Instruction
1. In the movie “Mindwalk,” we were presented with a thorough explanation of two dramatically different worldviews, the “Mechanistic” and the “Ecological,” exemplified through, among other things, classical Newtonian physics and the mathematical model of Systems Theory, respectively. In your own words, but with reference to the film, please discuss these two ways of “seeing the world,” including their origins, their manifestations, and the implications for adopting (or clinging to) one or the other. Be sure to include their discussion about “Life” being “self-organizing” (self-maintaining, self-renewing, self-transcending).
With regard to the content of our class, what are the ethical implications for our
understanding/knowledge of the world (and for knowledge itself) of adopting each of these (in other words, discuss the implications—positive and negative—of each)? With an eye toward ethics/morality, make an argument for the primacy of one or the other (you can make an argument for combining both, but be sure that you support your assertions). Feel free to make reference to our text if it supports your explanations.
2. The film, “The Emperor’s Club,” explores a tension between traditional moral virtues and Machiavellian ethics (i.e., compromising moral convictions for some overriding interest). At the close of the film William confronts he grown Sedgewick: “All of us, at some point, are forced to look at ourselves in the mirror and see who we really are. When that day comes for you, Sedgewick, you will be confronted with a life lived without virtue, without principle, and for that I pity you.” Sedgewick responds: “Who out there gives a shit about your principles and your virtues? I mean, look at you. What do you have to show for yourself? I live in the real world where people do what they need to do to get what they want. If it’s lying and if it’s cheating, then so be it.” As producer Andrew Karsch states the conflict in a documentary on the film, “Do we want to live a good life, and examined life, or do we want to be successful at any cost?” Does the film resolve this tension? Please answer thoroughly.
3. The film stresses the importance of classics in teaching virtues. Speaking with Senator Bell, William states “The Greeks and the Romans provided a model of democracy which, I don’t need to tell you, the framers of our own constitution used as their inspiration. But more to the point, when the boys read Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Julius Caesar even, they’re put in direct contact with men who in their own age exemplified the highest standards of statesmanship, of civic virtue, character, conviction.” In a documentary on the film, Roberta Ann Johnson states, “The William Hunderts of the world remind us of the core values of ancient Greece and Rome, remind us of virtue and civic responsibility. They remind us of that in the classroom, and that alone makes them worth knowing and worth having in society.” We don’t teach the classics much in high schools or colleges. Have we lost an important tool for teaching virtue? Are virtue and excellence even important things to teach? If so, what other methods might be used to convey this ancient yet contemporary wisdom? Please answer thoroughly.