searching and I found another documentary starring Karl titled, Karl Pilkington - Satisfied Fool. This production follows Karl around as he takes a Mensa IQ test and talks to "intelligent" people as he tries to decide if he would be happier if he were more intelligent. At the end of the show, we're informed that his IQ score was 83 (the national average in the UK & US is 100). This show is not amusing, but it is enlightening. Despite Karl's lack of education and his apparently low IQ score, the way in which he handled the deeper question of the show reinforced my perception of him as a philosopher, albeit a simple one. At the end of the show, Karl wonders if he would still be himself if he were smarter. That question alone shows both wisdom and character.
And wouldn't his simplicity make him a more pure philosopher than an ivory tower intellectual? Most philosophy students will read what others have thought, and then use that knowledge as a framework for their own thoughts. But Karl is unfettered by the legacy of those who came before. And the fact that his mind seems to work in a wholly different way means that he may potentially be a very influential thinker. But will anyone understand him well enough to filter through the crackpot ideas to get at the intellectual gold? Or am I overthinking this myself? In the meantime, I present this for your consideration:
Showing posts with label pop culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pop culture. Show all posts
12.26.2010
Video Games as Educational Tools
I'm a gamer. I have been since circa 1981 when I received an Atari 2600. All throughout my childhood and to the present day, I'm frequently told that video games will "rot your brain." Once upon a time, this may have been true. Super Mario Bros., while requiring excellent hand-eye coordination, brought neither knowledge or wisdom. It didn't even force me to face my fear of mushrooms.
However, as technology has progressed, video games have become more theatrical and intellectual. Sure, you're not going to earn your Ph.D. based on all those hours spent playing Halo, but there are certain games out there that have the potential to spark interest in certain disciplines, such as history, literature, and philosophy.
I'm something of a history buff and lately I've been playing games from the Assassin's Creed series, which take place against the backdrop of real history. The first game takes place in 1191 during the Third Crusade. Many of the locations and characters are or were very real. Playing the game sparked a fleeting interest in the Crusades, which some say still form the foundation for Western/Islamic relations. However, the deep Middle Ages were simply too static to hold my attention. Assassin's Creed II, on the other hand, takes place during the height of the Italian Renaissance, which is quite possibly the most dynamic period in human history.
Traveling the virtual world of 15th century Italy and taking an active, albeit fictitious role in the Machiavellian politics of the day (Niccolo makes an appearance) made me want to research the period. And the side quest of buying works of art of the day made me crack open an old textbook from an undergrad art history class. I knew the time period was revolutionary, but I had no idea of the specifics until I played the game and did some reading. This just goes to show that the method in which information is delivered is extremely important.
The first BioShock game exposed me to the philosophy of Ayn Rand. In this game, the player explores an underwater city that was founded on the Randian principles of Objectivism. But instead of supporting the tenets of this philosophy, the game seems to oppose them as utopia turned to dystopia before the player arrives. Regardless, the game inspired me to read Atlas Shrugged. I hated it, but I read it.
There is also a game called Dante's Inferno, which is based on the epic poem of the same name. I have not played this game, but I first heard of it when I was reading the book. Eventually, I'll play it to compare it to Dante's writing.
The whole point of this rambling diatribe is to illustrate that video games have become an excellent avenue to the humanities at a time when some are saying that they are under fire. While there will always be those that are interested in history, philosophy, and literature, video games can serve to spark an interest in many that would not be exposed to these subjects otherwise. Or maybe I'm just an awful geek that feels the need to have a deeper understanding of the video games I play.
However, as technology has progressed, video games have become more theatrical and intellectual. Sure, you're not going to earn your Ph.D. based on all those hours spent playing Halo, but there are certain games out there that have the potential to spark interest in certain disciplines, such as history, literature, and philosophy.
I'm something of a history buff and lately I've been playing games from the Assassin's Creed series, which take place against the backdrop of real history. The first game takes place in 1191 during the Third Crusade. Many of the locations and characters are or were very real. Playing the game sparked a fleeting interest in the Crusades, which some say still form the foundation for Western/Islamic relations. However, the deep Middle Ages were simply too static to hold my attention. Assassin's Creed II, on the other hand, takes place during the height of the Italian Renaissance, which is quite possibly the most dynamic period in human history.
