An Anthropologist on Mars

Greetings,

This week we are finishing Sacks' book. We have explored the majority of his "paradoxical cases" and have discovered some interesting themes connected to the human narrative.

I would like for you to address the following questions:

1) Which case did you find most captivating?

2) What did you learn from that particular case?

3) What are your thoughts about the book overall?

This is due Saturday (the 29th).

Don't forget to "sign" your name with your post.

-Prof. Terry

What is a Human Being?

Hello,

When reflecting on who we are as a collective species, we tend to assume that we actually have an understanding of what we are. We walk on two... we stand erect... we laugh and think... we weep and pursue.

But what of those individuals who lack these capacities? How are we to include them in our understanding of "us."

Dr. Sacks' work expresses the tension found within "us" when disorders clash with our will to live; and he pays careful attention to how we adapt under such conditions.

These are the questions I would like for each of you to explore: What makes us, us? What are some defining characteristics? And how are we to perceive those who may be lacking these apparent characteristics?

Your response should be nothing more than a paragraph. Please do not forget to sign your name before you post.

This is due Saturday (the 15th).

Good luck!