We now move beyond the issue of description to explore a related subject: explanation. For social scientists, explanation is all about assessing cause and effect. For example, if we pose the following question, “Why does ‘Hell happen?” we must consider a variety of possible causes since there always a variety of factors that might lead to a specific effect. Since we can never be absolutely certain, we must then make a choice among better or worse explanations.
This bring up a second issue:
If I believe that Hell is caused by one thing and you believe it is caused by something quite different, our contending views can acquire practical significance. When we come to the third section of this course–Analysis–you will see how the choice of one explanation over another can have significant implications for deciding how we should act.
IMAGE THREE
TORTURE: “THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT!”
10. Thursday, February 13
Today, we revisit the horrors of the 2004 Abu Ghraib torture and abuse scandal by watching the acclaimed HBO documentary: “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib” HERE (We will watch this film in class; you do not need to watch it beforehand)
Review this timeline in preparation for the film: READ
11. Tuesday, February 18
Discussion:
The US Department of Defense concluded that massive human rights violations took place at Abu Ghraib prison. Between the lines of the DOD Report below, you can see that it includes some tentative few explanations for the abuse. What are they? Does the document leave out better explanations?
In addition to discussing “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib,” we will consider the implicit arguments in the following pieces:
The DOD Schlesinger Report, only the “Executive Summary,” pp. 5-6: PRINT AND READ
Go back to this site to see who was punished for their human rights crimes, what the sentences were, and what levels of the chain of command were affected: READ
UN Convention against Torture (ratified by the US in 1988), Articles 1-4 READ AND PRINT
Geneva Convention, Part I: General Provisions, Articles 1-10: READ and PRINT
In preparing for our class discussion, be ready to refer to specific passages in each documents.
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TECHNODYSTOPIA: “A HELL WE CHOOSE OR ONE THAT CHOOSES US?”
12. Thursday, February 20
Discussion:
Politics is about power, how people get it and how they use it. Do governments and international organizations have the power to control the spread of digital information?
Or have the masters of the digital world replaced the politicians and bureaucrats of the distant twentieth century?
Yet another way of thinking about power is to ask whether human beings have inadvertently created new forms of power–digital communications technology–that will eventually control the choices we make and the lives we lead. Are we now “tools of the machine” rather than tools of the powerful?
Here is what the masters of digital communications technology promise (along with some notable changes in policy). For our discussion, be sure to bring all of these statements with you to class.
Google “R” Us: “Mission Statement” PRINT AND READ (Google’s slogan used to be ‘Don’t be Evil.’ Now, it is something different. Try to figure out what it is and/or could become.
Facebook “R” Us: THE FIVE CORE VALUES (2012) READ AND PRINT
Facebook “R” Us: Wait a minute! Now there are SIX CORE VALUES! What has changed? READ AND PRINT
Meta “R” US: LISTEN to as many of the videos under “The metaverse will be social” as possible. Fascinating stuff! Disturbing, too.
X “R” US: PRINT AND READ
Here is the X Policy Statement, August 2023
“You may not use X’s services for the purpose of manipulating or interfering in elections or other civic processes, such as posting or sharing content that may suppress participation, mislead people about when, where, or how to participate in a civic process, or lead to offline violence during an election. Any attempt to undermine the integrity of civic participation undermines our core tenets of freedom of expression and as a result, we will apply labels to violative posts informing users that the content is misleading.”
Musk “R” US? Compare X’s Policy Statement with this account of Elon Musk’s use of the platform: READ What kind of example has our new head of the Department of Government Efficiency been offering?
ChatGPT “R” US? OpenAI Charter READ AND PRINT
What do these statements tell us about the possibility of writing a meaningful mission statement? What would be the implications of determining this is impossible? What kind of world would this realization offer us?
Here is Notre Dame’s mission statement: PRINT AND READ Is this statement meaningful in ways that other statements are not? Or is it just a bunch of empty words?
Paragraph Assignment:
Choose one of the above social media mission statements to take a firm stand–yes or no–on the following proposition.
“It is an illusion to believe that mission statements will ever be meaningful controls over what appears on social media.”
13. Tuesday, February 25
Are we wise to put our trust in Digital Service Providers? Do we have a choice? Or have they simply taken control of our lives?
Discussion: What are the risks of entrusting our private data to those who control the internet?
Assignment: I don’t use Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, ChatGPT or other forms of social media. But many of you do. Choose a single site from the many that are available to you–or simply choose Google–and track down the personal information that the site collects about you. Print it, review the privacy guarantees of the site, and bring both it and the privacy rules to class. We will then discuss each of your findings.
To provoke you, let’s identify the most invasive apps. Instagram and Facebook lead the way, but weather channels are not far behind: READ
Also READ these two short articles to get an idea about how the surveillance state that is run by corporations can be transferred to universities.
Chris Stokel-Walker, “Universities are using surveillance software to spy on students” What are your rights according to Notre Dame? What does Notre Dame do with its access to your electronic media?
Colleen Flaherty, “Lights, Camera, Teach?” What is the impact on learning of monitoring your professor’s behavior? How should professors respond? See HERE
Finally, which professors at Notre Dame are on Charlie Kirk’s Watch List and what kind of evidence is cited to justify “watching” them? For example, look at the justifications for including Professors Mainwaring and Coppedge. See here
Paragraph Assignment:
How can democratic politicians maintain control over the lords of digital media? Conversely, if the control of information is power, are our politicians destined to go the way of the dinosaurs and be replaced by those who control the means of communication?
15. Thursday, February 27
TBA
OMG: Please leave your technology at home. This includes electronic devices of any kind, such as laptops, i-Pads, i-Pads2, I-Phones 16, FBI trap-and-trace tools, Kindles, video cameras, or other personal digital devices.