3-5 Homework #5 due on 3-7: Read Sapiens, pages 305-349, and write a 3-paragraph essay that explains how trust in the future is required for banks to flourish.
3-7 Homework #6: Read Sapiens, pages 350-416, and write a 3-paragraph essay that explains the causes of the collapse of the family and the community.
3-12 Explain the collapse of the family. See Harari video “The Future of Humanity.” Homework: Write a preliminary or tentative thesis.
3-14 Look at students’ thesis statements. Look at 5 types of thesis statements. Look at logical fallacies. See Harari’s video “Why Fascism Is So Tempting.”
3-19 Peer Edit for Essay #2
Essay #2 Due 3-26-19
Minimum of 2 sources for your MLA Works Cited page.
Choice A
Watch Netflix documentary Ronnie Coleman: The King. Considered to be the greatest bodybuilder of all time, Coleman is now on crutches, faces a lifetime of excruciating pain, must take opioid pain medication, may have to be consigned to a wheelchair, and by most accounts the abuse he took to become a champion bodybuilder is the reason for his condition. The film celebrates Coleman’s life principle to persist in doing what he loves, but doing what he loves comes with a price: excruciating, life-altering injuries. Is doing what we love worth it? In this context, develop an argumentative thesis that addresses the notion that in order to achieve exceptional success, we are justified to make sacrifices of our body, minds, and souls. Is Coleman’s current condition justified by his success and his heroic drive to do what he loves? Answer this question and be sure to have a counterargument section. You need to cite two sources, the Ronnie Coleman documentary and Bourree Lam’s Atlantic article “Why ‘Do You What You Love’ Is Pernicious Advice.”
Option B
Watch Netflix Black Mirror episode “Nosedive,” and listen to the NPR Hidden Brain episode “Why Social Media Isn’t Always Very Social,” and watch Sherry Turkle’s Ted Talk video, “Connected, But Alone?” Then in the context of those 3 sources develop an argumentative thesis about the way the social media misuse creates psychological dissolution, depression, and thwarted emotional development.
Choice C
Take an episode from Hasan Minhaj’s Netflix news show Patriot Act and develop an argumentative thesis that addresses one of Minhaj’s topics. For example, should there be anti-trust laws to address Amazon's "take over of the world"?
Choice D (with some elaborations)
In Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, read Chapter 9 “The Arrow of History” and write an essay that applies Yuval’s notion of cultural inconsistencies and contradictions (164) to a contradiction you see in contemporary life. You can apply these inconsistencies to Harari's claim that we "prefer power over truth," as stated in his Guardian essay "Humans are a post-truth species."
You can also apply these "cultural inconsistencies and contradictions" to the Netflix comedy special "Nanette" in which Hannah Gadsby expresses her contradictory positions on being a comedian. Specifically, address the Gadsby's argument that stand-up comedy, based on a setup and a punchline, sacrifices too much moral complexity, catharsis, and wisdom to justify doing it. For your sources, you can use the Netflix special, the New York Times article, New Yorker article, The Atlantic article, and The Washington Post article. In Gadsby's performance, she questions the very role of comedy and expresses her desire to quit doing comedy as much as she shows her desire to continue making it. Explain this contradiction.
Choice E
Based on Chapter 9 in Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens, develop a thesis that argues that money is in many ways a form of religion. By money, I might be more accurate and more helpful if I replace the word "money" with "capitalism." You can find an elaboration of this topic on Harari's website. In these terms, then, Choice E is really the same as Choice F: See below.
Choice F
Based on Chapter 16 in Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens, support, refute, or complicate Harari’s assertion that the free market is a dangerous cult that results in “Capitalist Hell.”
Choice G
Based on chapters 18 and 19 in Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens, develop an argumentative thesis that addresses Harari’s notion of “imagined communities” and the human quest for happiness and meaning. You can find an elaboration of imagined communities on this website.
Choice H
Based on Chapter 20 in Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens, develop an argumentative thesis about the viability of the “Frankenstein Prophecy.” You can find an elaboration of this prophecy on Harari's notion of AI on this YouTube video and this website.
Choice I
Watch Yuval Noah Harari’s Ted Talk video “Why Fascism Is So Tempting” and write an argumentative thesis that addresses his claim. This topic is elaborated on in Shoshana Zuboff's notion of surveillance capitalism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHHb7R3kx40
Do we really seek democracy and the truth or do we insulate ourselves in our delusional bubbles and repel evidence that might challenge our reality? Is this a new problem in the social media age? Or have we always been drawn to a fascist defense of our tribe? Harari elaborates on this theme in his essay, "Humans are a post-truth species."
Choice J
Watch Hasan Minhaj critique student loans in his Netflix Patriot Act episode and develop an argumentative thesis that addresses the topic. For example, should student loans be forgiven? Your answer to that question would be your argumentative thesis.
Choice K
Watch Hasan Minhaj critique current administration (episode "Civil Rights Under Trump") for taking away civil rights and write an argumentative thesis that agrees or disagrees with Minhaj's claim that these government policies are bad for Americans.
