tuesday...

Tuesday came and went...
tutorial was trying....perhaps it's the post-essay exhaustion....my tutees were rather lifeless. but i did manage to spark some enthusiasm despite that fact that they were 2 lectures behind and therefore what i had planned was not touched upon in their lectures and they didn't seem to feel that they could still have an opinion about something that they haven't been exposed to in the lectures (silly!).....Consciousness was the topic...and i tried to show them how our concept of it somehow imposes how we attribute that phenomenon/experience to other beings/things...that there are unconcious perceptions (e.g. blindsight) and that in itself challenges the way we 'define' consciousness....they were also asked 'IF' biology and consciousness are closely linked, and 'IF' so, is consciousness altered with brain diseases/illness? ...etc. in the end it really didn't matter whether the topic was brought up in the lectures...it did get them thinking....and there were some really interesting opinions from the students themselves....i am glad i could amuse them a little more by showing them their blind spots (go here to find yours and what it is all about and how you cope with it in life!.....i had 2 other pictures which were more fun...but they work just the same, for a more scientific account... read up the article by neurologist, V. A. Ramachandran, "Compensation of the Blind Spot," Scientific American, June, 1992.).....there are many more related issues e.g. subjective experiences aka Qualia etc.. but we didn't have enough time to go over them...i'm sure they'll get a chance to ponder over 'what it is like to be ....' at some other point in the course....

...sometimes i think i work harder in preparing for the tutorials than my tutees (not fair :cP)...at times i think...well, if i can get some responses from them and if they do seem to participate...i'd be happy... tutorials are meant to be fun and interactive...shouldn't they?