Unit 2Angels On A Pin

Material Designer: Chen Chienchou

Activity 1:Brain Boosters

Activity 2:Scholastic Philosophy

Activity 1:Brain Boosters

Hi, everyone, I am Dr. Ace. In this activity, I have prepared some brain boosters to test

your IQ and Creativity. Now, get yourself ready to take the

challenge!

Example: It's nice to do good deeds.

I . Word & Letter Play

Animals in Hiding   There is an animal hiding in each sentence below. Can you find the

animals? Let’s begin with an easy one.

dog

1.It will be a rainy day.

2.I'll be eleven next month.

3.We can go at six o'clock.

4.Sorry, I came late.

Here Begins the Real Challenge!

bear

bee

goat

camel

Here Are Some More Hiding Animals!

1. Take soap and a towel.

2. Tell me if I should start now.

3. Keep the watch or sell it.

4. Most rich people wear fancy clothes.

panda

fish

horse

ostrich

Ii. Lateral Thinking

• Do You know why?• To answer these questions,

you have to think in different ways from what you are used to. Now let’s see if you can let your brain switch directions to

find out the answers!

Think About This…

• Question: A man who was just

learning to drive went down a one-way street in the wrong direction,

but didn't break the law. How come?

•Answer: Actually, he didn’t drive. He

walked.

Think About This…

• Mystery TwinsTwo babies born on

the same day in the same year with the same mother and father are not

twins. Can you explain how

this can be?  http://spot.colorado.edu/~friedmaw/images/people/triplets.jpg

That is because we are triplets.

Think About This…

• Question: Once a dog named Nelly lived on a farm with three other dogs and they were named after their colors. Their names were Blackie, Whitey, and

Brownie.

• Answer: Nelly. (If there are only four

dogs on the farm, the fourth one

must be Nelly!) 

What do you think the fourth

dog’s name was?

Think About This…

• What's Next?  Here are three series of

letters. Each letter in each series is the first letter of a word. The words in each series are related. What are the next three letters in

each series?

1.1. O, T, T, O, T, T,

F, F, ? F, F, ?

2.2. S, M, T, S, M, T,

W, ?W, ?

3. D, N, O, 3. D, N, O,

S, A, ?S, A, ?

A~ha! Did you get it?

Answer: Answer: 1.1.S, S, E S, S, E

2.2.T, F, S T, F, S

3. J, J, M3. J, J, M

(for six, seven eight…)

(for Thursday, Friday…)

(for June, July…)

Think About This…

• Socks! 12 red socks and 12 blue socks are lying in

a drawer in a dark room. What is the

minimum number of socks you must take out of the drawer to make sure that you have at least two

• Answer: Three,

because all you

need are two of the same color.

socks of the same color?

III. Logic and Reasoning

In this part, you have to think very carefully

and find out the answer!

Pizza Party—Who Ate It?

Four friends left one slice of pizza in the kitchen and

went into the next room to play

games. DuringThe next half hour,Each friend left the

Room for a few

minutes and then returned.

At the end of the hour, all four

went back into the kitchen and found that the

last slice of pizza was gone.

Use the following statements to figure out who ate it. Only

one of the following statements is true.

Linda: “Mike ate it.”Mike: “Olive ate it.”

Ned: “Who me? Can't be.”Olive: “Mike is lying when

he says I ate it.”

Pizza Party—Who Ate It?

Pizza Party—Who Ate It?

This is my reasoning:It's impossible for Linda's, Mike's, or Ned's statement to be the only one that is true, because if Linda's statement is true, then Ned's is also true. If Mike's statement is true, then Ned's is also true. If Ned's statement is true, then no one else's statement can be true. Therefore….

Ned's statement is false. He ate the last slice of pizza.

Think About This…

Once you get to a place where the road divided in two. One road leads to LieVille, a man-eating village where the people never tell the truth, while the other leads to TrueVille, a peace-loving village where the people never lie.

Now, you see a boy walking toward you, what can you ask him to help you get to TrueVille?

Which Way to go? 

One Possible Answer Is…

You can ask the boy, “Which way is to your town?" If the boy is from LieVille, he will point to TrueVille because he always lies; if he is from TrueVille, he'll point to TrueVille because he has to tell the truth. So whatever road the boy points to will be the road to Trueville.

Did you make it to save your life? Or, if you have

different answers, be sure to share

them with everyone.

How well did you do on these brain boosters? If you are looking for more challenges, log on the following website

s to test your IQ! http://school.discovery.com/brainboosters/

http://www.brainbashers.com/

End of Activity I

Activity 2: A Brief Introduction to A Brief Introduction to

ScholasticismScholasticism “I think; therefore, I am.”~ Rene Descartes (1596-1650)

Studying philosophy helps you to become a logical, creative, and open-minded thinker.

ScholasticismScholasticism

http://www.worcestercitymuseums.org.uk/content/oldpics/sidbury/90009p.htm

This is where the medieval

philosophy began—churches.

Scholasticism, derived from the word “scholar,” refers to a trend of philosophy that emerged in the Europe from the 5th to the 15th century, the so-called

Middle Ages. Most of these “philosophers” were

actually monks or priests in the churches and

monasteries.

Churches and the Study of Classics

In the Middle Ages, churches were the only place where the ancient classics, such as the Greek philosophy, were kept, and the monks were among the few who could read, write, and do scholarship in Latin and Greek.

www.johndclare.net/ Church2.htm

In addition to the classic languages, we also learn logic,

rhetoric, and grammar.

Greek Philosophy and

Christianity These “scholars” studied the thoughts of Greek philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle, and with the learned concepts, they tried to give the religious ideas of Christianity a logical analysis.

How can I use logic and reason to prove that God exists and why there is evil in

the world created by God?

Major Thinkers I: Saint

Augustine( 354 – 430 )

St. Augustine in his study - by Botticelli

I believe that God is perfection and the good

will is God’s work. As for the evil, it is the falling away from God’s work, or the absence of God,

just like darkness, which is the lack of light.

Major Thinkers II: Saint Aquinas( 1225 –12 74 )

These questions may sound impractical, but the arguing process

help us master the skill of analyzing and argumentation!

http://users.erols.com/saintpat/ss/aqu.jpg

Philosophy, to us, is the maid of theology, the study of God. It is used to explain and enhance the ideas of Christianity. We also argue about questions like “how many angels can dance on a pin?” “Did Adam have a navel?” “Can humans really grasp the idea of God?” as an exercise of reasoning.

Now, let me introduce you to two famous

Greek philosophers! You can see them in

the center of the famous painting by

Raphael

The School of Athens by by RaphaelRaphael

“Philosophy begins in

wonder.” ~ Plato

“All men by nature desire to

know.” ~ Aristotle

http://www.benturner.com/theirs/athens.jpg

If you are interested in the history of Western philosophy, you can take a look of Jostein GaarderJostein Gaarder‘s ““Sophie’s World.”Sophie’s World.” It is a very good starter for teenagers like you! Chinese translation is also available!

End of Activity II