Traveling the virtual world of 15th century Italy and taking an active, albeit fictitious role in the Machiavellian politics of the day (Niccolo makes an appearance) made me want to research the period. And the side quest of buying works of art of the day made me crack open an old textbook from an undergrad art history class. I knew the time period was revolutionary, but I had no idea of the specifics until I played the game and did some reading. This just goes to show that the method in which information is delivered is extremely important.
The first BioShock game exposed me to the philosophy of Ayn Rand. In this game, the player explores an underwater city that was founded on the Randian principles of Objectivism. But instead of supporting the tenets of this philosophy, the game seems to oppose them as utopia turned to dystopia before the player arrives. Regardless, the game inspired me to read Atlas Shrugged. I hated it, but I read it.
There is also a game called Dante's Inferno, which is based on the epic poem of the same name. I have not played this game, but I first heard of it when I was reading the book. Eventually, I'll play it to compare it to Dante's writing.
The whole point of this rambling diatribe is to illustrate that video games have become an excellent avenue to the humanities at a time when some are saying that they are under fire. While there will always be those that are interested in history, philosophy, and literature, video games can serve to spark an interest in many that would not be exposed to these subjects otherwise. Or maybe I'm just an awful geek that feels the need to have a deeper understanding of the video games I play.
10.21.2010
Famous People with Anthropology Degrees
Last night, I read a post by Yoshi, a dear family friend. In this post, he commits the egregious error of asking if Giada De Laurentiis could "could tone down on the cleavage." After admonishing him in a chat window and explaining that her cleavage is replenishing the ozone layer, I looked her up on Wikipedia. As it turns out, she has a degree in social anthropology from UCLA, making her even more desirable. This also got me thinking about who else out there has degrees in anthropology.
There's a few that I already knew about. For instance, I knew that Kurt Vonnegut (my personal god) had an MA in anthropology from the University of Chicago and I knew that Jeff Corwin graduated with a BS in anthropology from Bridgewater State. But if the Food Network pin-up has an anthropology degree, who else has/had one?
After an exhaustive Google search in excess of three minutes, I found this list. I had only heard of five of the fifteen people populating this list. However, I was shocked to see Billy Graham there. Exactly how does one study anthropology and then go on to be one of the most prolific evangelical ministers in the world? I had always been raised to see missionaries as our enemies - a continuation of the European colonialist agenda. I feel like I did when I learned that Yamamoto Isoroku studied at Harvard. I can only rationalize this by thinking that Graham didn't pay much attention in class. At least Gary Snyder's presence on the list softens the blow somewhat.
The fabulous Hugh Laurie has a degree in archaeology and social anthropology. Thandie Newton, an actress I'm not sure why I recognize, studied social anthropology at Downing College. Ashley Judd supposedly minored in anthropology, which wouldn't normally be enough for me to include her. However, a former colleague once told me of a celebrity gossip rumor that Ms. Judd would pass out something called "mute stones" to certain people on set. Apparently, if you were the recipient of one of these stones, Ashley was revoking your privilege to speak to her. Well, Ashley, if ever you decided to hand me one of your little stones, it would promptly be set on a high-velocity collision course with the back of your head. I'm just sayin'.
There's a few that I already knew about. For instance, I knew that Kurt Vonnegut (my personal god) had an MA in anthropology from the University of Chicago and I knew that Jeff Corwin graduated with a BS in anthropology from Bridgewater State. But if the Food Network pin-up has an anthropology degree, who else has/had one?
After an exhaustive Google search in excess of three minutes, I found this list. I had only heard of five of the fifteen people populating this list. However, I was shocked to see Billy Graham there. Exactly how does one study anthropology and then go on to be one of the most prolific evangelical ministers in the world? I had always been raised to see missionaries as our enemies - a continuation of the European colonialist agenda. I feel like I did when I learned that Yamamoto Isoroku studied at Harvard. I can only rationalize this by thinking that Graham didn't pay much attention in class. At least Gary Snyder's presence on the list softens the blow somewhat.
The fabulous Hugh Laurie has a degree in archaeology and social anthropology. Thandie Newton, an actress I'm not sure why I recognize, studied social anthropology at Downing College. Ashley Judd supposedly minored in anthropology, which wouldn't normally be enough for me to include her. However, a former colleague once told me of a celebrity gossip rumor that Ms. Judd would pass out something called "mute stones" to certain people on set. Apparently, if you were the recipient of one of these stones, Ashley was revoking your privilege to speak to her. Well, Ashley, if ever you decided to hand me one of your little stones, it would promptly be set on a high-velocity collision course with the back of your head. I'm just sayin'.
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