Above all, Hell challenges us to think about the connection between morality and obligation.
What actions should we take in response to manifestations of Hell on earth? The answer we give is a matter of prescription. In the preceding sections, we discussed the moral implications of particular views of Hell. In this section, we will consider three questions about what it means to act morally:
First, what does it mean to say that we have a duty to follow specific moral principles?
Second, is this duty absolute? In a complex world, do we always have to act on this duty?
Third, do incontestable moral principles exist? I, for one, cannot imagine living in a world where they don’t exist. In fact, I believe that there are certain moral principles, such as the fundamental dignity of every human being, that are non-negotiable. However, on what foundations do these moral prescriptions exist? Some people would refer to their religious faith. Yet, not everyone is religious. Does this mean that they lack a solid foundation for making moral judgments? How would they defend their claim to indisputable moral principles?
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COVID-19: “Sick as Hell”
23. Thursday, April 3
What does the record of the world’s recent bout with Hell–the Coronavirus pandemic–tell us about human nature? What does the pandemic–as well as the wildly differing reactions to it–teach us about how we should live in the future? Is it possible that we have learned nothing at all from this human catastrophe?
We will approach these questions by looking back at a potential pandemic–one that has been long forgotten– that hit northern California at the end of the 19th century: the bubonic plague. As you read the following book, identify the similarities between America’s response to the plague more than a century ago and our most recent experience during a pandemic:
David K. Randall, Black Death at the Golden Gate. Read the first half of the book.
24. Tuesday, April 8
Today, we will deal with two questions. First, we will use the successes of San Francisco’s efforts to combat the outbreak of the bubonic plague to ask about the capacity of human beings to stand up to catastrophic challenges. We will ask the same questions about the human response to the recent global pandemic. Second, we will ask whether we have a moral responsibility to make sacrifices for others in the face of such human catastrophes.
David K. Randall, Black Death at the Golden Gate. Finish the book.
“The Pope sees the pandemic as a chance to ‘see’ the poor”: READ AND TAKE NOTES
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GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE: “The Fires of Hell”
25. Thursday, April 10
Discussion: The existential danger of global climate change and of its human sources is a scientific fact. Do we have the same moral obligation to care for our planet that we have to care for our fellow human beings? What does our response to the COVID pandemic response teach us about how humans are likely to respond? Or, for that matter, about how we human beings are responding right now?
Pope Francis. Laudato Si’: Summaries : READ and PRINT Chapters II, IV, and VI.
Shannon Hall, “Exxon Knew about Climate Change almost 40 years ago,” Scientific American PRINT AND READ
Susan Brink, “Can’t Help Falling In Love With A Vaccine: How Polio Campaign Beat Vaccine Hesitancy” READ AND TAKE NOTES
I also dare to ask you to read the following lecture that I gave in Poland in 2018:
A. James McAdams, “Post-truth, Climate Change, and the Idea of the Modern Catholic University” PRINT AND READ
Recommended background reading: Fourth National Climate Assessment (2017): Official Report to the US Congress and President: See the Italicized summary points HERE
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THE PLIGHT OF THE MIGRANT: “HELL ON EARTH”
The goal of this section is to meditate on the plight of the migrant, not necessarily to get into the nitty-gritty political questions surrounding the global crisis over the migration of peoples. To this end, I would like you to be prepared to talk about the following issues:
What is it like to be a migrant?
When we consider the meaning of tragedies, such as the vast movement of peoples around the world, why do we, as human beings, struggle with the issue of empathy? If we should be empathetic with the plight of the downtrodden, how can we turn ourselves around?
Jesus was a refugee without a home: She brought forth her firstborn son, and she wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them in the inn (World English Bible)
26. Tuesday, April 15
Discussion:
Luis Alberto Urrea, The Devil’s Highway: A True Story. Read at least the first half of the book.
WWJD?: Jesus, the Homeless Refugee – Matthew 2:1-15 READ AND PRINT
27. Thursday, April 17
Discussion:
Luis Alberto Urrea, The Devil’s Highway: A True Story Finish the book.
Contrast with “The Forbidding Reputation and Hypnotic Scenery of the Devil’s Highway: HERE
EASTER: APRIL 18 – 21
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TERROR IN UKRAINE: “Hell on the edge . . . and the call to resilience”
28. Tuesday, April 22
Sofia Dobko, a graduate of the Catholic University of Ukraine, in Lviv, Ukraine, will join us today to discuss the experience of war in her country and the challenge of resilience.
Readings and Film:
“Twenty Days in Mariupol” HERE
Anne Applebaum and Nataliya Gumenyuk, “They didn’t understand anything, but just spoiled people’s lives” READ AND PRINT
Oleh Romanchuk, Director of the Ukrainian Institute of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy and the Institute of Mental Health, UCU: https://i-cbt.org.ua/psychological-resilience-in-a-time-of-war/
CONCLUSION
FROM HELL TO HOPE
29. Thursday, April 24
In this class, we will discuss three themes:
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- The implications of one’s view of Hell for human behavior.
- The implications of one’s view of Hell for how human beings should act.
- The implications of one’s view of Hell for our capacity to cultivate Hope.
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In addition, please bring the following three readings to class. I would like to discuss the likely responses of the authors of these three readings:
The Catholic Catechism on Hell
Peter Singer
David Randall
This discussion section will set us up for our final class. We will move completely beyond our autopsy of Hell to ask about Hope.
I expect you to bring these readings to class.
31. Tuesday, April 29
Discussion:
In this, our final class session, we turn to an image that has come up at various times in our course: Hope. In this seminar, we have looked at some pretty awful aspects of the human experience. And it’s easy to find people who think humanity is on the verge of extinction.
See the examples here: Tyler Austin Harper, “The 100 Year Extinction Panic is Back” PRINT AND READ (bring to class)
Are such dire predictions destined to come true? I certainly hope not. I do not want you to come away from this class as hardened cynics. Indeed, that would be contrary to a defining feature of our Notre Dame’s Catholic mission. After all, what is Catholicism if it is not based on hope?
I think we can–and should–approach our human future in a way that is self-consciously antithetical to the spirit of cynicism which is so much a part of the modern world. For humans to survive in this troubled world–one that is largely of their own making–we must cultivate Hope. Today, I ask you to reflect with me about the meaning of Hope in our lives. Where does Hope come from? Why is Hope important? How should we fight to maintain it?
I would like to use our class visit and our readings and film on the war in Ukraine as the backdrop for our discussion. Thus, please bring these readings to class.
In addition, please read these articles about Hope. Identify their similarities and differences.
Kelly J. Baker, “Why I Remain Hopeful,” Chronicle of Higher Education. PRINT AND READ (bring to class)
Roy Scranton, “Raising my child in a doomed world” Raising My Child in a Doomed World PRINT AND READ (bring to class)
Isaac Bashevis Singer, “Nobel Lecture” PRINT AND READ (bring to class)
Samuel Scheffler, “The Importance of the Afterlife. Seriously. PRINT AND READ (bring to class)
Your final essay assignment will be HERE
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Ecclesiastes 9:11 “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.
No one ever asks me why I put this passage from the Bible at the end of my courses. Will you?