"Humans are a post-truth species" by Harari
Sometimes your secret sauce is contained in disagreeing with someone you agree with. Sometimes your secret sauce is playing devil's advocate.
McMahon's Example of Introduction and Thesis That Addresses Harari's essay "Humans are a post-truth species."
We lie to our children by telling them that Santa Claus exists in the service of the greater purpose of giving our children a sense of magic and wonder. We lie to ourselves when we buy a Rolex and a Mercedes by believing that people will love and admire us for owning “winning brands.” We lie to ourselves by saying that accruing 100,000 followers on Instagram affirms our self-validation. We lie to ourselves every New Year’s Eve vowing to embrace some asinine “cleansing” diet in the service of joining some communal fad of culinary self-purification.
As Yuval Noah Harari correctly observes in his cogent essay, “Humans are a post-truth species,” we are all inveterate liars, spinners of fake news, purveyors of mythologies, propaganda, and fabrications, yet here in the 21st Century, we are all acting outraged over the fake news generated by Facebook and other social media platforms.
Harari’s claim is that we should calm down and not try to suppress fake news so much as harness it to achieve a balance between our innate drive for social cooperation that is often dependent on less than truthful mythologies and our need for a truthful objective reality.
While Harari’s claim contains much truth in terms of explaining human delusions in the realm of nationalism, racism, and other forms of group allegiance, his thesis collapses when we consider there is no rationalization for dishonesty, we can find truthful and noble causes to cement human cooperation, and Harari’s faulty comparison of fake news in history and fake news in the “nuclear” digital age of weaponized misinformation.
Sapiens Part 2, Lesson #1 Based on 163-187
Study Questions
One. What is Harari’s definition of culture?
Culture is the “network of artificial instincts” that result from the myths and fictions generated from the Agricultural Revolution.
He writes that we are born into a network of assumptions and desires, all artificial from our environment, and to sustain the social order we conform to these artificial assumptions and desires.
We stick to the script society gives us. Otherwise, we are misfits.
This conformity allows masses of people to cooperate to work toward shared goals.
Throughout his book, Harari frames religion as part of culture’s artificial network, which is why in many ways his book is an anti-religious screed.
Culture’s Constant Flux
Harari observes that in the first half of the twentieth century scholars were misguided in their belief that culture is timeless, complete, and harmonious.
Today, scholars conclude that culture is in “constant flux.”
Societies, even isolated ones, are constantly trying to address their internal contradictions, and these adjustments result in constant change.
Two. What are some examples of contradictions existing in a particular culture?
In medieval Europe there were opposing forces: the gentle meekness taught from Christianity and the tough honor taught from chivalry.
Gentle meekness and masculine honor don’t mix because the former encourages passivity while the latter encourages violence. To defend one’s honor, one must draw the sword.
The Crusades, which involved conquering non-Christian societies, allowed medieval Europe to integrate their contradictory values into one movement.
American Democracy Vs. American Snobbery
In America today, we claim to be a democratic society where everyone is equal. But we are a highly stratified society with Winners and Losers, the Haves and the Have-Nots.
When we give our keys to the valet at Cheesecake Factory, if our car is old, the valet drives it several blocks away out of sight of the restaurant. If we have a brand new shiny Mercedes, the valet parks it close the restaurant for everyone to see.
When we fly coach, we must walk the gauntlet of shame past the luxury passengers who were seated before us in the opulent accommodations of first class while we cram ourselves into a sardine tin. We seethe with class envy and humiliation for six hours on the way to Hawaii before being met off the plane by a friendly greeter who dons us with garlands to restore our self-esteem.
At different family vacation hotel packages, you wear a wrist band and the color of the band tells the workers what level of the vacation hierarchy you and your family are on. Lower priced vacation packages have more “restricted areas.” Some hotel functionary says, “Stand back, sir. You don’t have the free range of the superior vacationers.” Everywhere I go, there is someone there to tell me I have been slotted into some inferior ranking. I’d rather just stay home during vacation time and watch Shark Week. At least, no one is humiliating me.
Class Conflict in American Politics: Equality vs. Individual Freedom
Harari explains the class conflict in American politics. For Democrats, there must be taxes to help raise up the poor and create a more equal America. For Republicans, maximum freedom is minimum taxes so they can spend their money on what they want.
Harari says this contradiction is not a defect but a natural part of any culture.
Three. What cultural disease did the Aztecs discover in the Spaniards?
When the Aztecs questioned Cortes about the Spaniards’ obsession with Gold, Cortes answered, “Because I and my companions suffer from a disease of the heart which can be cured only with gold.”
The love of gold and money was the byproduct of an advanced society. Hunters and gatherers could be barbaric as more advanced societies, but their hearts did not know the disease that longs for money and precious jewels.
Money in advanced societies
Advanced cities were more densely populated. People become successful and distinguished themselves through specialization: making fine wines, olive oil, jewelry, modes of transportation and accessories, fine clothing.
