~December 26, 2021~
Thesis:
People become ignorant to the truth when they lose the freedom and curiosity to seek truth
Subjective truth blinds people from knowing the difference between good and bad, right and wrong.
The Controller argues that people would rather have stability than liberty, and that
true happiness or contentment isn't really exciting. How does he support these arguments?
The Controller supports his arguments by saying how their world is different. The world they live in is stable, preventing people from creating tragedies. The Controller claims that the people living in their society are already happy with what they already have - safety, proper health, brave, and do not have to worry about having a family; thus, true happiness or contentment is irrelevant.
Do you agree or disagree with the Controller that this is a desirable way to live? How might this society be an extension of Nielsen’s concerns for our society?
I believe that the Controller's way of living is stale. Having a family and overcoming challenges is what brings excitement to life. Life becomes meaningless if people already have everything and have never truly experienced pain. It connects with Nielsen's concern for our society because "higher" education is letting students down badly by not teaching the morals and values of life. If schools do not teach these concepts, people will forget the meaning of life, leading to a dull and sad life.
Why does this futuristic society repress all old, classic literature such as Shakespeare? What is your opinion of this suppression? How does it connect to the education debate issues outlined by Robert Nielsen?
The futuristic society represses all old literature to create stability and happiness. People in this futuristic society have been conditioned to only learn about new literature, making old literature irrelevant. Since freedom and curiosity to seek the truth have been taken away from the people, they become oblivious to what is really true. Suppose people in this society have never learned about the past and somewhat experienced what life was like before through books and old literature. In that case, they will never know if the way they live right now (no conflict, only happiness, and using soma, which is a drug to stay happy) is the right way to live. Knowledge is being kept from them. It connects with the education debate because "higher" education teaches students that truth is subject/relative. If truth is subjective, people will never learn the difference between good and bad, right and wrong. Essentially, people will become oblivious to what is really true if truth is subjective.
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