{"id":42,"date":"2018-12-08T14:52:31","date_gmt":"2018-12-08T18:52:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/hell-spring2019\/?page_id=42"},"modified":"2019-02-27T21:04:02","modified_gmt":"2019-02-28T01:04:02","slug":"explanations","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/hell-spring2019\/explanations\/","title":{"rendered":"Explanations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Banksy<\/p><\/div>\n

We now move beyond the issue of description to explore the topic of\u00a0explanation<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 For\u00a0social scientists, this means focusing on\u00a0causation<\/em>. For example, if we pose the following question, \u201cHow do we account for the fact that \u2018Hell happens\u2026?\u201d we are automatically compelled to consider possible causes.\u00a0 Since one or more causes are conceivable options, we have to make a choice about better or worse explanations. This bring up a second issue. How do issues of cause and effect become muddied as a result of\u00a0different understandings<\/strong>\u00a0of a topic like Hell?\u00a0 If I believe Hell means one thing and you believe it means something quite different, we may identify different causes.\u00a0 As we move along in this seminar, we will see that these issues have important implications for our actions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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IMAGE FOUR<\/strong><\/h3>\n

TORTURE:\u00a0 \u201cTHE DEVIL\u2019S DEED\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

12. Tuesday, February 26<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this and our following meeting, we will use the example of\u00a0 torture<\/em> to explore an old question:\u00a0 “Why do (presumably) good people do (clearly) bad things?\u00a0 This is an issue of explanation<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Today, we will revisit the horrors of the 2004 Abu Ghraib torture and abuse scandal by watching the acclaimed HBO documentary:\u00a0 “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib”\u00a0 HERE<\/a>\u00a0 (We will watch this film in class; you do not need to watch it beforehand)<\/p>\n

Review this timeline in preparation for the film:\u00a0 READ<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\n13. Thursday, February 28<\/strong><\/p>\n

Discussion:<\/em><\/p>\n

How can we explain the massive human rights violations at Abu Ghraib.\u00a0 In addition to discussing “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib,” we will also consider the following arguments, the first three implicit and the fourth explicit (about Nazi genocide):<\/p>\n

The DOD Schlesinger Report, Executive Summary, pp. 10-19:\u00a0 PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n

Excerpts from the Schlesinger report:\u00a0 PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n

Who was punished?\u00a0 READ<\/a><\/p>\n

Hannah\u00a0Arendt<\/a>,\u00a0Eichmann in Jerusalem<\/em>, pp. 36-55\u00a0\u00a0PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

IMAGE FIVE<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Banksy<\/p><\/div>\n

TECHNODYSTOPIA:\u00a0\u00a0\u201cA HELL OF OUR OWN MAKING\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

14. Tuesday, March 5<\/strong><\/p>\n

FILM:\u00a0 “Blade Runner”<\/p>\n

We will watch the first half of this film in class and and then complete it in the early evening.\u00a0 We will meet at my home at 6:00 for pizza dinner. Our home address is: 17633 Hansom Court, South Bend 46635.\u00a0 Our home phone number is 574.273.2555<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

15. Thursday, March 7<\/strong><\/p>\n

Discussion<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Dave Eggers,\u00a0The Circle<\/em>:\u00a0 Read at least the first half of the book.\u00a0 However, we will not<\/span> discuss the book’s conclusion until out next class after break.<\/p>\n

Google “R” Us:\u00a0 “Mission Statement” PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Disneyland “R\u201d Us:\u00a0READ AND PRINT<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Facebook \u201cR\u201d US:\u00a0READ AND PRINT<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
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MID-TERM BREAK:\u00a0 MARCH 9 \u2013 MARCH 17<\/strong><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

16.\u00a0Tuesday, March 19<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Discussion<\/em>:<\/p>\n

Dave Eggers,\u00a0The Circle<\/em>:\u00a0 Finish the book.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Robert Tracinski, “\u2018Don\u2019t Be Evil\u2019? Google Is Becoming A Police State”\u00a0PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Nicholas Confessore\u00a0and\u00a0Cecilia Kang, “Facebook Data Scandals Stoke Criticism That a Privacy Watchdog Too Rarely Bites” PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n

TED talk with Yuval Noah Herari WATCH<\/a><\/p>\n

Nellie Bowles, “Tech C.E.O.s Are in Love With Their Principal Doomsayer”\u00a0 READ<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

OMG:\u00a0\u00a0Please leave your technology at home.\u00a0 This includes electronic devices of any kind, such as laptops, i-Pads, i-Pads2, I-Phones 12, FBI trap-and-trace tools, Kindles, video cameras, or other personal digital devices.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We now move beyond the issue of description to explore the topic of\u00a0explanation.\u00a0 For\u00a0social scientists, this means focusing on\u00a0causation. For example, if we pose the following question, \u201cHow do we account for the fact that \u2018Hell happens\u2026?\u201d we are automatically compelled to consider possible causes.\u00a0 Since one or more causes are conceivable options, we have […]<\/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-42","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/hell-spring2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/42","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/hell-spring2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/hell-spring2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/hell-spring2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/114"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/hell-spring2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42"}],"version-history":[{"count":44,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/hell-spring2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/42\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":447,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/hell-spring2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/42\/revisions\/447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/hell-spring2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}