{"id":509,"date":"2017-10-23T11:58:39","date_gmt":"2017-10-23T15:58:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/?page_id=509"},"modified":"2017-10-24T17:27:47","modified_gmt":"2017-10-24T21:27:47","slug":"essay-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/essay-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Essay #2"},"content":{"rendered":"

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD POLITICS<\/p>\n

\u201cRaining Cats and Dogs\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is raining cats and dogs in South Bend.\u00a0 Once again, I decide to organize a little soir\u00e9e to pass the evening.\u00a0 Since you were such a great guest at my last meal, I invite you.\u00a0 Then, I invite John Stuart Mill and Vaclav Havel since they seem to share such close views. I am certain they will like each other.<\/p>\n

After some useless chit chat which satisfies none of us, I invite my guests to say something profound about politics.<\/p>\n

Havel speaks first:\u00a0 \u201cThe specific nature of post-totalitarian conditions\u2014with their absence of a normal political life and the fact that any far-reaching political change is unforeseeable\u2014has one positive aspect:\u00a0 it compels us to examine our situation in its deeper coherences and to consider our future in the context of\u00a0 the global, long-range prospects of the world.\u00a0 The most intrinsic and fundamental contradiction between human beings and the system takes place at a level incomparably more profound than that of\u00a0liberal democratic<\/em>\u00a0politics.\u201d<\/p>\n

To my surprise, Mill winces at my other guest’s words and then retorts:\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s totally absurd, Vaclav.\u00a0 Liberal democracy compels us to ‘live within the truth\u2019 as well, indeed, to a far greater extent than you would ever find in a post-totalitarian system!\u201d<\/p>\n

I am horrified.\u00a0 Clearly, I was wrong in thinking Havel and Mill would get along.\u00a0 However, I don\u2019t know what to say that will mollify at least one of them.\u00a0 Since you wrote such a great essay after my last dinner, I naturally turn to you.\u00a0 So, I inquire:\u00a0 “Who is right, Vaclav or John Stuart? \u00a0And don\u2019t waffle because I have to please one of my guests!”<\/p>\n

Which thinker is right?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Assignment<\/em>: Please respond to this question in an essay of 3-4 pages (but\u00a0no more<\/u>\u00a0than 4).\u00a0 Your response should be typed, double-spaced, and use 12 point font.<\/p>\n

Note:\u00a0 I have slightly modified the quotation from Havel\u2019s \u201cPower or the Powerless\u201d (pp. 205-6) to make this assignment work; rather than using his term \u201ctraditional politics,\u201d I have inserted \u201cliberal democratic politics\u201d (since that is what I think he means).<\/p>\n

We will evaluate your essay according to four criteria:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Your understanding of what Havel and Mill are fighting about.<\/li>\n
  2. The clarity and consistency of your argument, and your ability to take counterarguments into account.<\/li>\n
  3. Your direct use of your readings to back up your points concretely.<\/li>\n
  4. And, importantly, your demonstrated ability to think for yourself.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I have no objection if you want to discuss this assignment with your classmates.\u00a0 However, your essay must be absolutely, totally, irrefutably, and unmistakably your own work.\u00a0 Remember the Honor Code!<\/p>\n

    As always, I have\u00a0advice<\/em>.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Read this assignment closely the moment you receive it.\u00a0It may seem complicated at first.\u00a0But if you allow its elements to percolate in your head for a while, you will find that they all flow together.<\/li>\n
    2. Do not put this assignment off until the last moment.\u00a0If you do so, you will not be a happy camper and neither will we.<\/li>\n
    3. Seek the advice and counsel of both your TA and me.\u00a0 We will each read your intro paragraph and the first sentence of your second paragraph.<\/li>\n
    4. Visit the writing center. Share your essay with an advisor.\u00a0 There is no end to learning how to write better.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      You have more than a week to complete this assignment.\u00a0 Please turn in your essay to your respective TA no later than Noon on Friday, November 3.<\/p>\n

      Good luck!<\/p>\n

      AJM<\/p>\n

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

      INTRODUCTION TO WORLD POLITICS \u201cRaining Cats and Dogs\u201d It is raining cats and dogs in South Bend.\u00a0 Once again, I decide to organize a little soir\u00e9e to pass the evening.\u00a0 Since you were such a great guest at my last meal, I invite you.\u00a0 Then, I invite John Stuart Mill and Vaclav Havel since they […]<\/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-509","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/114"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=509"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":526,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/509\/revisions\/526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}