{"id":445,"date":"2020-04-29T14:05:09","date_gmt":"2020-04-29T18:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/communism-spring-2020\/?page_id=445"},"modified":"2020-04-30T15:44:53","modified_gmt":"2020-04-30T19:44:53","slug":"final-essay","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/communism-spring-2020\/final-essay\/","title":{"rendered":"Final Essay"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cKoestler, Havel, McAdams, and You: \u00a0Debating the Truth Virtually\u00a0chez<\/em>\u00a0McAdams\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

I read the news today about two lucky men who have come back to life:\u00a0 Arthur Koestler and Vaclav Havel.\u00a0 As their ultimate fan, I hasten to invite both thinkers, as well as you, to share a Zoom dinner with me.\u00a0 My European guests begin dinner by complaining about the admittedly lousy technology as well as my wine selection (the Chardonnay, it seems, does not go well with my filet mignon!).\u00a0 However, after a few minutes of this prattle, \"\"I run out of patience and demand high intellectual compensation for my virtual\u00a0repas<\/em>.\u00a0 At first, the two authors are shocked by my rude intervention.\u00a0 Yet, not being strangers to rude behavior, they quickly leap at the opportunity to debate.<\/p>\n

HAVEL:\u00a0 Well, McAdams, if you insist.\u00a0 I have been rereading\u00a0Darkness at Noon<\/em> and thinking about the long history of global communism.\u00a0 I am now convinced that my theory of \u201cliving in the truth\u201d is so powerful that even Gletkin could have been persuaded that it is better to live in the truth than to live in a lie.<\/p>\n

KOESTLER:\u00a0 That\u2019s utter nonsense, Vaclav!\u00a0 Can\u2019t you see that Gletkin would never have chosen your ideal world?\u00a0 Whatever the circumstances, he always had powerful reasons for remaining exactly as he was.<\/p>\n

MCADAMS (relieved to get beyond the wine pairing):\u00a0 Well, finally the two of you have come up with a compelling topic.\u00a0 Let\u2019s ask our quiet dinner partner from Notre Dame to decide which of you is right about Gletkin.<\/p>\n

At this point, the three of us turn to you (Koestler and Havel have faintly menacing looks in their eyes).<\/p>\n

MCADAMS:\u00a0 Okay, so which of these two gentlemen is right?\u00a0 And don\u2019t think you can please both of these great thinkers simultaneously.\u00a0 I, too, want a clear answer!\u00a0 In fact<\/em>, while you\u2019re at it, here\u2019s a related question:\u00a0 Will I be happy or sad when I consider the implications of your answer for our understanding of human nature?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Please write an essay of no more than five (5), double-spaced, typed pages in which you take a firm stand on these two questions.\u00a0 Note:\u00a0 you will need to explore both speakers\u2019 underlying assumptions about life under a communist dictatorship.\u00a0 You will also need to address what it means to live in the truth.\u00a0 Finally, you will need to think about how your argument relates to the theme of human nature.<\/p>\n

This question is designed to encourage you to \u201cget into the heads\u201d of these writers.\u00a0 Analyze their arguments, but also feel free to use your imagination.\u00a0 Cite your readings.\u00a0 Provide evidence for your claims. Choose a strong title for your essay.<\/p>\n

Remember:\u00a0 My expectations are not unreasonable.\u00a0 I merely expect you to write the best paper you have ever written.<\/p>\n

To this end, be sure to reread my Google document Tips for Great Writing.\u00a0 I expect you to adhere to my rules.\u00a0 In particular, \u201cOn the other hand,\u201d does not mean \u201cIn contrast\u201d!\u00a0 You might also reread my comments on your previous essays.\u00a0 To quote one of the founders of modern sociology:\u00a0 you have nothing to lose—and a world to gain!<\/p>\n

Your assignment is due by Noon, Friday, May 8. \u00a0Of course, please feel free to turn in your essay earlier. \u00a0If you would like detailed comments on your paper, please let me know and I will send them to you the following week.<\/p>\n

Please title your Word document (no PDF or other frustrating format!) in the following fashion:\u00a0 [yourname].finalessay.communism2020\u00a0\u00a0 No exceptions!<\/p>\n

Good luck, be safe, and keep in touch!<\/p>\n

AJM<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cKoestler, Havel, McAdams, and You: \u00a0Debating the Truth Virtually\u00a0chez\u00a0McAdams\u201d I read the news today about two lucky men who have come back to life:\u00a0 Arthur Koestler and Vaclav Havel.\u00a0 As their ultimate fan, I hasten to invite both thinkers, as well as you, to share a Zoom dinner with me.\u00a0 My European guests begin dinner … Continue reading “Final Essay”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-445","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/communism-spring-2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/communism-spring-2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/communism-spring-2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/communism-spring-2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/114"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/communism-spring-2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=445"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/communism-spring-2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/445\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":455,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/communism-spring-2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/445\/revisions\/455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/communism-spring-2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}