Reflection Point
Duplexity is all around us.
From The Noodler
To expand upon our exploration of "Duplexity," we’re sharing a round-up of some of the pieces that have inspired us, and have kept us noodling on the topic. We continue to come across an ever expanding world of 'duplex' ideas, topics and themes, and want to bring you, our readers, along on the journey. Below are just a few of our finds.
Note: This piece references a variety of articles, including current events and philosophical ideas/discussions.
Nick Offerman — Working with Wood, and the Meaning of Life
Nick Offerman — Working with Wood, and the Meaning of Life
The spiritual thoughtfulness of the actor/comedian: on making by hand, solving puzzles with your wife, and sitting at the feet of Wendell Berry.
poetry of Wendell Berry
The Duplexity: Atrophy/Blossom
"And so it’s one of the ways in which I’m open and curious. I continue to try to learn new words because I think our language is beautiful. And like hand skills, it’s one of the things that are being allowed to atrophy in our civilization, and I want to go the other direction. I want it to continue to blossom. And I want people to learn better ways to use chisels instead of ask me, 'What is a chisel?'"
Listen to more here.
Awards Are Meaningless: From the Oscars to best in business, why do we do awards for adults?
Why in the world do we hand out awards to adults?
Awards are a made up thing.
Emily Stewart
The Duplexity: Earn/Acquire
"Awards are less about who’s best at the game but instead who’s hacked the game best. They’re often doled out based on money and influence — who knows who, who even has the time and cash to sign up to be considered. Awards are seen as good PR, and, indeed, having good PR is often how you get them. They’re also good PR for the entity giving out the awards."
Read more here.
This War Shows Just How Broken Social Media Has Become
This War Shows Just How Broken Social Media Has Become
The global town square is in ruins.
Charlie Warzel
The Duplexity: Informed/Disoriented
“Social media’s greatest strength is thus its original sin: These sites are excellent at making you feel connected and informed, frequently at the expense of actually being informed,”
Read more here.
After honesty researcher’s retractions, colleagues expand scrutiny of her work
The Duplexity: Actual/Counterfeit
The alleged fraud has shocked and angered behavioral scientists. Syon Bhanot, a behavioral economist at Swarthmore College, says fabricated data can seriously harm other researchers. Trying to build on a faked result consumes time, energy, and resources, and can leave researchers struggling to publish their null findings. “It’s a huge cost,” he says.
Read more here.
The Power of Satire and The Return of Late Night Shows
The power of satire and the return of late night shows
Late-night talk shows are back on the air after months off because of the writers’ strike.
WBUR
The Duplexity: Comedy/Tragedy
"Those of us who like to study satire know that satire emerges in force in moments of crisis... It's simply stressful to live in a world where the messages you are getting don't line up with your experience of reality. And so having that combination of playfulness and humor with information and a framing of the issues that is helpful - that combination is super powerful."
Listen to the interview here.
Teachers Can’t Hold Students Accountable. It's Making the Job Miserable.
The Duplexity: Pass/Fail
"Just passing students on without ensuring that they’ve learned what they need to learn is obviously not just demoralizing for teachers, but potentially has devastating consequences for our society. A Georgia middle-school teacher recently went viral on TikTok for discussing the stakes of this lack of accountability for kids. “I teach seventh grade. They are still performing on the fourth-grade level,” he says in the video. “I can probably count on one hand how many kids are actually performing on their grade level.” He feels that no one is talking about it and that parents lack awareness, and says no matter how many zeros he puts in the grade book, the children will be passed along to eighth grade."
Read more here.
What Survivors of Trauma Have Taught This Eminent Psychiatrist About Hope
What survivors of trauma have taught this eminent psychiatrist about hope
In his new book, 97-year-old Robert Jay Lifton shares the “survivor wisdom” he’s learned from those who’ve lived through terrible events — the Holocaust, Hiroshima, POW camps.
Joanne Silberner
The Duplexity: Survive/Thrive
“...I interviewed people who had undergone the most extreme kind of trauma and victimization. And yet they were partly by means of that experience able to transform themselves into life-affirming groups so that the very same people who had so suffered from trauma could make use of that trauma as a source of knowledge and power.”
Read more here.
Tell us, what are some of the duplexities emerging around you?
Curators
