Page - 161 - in Reflective Cosmopolitanism - Educating towards inclusive communities through Philosophical Enquiry

www.wHATIsyOURNAME.yOU (MANUAL) 161 12. Why do people use social networks? 13. What is/are the purpose(s) of social networks? 14. Am I the same person on and offline? 15. Is it easier to be myself online or offline? Leading Idea 3: Space/Virtual space In the third episode, the protagonists wonder where they are when they chat or surf the internet. Some feel like they are in a physical space, forgetting where they really are; others know very well where they are and do not accept the idea of “space,” even if allegorical, as suggested by their friends. Throughout the dialogue, the protagonists keep talking about space considering it to be a physical entity. Still today we do not know whether it makes sense to consider space real, or if we should consider it a convention, or perception, related to the subjectivity of those people who perceive it. In any event, in our daily life we keep referring to space like a physical entity and differentiate it from virtual space. In this way, perhaps in order to hold on to something tangible, we accept the definition of space as a place where it is possible to establish the position of a body with regard to other bodies. It is interesting to notice if this definition can suggest the common sense notion of an anchorage to reality. In the third episode, it is Armelinda who distinguishes between a physical space and a virtual place, and not by chance, since there can of course be confusion when we start to think about this differen- ce and the concept of space itself. What do your students think? If it is possible to wonder, “Where are we when we think?” then it is also possible to wonder, “Where are we when we surf the web?” Should we consider cyberspace as a space of knowledge? A space where our brains travel, as Rollo himself wonders? Rosaria suggests that the internet is a space without borders where we can move in every direc- tion and where we do not have in and out or on and under. That is, we can consider it to be similar to that represented by the Möbius band. Through virtual means, we have the possibility to reach faraway places and know traditions, music, and information from all over the world. A space without borders does not have any customs to pass through: is this the way we imagine the cosmopolitan space? Discussion Plan: Space/Virtual space 1. Where are we when we chat online? 2. When I go on the web am I everywhere or nowhere? 3. When I chat while in my bedroom, am I really in my bedroom? 4. What is the difference between the space where I move around in my bedroom and the space where I move around in my videogame on my computer? 5. When I surf the internet, can I learn about the culture of another country even if I have never been there? 6. When I surf the internet, can I meet people who live in countries far from mine? 7. When I surf the internet, can I learn about a place even if I have never visited it? 8. When I surf the internet, can I say I know some people even if I have never met them?