2005.03
21. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
We must seriously question the idea of majority rule. The majority grinned and jeered when Columbus said the world was round. The majority threw him into a dungeon for his discoveries. Where is the logic in the notion that the opinion held by a majority of people should have the power to influence our decisions
Adapted from James A. Reed, "Majority Rule"
Assignment: Is the opinion of the majority—in government or in any other circumstances—a poor guide
22. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
Even scientists know that absolute objectivity has yet to be attained. It's the same for absolute truth. But, as many news reporters have observed, the idea of objectivity as a guiding principle is too valuable to be abandoned. Without it, the pursuit of knowledge is hopelessly lost.
Adapted from “Focusing Our Values,” Nieman Reports
Assignment: Are people better at making observations, discoveries, and decisions if they remain neutral and impartial
23. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
If you think that what you do is your own business, you are wrong. In this world your conduct affects not only you but the conduct of other people as well. If you behave in a way that is considered unacceptable and other people copy your behavior, you are responsible for the consequences.
Adapted from Margaret Banning, “Letter to Susan”
Assignment: Is a person responsible, through the example he or she sets, for the behavior of other people
2005.05
24. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
Alone we can afford to be wholly whatever we are and to feel whatever we feel absolutely. With
others we are busy wondering what does my companion see or think of this, and what do I think
of it The original impact of our feelings gets lost or reduced.
Adapted from May Sarton, The Rewards of Living a Solitary Life
Assignment: Does worrying too much about other people’s opinions prevent us from seeing things clearly
2005.06
25. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
I cannot comprehend those who emphasize or recognize only what is useful. I am concerned that
learning for learning's sake is no longer considered desirable, that everything we do and think
must be directed toward the solution of a practical problem. More and more we seem to try to
teach how to make a good living and not how to live a good life.
Assignment: Do people put too much emphasis on learning practical skills
26. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
Most of our schools are not facing up to their responsibilities. We must begin to ask ourselves
whether educators should help students address the critical moral choices and social issues of
our time. Schools have responsibilities beyond training people for jobs and getting students into
college.
——Svi Shapiro
Assignment: Should schools help students understand moral choices and social issues
27. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
The media not only transmit information and culture, they also decide what information is
important. In that way, they help to shape culture and values.
——Alison Bernstein
Assignment: Do newspapers, magazines, television, radio, movies, the Internet, and other media determine what is important to most people