ARTICLE REVIEW: THE THOUGHT EXPERIMENT
Reviewed by Kristin Douma
University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
The central argument of Zarnowski’s article is that through the use of thought experiments, students can make history relevant to their world and develop civic literacy. A thought experiment is a question that students can answer after thorough researching and creative inference. The central model in Zarnowski’s article focuses on the question: “What would (historical figure) think of (contemporary issue)?” In doing this, a static, historical figure is posed against a dynamic, changing and controversial topic of today. Zarnowski maintains that the major benefit of these types of though experiments is that they “help students understand contemporary social issues by tapping in to the wisdom and the experience of the past and linking it to the future” (p. 57).
Zarnowski provides a list of 5 books and suggests thought experiments of this nature that could accompany them. There are some great ideas presented here, but unfortunately for non-American audiences, there is nothing of too much relevance. In fact, every example in Zarnowski’s article has an American focus, which is a bit of a slight to the mandate of a social sciences educator, and a missed opportunity to analyze cross-culturally. What would Ghandi think of the Northern Gateway Pipeline? Would Jean-Jacques Rousseau approve of Facebook? By opening up to a more international community, a world of intellectual richness is born.
The thought experiment approach to social studies learning and civic literacy suits a middle school audience well. Students at this stage of development can relate to struggling with decisions, developing their internal moral compass and value systems. Thought experiments are a positive way to develop empathy, create knowledge and engage in multiple perspectives. Students are forced to place themselves in the past, and attempt to understand the inner thoughts of one of history’s most infamous figures. The power of creating fiction and presuming opinion would also appeal to the middle school student. Zarnowski provides an enticing example of a student who becomes so engaged in the process that her parents note how she went beyond research and would listen in on newscasts for extra research into her chosen current event, the war in Iraq. Zarnowski provides a copy of the student’s handwritten thought experiment (p.59) which presents both a success and a failure of the experiment. While the student is able to articulate several aspects of the war, the one page description simplifies the complexity of this topic. While the student may have gained more insight than is presented on the page there is no way to measure this when the assignment is conducted as is.
This presents an opportunity to expand on the activity Zarnowski offers. If I were to conduct this particular thought experiment in my classroom, I would have my class decide on one current issue they wanted to explore, then have them select different historical figures to get a range of opinions on the topic. This could then be explored through a debate format in the classroom. Naturally a group of figures for and against a particular issue would emerge, and the students could represent or play their chosen figure during the debate to further delve in to the character of that person, and push them in to really empathizing with that person’s perspective of the world. Even multiple current issues could be explored, and students could react as their historical figure as the issues are presented. Again, this sense of authority and expertise would appeal to the middle school or early high school student.
The only word of caution that Zarnowski issues in the article is the potential for confusion between fact and fiction that could occur, if the teacher does not stress the difference. I think this does pose a real risk with Zarnowski’s other thought experiment example, which focuses on Kathleen Krull’s piece of fiction entitled, Pocahontas: Princess of the New World. Krull uses the word “perhaps” and “probably” while writing about the gaps left in our knowledge of Pocahontas’ life. Should this be suggested to students, I would be concerned that the more researched and in-depth their inferences, the more likely the student would be to remember their fiction as fact. Conversely, by thinking about the everyday lives of these historical figures, students would foster a deeper, more personal connection with their figure and the time period. These every day connections could lead to grander connections about values and experiences that these historical figures had. It becomes clear that the thought experiment can be an academic risk, but one that I believe is worth taking.
The article fails to make a strong connection to the thought experiment’s connection to civic literacy. It is not clear how these experiments can lead to a broader knowledge of “…individual rights and social responsibilities and having the skills to make decisions that promote social justice” (p.57). It explains the concept of a thought experiment, provides several examples and strong arguments for why thought experiments belong in the social studies classroom. I would definitely adapt and extend the possibilities of a thought experiment, and guide my students as they make history come alive before them through research, debate and hypothesizing. I would persuade them to choose from a range of international figures and current issues, and play with the values that are timeless. I would introduce a range of moral dilemmas of the past and present and have them hypothesize about how the 5 year-old them would have responded, and how they think the 25 year-old them would feel about the issue at hand. Zarnowski’s article does make one thing clear: thought experiments present a rich, vast pool of potential for both middle school teachers and their students.
References:
Zarnowski, Myra. (2009) The Thought Experiment: An Imaginative Way into Civic Literacy. The Social Studies, March/April 2009, 100 (2).
Krull, K. 2007. Pocahontas: Princess of the new world. Illus. D. Diaz. New York: Walker.
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