Camus, the Absurd, and You!

Answer the following questions in full.  Each one of these questions should elicit at least several complete sentences of thoughtful response from you.

1.  We have discussed Camus' claim that life is absurd.  What responses does he see as appropriate to this absurdity?  What responses does he see as failing to "live with" the absurd?  Do you agree with his claims? Explain.
 
2.  Camus imagines Sisyphus happy with his eternal task.  Can you make sense of this claim?  Do you agree with it?  Why or why not?
 
3.  Do you believe that life is absurd?  If you do, how would you argue for this claim?  If not, how would you respond to Camus?

4. What is it about your life that resembles Sisyphus' plight?  What is your relationship  to your rock? Is the struggle itself enough for you?


This post will be due at the beginning of class on Monday, November 29th.

The Monkeysphere

Given the scientific information in the linked article, re-evaluate an   ethic of care as opposed to a universal and impartial ethic.

What do you think about the importance of relationships to an ethical life?

Is full Kantian or Singerian impartiality possible?

What about the Christian ideals of loving one's neighbor (but who is my   neighbor?) and 'love one another as I have loved you' (but does that   mean everybody?)?

Do you find David Wong's argument about human nature (based on Dunbar's Number) compelling?

This is more or less a free response blog post, but I expect some depth   (i.e., at least a few substantial sentences) in your comments.



Dunbar's Number <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar's_number>
What is the Monkeysphere? <http://www.cracked.com/article_14990_what-monkeysphere.html>

Peter Singer and Charitable Giving

For this blog post, I want you to think about a purchase you made recently — anything from a college application fee to a new skirt to a frappucino to a concert ticket.  Please describe the purchase you made, the cost of the purchase, the reasoning that went into it, and the results of the purchase.  Then, using Google or other methods, find another way you could have used the purchase cost that could have a greater effect on overall world happiness.  

For example:

I spent roughly $12 on a large caffé Americano and lunch platter this weekend.  I purchased this beverage because I wanted the pick-me-up that goes with caffeine on an early Sunday morning, which came when I drank it, and the food because I was hungry.  Also, the purchase allowed me to log into the café’s WiFi network.  Between the caffeine and the WiFi, I was more easily able to work on revising a lecture for my World Religions class, because I have trouble concentrating at my house.

With the $12, I could have purchased (from Episcopal Relief and Development) a mosquito net for a child in a malaria zone, which could help prevent the unnecessary death of a child exposed to the disease.  Arguably, preventing one death by malaria produces more happiness and less pain — has a higher utility —  than a slightly more streamlined World Religions lecture and my satisfied desire for caffeine.




Your comments are due by the end of tutorial (4PM) on Friday, 10/22.

Machiavelli, Egoism, Good Government

Let's say that there's an election coming up for some sort of executive position.  It could be Student Body President, it could be Head of School, it could be Mayor of Houston, it could be President of the United States.  There are two candidates:

Candidate A)  An exceedingly well-educated person of the utmost integrity, who graduated law school with highest honors, who has one Ph.D. in Christian Ethics and another in Economics, who is completely honest and straightforward, who is open and clear about goals and ideas -- in sum, a perfectly virtuous person.

Candidate B) A modern-day Machiavellian Prince, who's memorized Robert Greene's 48 Laws of Power and puts them into practice at every opportunity.
    <http://www2.tech.purdue.edu/cg/courses/cgt411/covey/48_laws_of_power.htm>

Who would be the more effective leader?  
Who would be the better leader?  
Who would you vote for?  Why?  
Who would you rather be friends with?  Why?
Who would you rather work for after college?  Why?

Feel free to be creative in your answers!  Also, please be sure to spell-check and proof-read your comments (as you should all your submitted work), or your grade will surely suffer.


This post is due by Friday 8AM.


--
Dan Binder
Religion Instructor
Episcopal High School
dbinder@ehshouston.org
aim: MisterBinder
(713) 512 3414

Abraham and Isaac

Students -

For this blog post, please take a moment and find an image or a video clip of Abraham and Isaac that you think helps illustrate what Kierkegaard writes about faith.  Post the image (or a link to it), and write a brief paragraph addressing the following questions:

Why does this image capture Kierkegaard’s ideas?  
What do you make of Abraham, given what Kierkegaard writes?  
Has your view of him changed?
Has your view of faith changed?

This post must be completed by 8AM on Monday morning.

Socrates, MLK, and Bobby Kennedy

Students -

Please watch the following clips on YouTube and answer the following questions.  This post will be due at 7:30 AM on Monday morning.

 
Martin Luther King's Last Public Speech — text ( http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkivebeentothemountaintop.htm)
audio of speech (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIaQ5glP-38)
Video of final section of speech (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0FiCxZKuv8)

Robert F Kennedy's impromptu address in Indianapolis announcing MLK's death (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E3-_z5YP0M)

1) Compare the closing paragraphs of Plato's Apology with MLK's final public statement. How do Socrates and MLK seem to view death? Why?

2) MLK compared himself with Socrates thusly:
    Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must see the need of having nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men to rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.
   In other words, the non-violent protesters of the Civil Rights movement are thus like Socrates - gadflies. What does a 'gadfly' look like in today's world, in today's America?


3) Robert Kennedy, in his address to the crown at Indianapolis, cites ancient Greek poetry and wisdom.  Why does he do this?  How is Aeschylus relevant to the 20th century?  What does this imply about wisdom, truth, and philosophy?

Discussion Questions -- Week One

Students --

Please read the following questions and respond to each one, in paragraph form.  Do feel free to be creative in your responses -- post pictures, video clips, anything that helps answer the questions.  You will have the whole period in class, as well as the weekend.  Comments will be closed at 7:30 AM on Monday.


What are your own deepest moral values? What moral qualities do you look for in others? Are these things everyone shares?


When (under what circumstances) is it right to tell a lie? Give some examples from everyday life. What does this answer reveal about the scope or relevance of morality in general?


We have talked about moral health. When you think about a morally healthy life, what do you imagine? What about a morally unhealthy life? Give examples.


What is the moral issue that you are most undecided about?  Describe the pros and cons in regard to this issue.  How do you go about arriving at a decision when it is unavoidable?

Mr Berra

Yogi Berra explained his batting technique thusly:  “Just watch me do it.”  To what extent is this true of morality?  Can we teach it to others or learn it by following someone's example? Or must we teach it to ourselves?