[Vision2020] Passion
Art Deco aka W. Fox
deco@moscow.com
Tue, 16 Mar 2004 15:16:25 -0800
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"Passion"ionate Folks,
At the risk upsetting everyone in this discussion, may I offer in
abbreviated form, another perspective?
There are three different experiments that some teachers of philosophy,
psychology, and journalism sometimes run with their classes.
Eyewitnesses
The first experiment has to do with eyewitness reliability. A small drama
group (3 - 5 persons) is commissioned to write and at the critical moment
perform a short class disruption (30 seconds). Not even the teacher knows
exactly what is going to happen.
The group rushes in mid-class and stages its disruption. The instructor
then asks each member of the class to write down a description of what
happened. The amount of variation and disagreement between the accounts
would be staggering to those that had never seen the experiment before.
Estimates of time vary from 10 seconds to two minutes. Many are unable to
accurately recall how many were in the disrupting group let alone how they
were dressed, what color their eyes were etc, and most importantly, exactly
what happened!
Sometimes the disruption is videotaped (the instructor at the beginning of
the class accounts for the videographer as a method of critiquing
instruction). Most students are amazed when they compare their account with
multiple viewings of the videotape. Some even insist that the videotape has
been altered.
Oral Retelling
This is a well known experiment. The instructor writes a short, relatively
simple story. He then takes a student aside and reads the story verbatim to
them. The story is then passed through several other students by private
retelling. Each student including the last student then writes down what
they heard. A comparison is made with the original written story.
Even with a group as small as five people the story changes significantly.
Generally after twenty retellings, the story is almost unrecognizable
although greatly simplified.
Change of Memory over Time
In conjunction with either of the two experiments of above, students are
asked several weeks later to write what they experienced in the earlier
experiment(s). The results are compared to each student's earlier writings.
Guess what the results are.
I have purposely left out some obvious comments, namely the perspective of
each person involved in the chain and how that effects perception,
retelling, and memory.
Musing for viewers of the Passion
Nick Gier has pointed out that the gospels were written many years after the
death of Jesus (40 - 80 are some estimates). (There is a common
hypothesized intervening document (the "Q" document). However, such a
document has not yet been discovered. Speculation of its content and
possible fate varies highly depending on the scholar(s) doing the
speculation.)
Given the reliability of the initial eyewitnesses, the tendency for a story
to change over time in memory, and the change of a story orally passed
through many people over a period of time, what is the probability that the
written gospels are in fact accurate, let alone, an artistic interpretation
partially based on them two thousand years later?
Art Deco (Wayne Fox)
deco@moscow.com
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<DIV>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT =
size=3D4>=93Passion=94ionate=20
Folks,<?xml:namespace prefix =3D o ns =3D =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"=20
/><o:p></o:p></FONT></B></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D4>At the =
risk=20
upsetting everyone in this discussion, may I offer in abbreviated form, =
another=20
perspective?</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D4>There =
are three=20
different experiments that some teachers of philosophy, psychology, and=20
journalism sometimes run with their classes.</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT=20
size=3D4>Eyewitnesses<o:p></o:p></FONT></B></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D4>The =
first experiment=20
has to do with eyewitness reliability.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: =
yes"> =20
</SPAN>A small drama group (3 =96 5 persons) is commissioned to write =
and at the=20
critical moment perform a short class disruption (30 seconds).<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Not even the teacher knows =
exactly what=20
is going to happen.</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D4>The =
group rushes in=20
mid-class and stages its disruption.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: =
yes"> =20
</SPAN>The instructor then asks each member of the class to write down a =
description of what happened.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> =
</SPAN>The=20
amount of variation and disagreement between the accounts would be =
staggering to=20
those that had never seen the experiment before.</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT =
size=3D4>Estimates of time=20
vary from 10 seconds to two minutes.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: =
yes"> =20
</SPAN>Many are unable to accurately recall how many were in the =
disrupting=20
group let alone how they were dressed, what color their eyes were etc, =
and most=20
importantly, exactly what happened!</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT =
size=3D4>Sometimes the=20
disruption is videotaped (the instructor at the beginning of the class =
accounts=20
for the videographer as a method of critiquing instruction).<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Most students are amazed when =
they=20
compare their account with multiple viewings of the videotape.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Some even insist that the =
videotape has=20
been altered.</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT size=3D4>Oral=20
Retelling<o:p></o:p></FONT></B></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D4>This =
is a well known=20
experiment.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The =
instructor writes a=20
short, relatively simple story.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> =
</SPAN>He=20
then takes a student aside and reads the story verbatim to them.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The story is then passed =
through several=20
other students by private retelling.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: =
yes"> =20
</SPAN>Each student including the last student then writes down what =
they=20
heard.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>A comparison is =
made with=20
the original written story.</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D4>Even =
with a group as=20
small as five people the story changes significantly.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Generally after twenty =
retellings, the=20
story is almost unrecognizable although greatly simplified.</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT size=3D4>Change of Memory =
over=20
Time<o:p></o:p></FONT></B></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D4>In =
conjunction with=20
either of the two experiments of above, students are asked several weeks =
later=20
to write what they experienced in the earlier experiment(s).<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The results are compared to =
each=20
student=92s earlier writings.</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D4>Guess =
what the=20
results are.</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D4>I have =
purposely=20
left out some obvious comments, namely the perspective of each person =
involved=20
in the chain and how that effects perception, retelling, and =
memory.</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D4>Musing =
for viewers=20
of the Passion</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D4>Nick =
Gier has=20
pointed out that the gospels were written many years after the death of =
Jesus=20
(40 =96 80 are some estimates).<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> =20
</SPAN>(There is a common hypothesized intervening document (the =93Q=94 =
document).<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>However, such =
a document=20
has not yet been discovered.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> =20
</SPAN>Speculation of its content and possible fate varies highly =
depending on=20
the scholar(s) doing the speculation.)</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D4>Given =
the=20
reliability of the initial eyewitnesses, the tendency for a story to =
change over=20
time in memory, and the change of a story orally passed through many =
people over=20
a period of time, what is the probability that the written gospels are =
in fact=20
accurate, let alone, an artistic interpretation partially based on them =
two=20
thousand years later?</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D4> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT=20
size=3D3></FONT></o:p> </P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p>Art Deco =
(Wayne=20
Fox)<BR><A href=3D"mailto:deco@moscow.com">deco@moscow.com</A></o:p></P>
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style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p></o:p> </P></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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