Film as a Window to Left-Wing Ideology
by Dr. Neil Browne
When we have a political ideology, we probably convince ourselves that we reflect afresh when we encounter a social issue. Albert O. Hirschman’s The Rhetoric of Reaction makes it very difficult for right-wing people to continue to think in that fashion. Hirschman identifies certain habits of mind that are regularly deployed by right-wing people to move quickly to conclusions when they encounter new social questions. In other words, the thinking is more reflexive than reflective.
Film is a notoriously left-wing medium for several reasons. Hence, it provides a fertile source for examining the question: Do left-wing thinkers have a similar pattern of thought that can be identified and classified? After reading Hirschman, we will watch several films and try to infer any such left-wing habits of mind from our experience with them.
The objective of this LO is to remind us of the ease with which we can fall into a rut in our thinking.
An Investigation of Faith
by Dr. Paul Moore
Faith.
This word and its underlying concepts play a powerful role in the thought processes of many different individuals in today’s societies. Some say that faith is a special epistemology and therefore the facts derived from it need not be evaluated through rationality and empiricism. Several new books have challenged that stance. A particularly interesting selection of these books is “Breaking the Spell” by Daniel Dennett, a philosopher from Tufts. Daniel Dennett holds that we can only understand the powerful and sometimes derisive effect that faith has in today’s society by understanding the biological, evolutionary, and society origins of religion and the purpose that it serves for humans and for society. Dennett seeks to “discuss why and how they [religions] have commanded allegiance, become so potent, and shaped so many lives so strongly”.
The objective of this LO is to
- Introduce the student to Dennett’s argument on the origin and usefulness of faith.
- Evaluate whether facts from faith can or should be evaluated using rationality and empiricism.
- If Dennett is correct, what are the implications of this stance on our socio-political environment.
The Relationship Between Emotional and Rational Thinking
by Dr. Paul Moore
In the academe, we often visualize ourselves as creatures of rationality. As members of the academy, we teach, promote, and almost worship rational thought processes within our respective fields. We claim that rational thought and rational decision making produces a better filter for information. We claim to have clearer insight into the truth using our rational processes. Because of these beliefs, we teach and adopt critical thinking as one way to promote the rational mind.
Yet, we recognize that emotional thinking can heavily influence the decision making paradigms in a number of human cultures. We, in academics, often characterize these decisions as rash or impulsive indicating that the people using emotion in decisions are clearly using inferior methods. Robert Solomon in Thinking about Feeling: Contemporary Philosophers on Emotions has edited a compilation of essays by modern philosophers and their thoughts on emotions and the role of emotions in decision making. I would like to use this book as a basis of investigation of current theories of emotions, their origins, and their relationship with rational decision making paradigms.
The objective of this LO is to:
- Introduce the student to the philosophical concepts regarding the influence of emotions in rational thinking.
- Compare these different philosophical positions.
- Evaluate these different philosophical positions.
- To integrate these concepts with their personal decision making models.
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