WGU -p.192. Rec: FL 35-36. FINAL REPORT PRESENTATIONS begin...
1. What hallmark of modernity reversed Plato's and Aristotle's judgment?
2. What gives life meaning, for Kant?
3. In a truly human society, according to Marx, how would our capacities to work develop?
4. Most jobs involve what, according to Paul Goodman?
5. People were certain, as late as 2008, that what?
6. What alternatives to consumerism have small groups begun to develop?
FL
1. What are "squishies"?
2. Who (who should have been defenders of reason) instead became enablers of Fantasyland?
3. Who is Jodi Dean?
4. What is Responsive Ed?
5. Why did Jefferson say America should neither ban nor embrace any particular religion?
Discussion Questions
- Was Locke's "sweet" labor theory of value invalidated by the invention of money? 166
- Do we have a duty to our own humanity to work? 167
- Was Arendt correct about the distinction between labor and work, and about their rootedness in natality? 168-9
- Was Rousseau right about the value of learning to work with your hands, particularly carpentry? 172
- Do you worry, as Paul Goodman did, that there may be "no decent work to grow up for"? 173
- Is it a "travesty" to call people who work in advertising "creatives"? 175
- Is consumer capitalism infantilizing?
- Do you regularly discard "unfashionable" clothes or other goods before they wear out or break down? Should you? 179
- Do you want to produce something of value? Why? 181
- Do you expect to find meaning in your work? If not, where will you find it? 185
- Is there something self-contradictory about being a "committed relativist," if all knowledge claims are "self-serving opinions or myths"? 308
- Have you had any "nonjudgmental Squishie" teachers who taught that reason was not for everyone, or that "someone's capacity to experience the supernatural" depends on their "willingness to see more than is materially present"? 308
- What do you think of Schwartz's "synchronicities"? 310
- What do you think of Jodi Dean's defense of UFO "abductees"? 311
- What do you think of "the boy who came back from heaven," etc.? 314
- Have you had any textbooks similar to Responsive Ed's science texts? 315
- Will COVID give survivalism more momentum? (317) Will it boost alternative medicine? 318
- Are Survivalists and Preppers "wacky and sad"? 319 Why is this such an American phenomenon?
- Do you agree with Jefferson's statement about freedom of and from religion? 320
- COMMENT, in light of recent events?: "Some American fantasies have become weaponized, literally." 321
- Do you agree "that so many of our neighbors are saying so many loony things [and Kurt Andersen wrote that before the Q-Anon conspiracy loonies surfaced, and before January 6] is doing us real injury"? 322
Nicholas Schionning:
ReplyDeleteWGU 4: Involve doing things that are "patently useless, possibly harmfull, certainly wasteful and demeaning and dumb to boot"
FL
ReplyDelete1. What are "squishies"? Squishies are people who refuse to speak against 'alternative' ideas or even give voice to them in exchange for money, influence, renown, or because they are supporters of these ideas who have made it into positions of authority.
3. Who is Jodi Dean? Jodi Dean is a political scientist, a Princeton graduate who is now a professor at Hobart and William Smith. She wrote a book titled 'Aliens in America: Conspiracy Cultures from Outerspace to Cyberspace', she believes that the meanings of 'belief' and 'real' aren't clear and that everyone has their own perspective of the world that holds truth. Overall, she thinks the norms of public reason are too oppressive and exclusionary.
4. What is Responsive Ed? Responsive Ed is a the largest charter-education operator in Texas. Responsive Ed is publicly funded and teaches from creationist biology textbooks. Responsive Ed teaches creationism and says evolutionary biology is dogma and an unproved theory.
5. Why did Jefferson say America should neither ban nor embrace any particular religion? Jefferson said America should neither ban nor embrace any religion because he disapproved of how early on the colonies would persecute or even execute 'heretics'. Jefferson thought people should be able to practice what they choose. He said, "it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."
Felopater Melika #7
ReplyDelete1- The hallmark of modernity that reversed Plato's and Aristotle's judgment is the emphasis on individual autonomy and the idea that everyone has the capacity for reason and self-determination.
2- For Kant, life gains meaning through the pursuit of moral growth, rational self-governance, and the development of one's intellectual and practical capacities.
3- According to Marx, in a truly human society, our capacities to work would develop freely and fully, allowing us to express our creativity and individuality without being constrained by economic exploitation or alienation.
4- According to Paul Goodman, most jobs involve "absurd work," which means tasks that are pointless, unfulfilling, or do not contribute significantly to human well-being.
5- People were certain, as late as 2008, that continuous economic growth and increasing material prosperity would lead to overall well-being and happiness.
6- Some alternatives to consumerism that small groups have begun to develop include intentional communities, sharing economies, local and sustainable food production, and movements focused on simplicity, minimalism, and voluntary simplicity.
1. It reversed Plato and Aristotle's judgment on individual autonomy and that everyone has a capacity for self-determination and reason.
ReplyDelete2. life gains meaning through rational self-governance, development of one's intellectual and practical capacities, and the pursuit of moral growth.
4. he says that most jobs involve "absurd work." Essentially saying that the work is pointless and doesn't offer any happiness to the person doing it.
Topic choices:
ReplyDelete1). Why did Jefferson say America should neither ban nor embrace any particular religion?
2). What is Responsive Ed?
3). What are "squishies"?