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updated: 10/8/12

10-11 INVISIBLE IDEOLOGIES

The Truth shall Set You Free. Free from what? "Mind-Forged Manacles,"* example Carnism; 

[* William Blake, "London," p. 68]

goals

[2A2] ETHICS [2A2] The second goal of the required leadership/ethics flag courses -- learn to make real-life ethical choices -- is closely related to the core purpose of the University of Texas, to transform lives for the benefit of society. It is also one of the basic education requirements of U.T.: “have experience in thinking about moral and ethical problems.” Our ethics goals are [2A2a] To experience by analogy a little of ethical dilemma presented by Anti-Semitism, especially the Holocaust. [2A2b] To experience by analogy a little of ethical dilemma presented by racism, especially slavery. [2A2c] To experience more directly the ethical dilemmas presented by speciesism, especially cruelty to animals. [2A2d] To become aware of real-life ethical choices made daily by all of us involving cruelty to animals. [2A2e] To return to the traditional college goals of developing character and conscience. [2A2f] To practice replacing fear and greed with love, compassion, tolerance, and the sympathetic imagination.

TODAY'S TOPICS:Back to the COURSE DESCRIPTION:

"Two of our basic ethics questions are [1] What would I have done about the Holocaust if I had been in Germany and known what was going on at the time? [2] What would I have done about slavery if I had been in east Texas and known what was going on at the time? To make these questions come alive for us, we will try to “widen the circle of compassion,” as Einstein put it, to include not only all kinds of people but other species as well. As we explore the interdisciplinary field of Animal Studies, we will focus on the analogies between racism, sexism and speciesism, and those between the Holocaust and factory farming. These comparisons, made by Coetzee, Derrida, I. B. Singer, Monson ( Earthlings), etc., will challenge us to become more mindful of ethical decisions we make daily about food, clothing, and entertainment, as well as the ethical decisions involved in nonmedical animal research on this campus."

  These ethical decisions will remind us of our assignment. We are trying to learning ethics experientially. In this case, you are asked to recall how you used to "pretend" when you played as a child. Now, your assignment is to become an actor, acting as if the analogies are basically true. This "willing suspension of disbelief," as Coleridge put it, is essential to the effectiveness of all novels, plays, movies, etc. In this case, we temporarily relinguish our disbelief in order to experience a little of what that person might have thought and felt who lived by a concentration camp or a plantation supported by slavery. We know that a comparison is not an equation, but as we at least pretend there is a connection (or "intersection"), we will mount our defenses against the analogies between factory farming and the Holocaust. As we do so we can thus consider the possibility that we would have mounted at least one or two similar defenses had we been that person who lived by a concentration camp or a plantation supported by slavery. When we do so we advance on our pilgrimage to a higher ethics for ourselves.

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TODAY'S ACTIVITIES: Feedback; QUIZ; Ram Dass guided imagery; Blog DISCUSSION led by ?????????????

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REQUIRED READING:

P2 Instructions

COURSE ANTHOLOGY

Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows  627-655

The Face on Your Plate 656-667

REVIEW: EARTHLINGS,, David Sztybel, “Can the Treatment of Animals Be Compared to The Holocaust?”++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++REVIEW, CONNECT, HAMMER INTO UNITY: DEFENSES THAT HAMPER YOUR CAPACITY FOR "WILLING SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF" TO PRETEND WHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE FOR THOSE LIVING NEAR CONCENTRATION CAMPS AND SLAVE QUARTERS.

LOOKING AHEAD: P2,10-13 PowWow Extra Credit Event Saturday, October 13Music night at Central Market w/ Eagle Point Drum and Hoskins Family Dancers 7:30 pm Central Market, 4001 North Lamar Boulevard (512) 206-1020, Austin, TX 78756 (MAP Price Info: FREE) 10 pts. for proof of attendance;Oct. 16 Costello

 

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