Image became a lifestyle. In advanced societies, we curate our lifestyle to others to achieve status, and this costs money.
The world of barter no longer works in large, densely populated societies. Money becomes the form of exchange.
Money requires no advanced technology but a “mental revolution.” This requires a “new inter-subjective reality that exists solely in people’s shared imagination.”
Advantage of Money in Advanced Societies
Harari writes: “Because money can convert, store and transport wealth easily and cheaply, it made a vital contribution to the appearance of commercial networks and dynamic markets.” In other words, you can transfer and transport money all over the world for various purposes.
Cash Disappearing for Electronic Money
We see in New York Times article that we are getting away from cash and moving toward electronic money.
The Conversation explains how we may turn into a world without cash.
We read in New York Times that in China people use phones to pay for just about everything.
Our Imagination Can be Manipulated by Hype and Notions of “Cool”
Hasan Minhaj, from Netflix’s Patriot Act, explains how marketers hijack our brains to manipulate us into buying hype. A brand that uses hype is Supreme. My daughters are caught up in LOL dolls. The unboxing event becomes an addiction, as we read in The Atlantic.
Foragers living in the jungle did not get manipulated into brand hype or unboxing addiction. Those are afflictions of post-industrial society.
We’ve now created consumer anxieties that never existed before.
Four. Why is money a successful form of currency?
Harari writes that money, whether it be cowry shells or dollars, “have value only in our common imagination.” We have to all agree in our minds that what is designated money is valuable.
People exchange worthless pieces of paper only when “they trust the figments of their collective imagination. Trust is the raw material from which all types of money are minted.” We further read that “Money is accordingly a system of mutual trust, and not just any system of mutual trust: money is the most universal and most efficient system of mutual trust ever devised.”
Bitcoin
If Bitcoin is to survive in the future, then it will survive because masses of people have trust in it. There is an Explained Bitcoin episode on Netflix.
Five. Is money evil?
Harari concedes that money might be evil, or at least the obsession for it. But he also points out that because of universal trust and universal convertibility, money has built bridges between diverse cultures and has bred tolerance. He writes: “Money is the only trust system created by humans that can bridge almost any cultural gap, and that does not discriminate on the basis of religion, gender, reace, age or sexual orientation. Thanks to money, even people who don’t know each other and don’t trust each other can nevertheless cooperate effectively” (186).
Study Questions for 305-349
Chapter 16 The Capitalistic Creed and Chapter 17 The Wheels of Industry
One. Why does Harari claim that the modern economy “has been growing like a hormone-soused teenager”?
He observes that in 1500 the global production was $250 billion. Today it’s around $60 trillion.
Banks grow exponentially through loans because we have trust in the future. He writes, “This trust is the sole backing for most of the money in the world.”
Trust in the future encouraged credit, and credit propelled economic growth on an exponential level.
Having money used to be a zero-sum game in which winners took money from losers, but in a credit economy everyone could join the party of wealth (308, 309).
Trust, and credit, were the first two causes of growing economy.
Then came the Scientific Revolution.
Harari writes: “Over the last 500 years the idea of progress convinced people to put more and more trust in the future. This trust created credit; credit brought real economic growth; and growth strengthened the trust i the future and opened the way for even more credit” (310).
Two. What is Adam Smith’s Greed Is Good Principle?
The richer one becomes the more one is compelled to employ more people thereby bolstering the economy. “By becoming richer, I benefit everyone. Egoism is altruism.”
My getting rich is a “win-win.”
For Smith, wealth was a sign of goodness, thereby making capitalism a religion.
Capitalism is “money, goods, and resources that are invested in production.”
Wealth is an inferior thing to capitalism: Wealth is wasteful extravagance like investing in a “non-productive pyramid.”
Three. Is there evidence that the rich industrialists and techies who are for wealthier than medieval nobility really believe in their Capitalism Is Great credo?
These rich magnates might spew the capitalism creed, but they appear to know the terrifying truth:
For one, wealth is being amassed by a smaller and smaller few: them.
For two, they can see economic disparity and all the world’s geopolitical problems that aren’t being solved are on the verge of blowing up into full-blown apocalypse. We see evidence of this in the tech billionaires who are spending millions reserving luxury condos inside bunkers for the apocalypse.
For three, with few exceptions like Bill Gates, no one, not private enterprise or government, shows faith or trust in helping the poor. There is no investment in poor schools or poor neighborhoods because the rich have dismissed the poor as a lost cause.
Four. Does Harari advocate for the free market?
No, because “avaricious capitalists can establish monopolies or collude against their workforces.”
The free market is rife with evil. For example, “10 million African slaves were imported to America.” There were no government controls on the slave trade.
Look at the rising power of Amazon in Hasan Minhaj’s presentation on Netflix’s Patriot Act.
Five. What is at the heart of the Industrial Revolution?
In a word, energy.
Even today, engineers will tell you, “It’s all about batteries.”
Recognizing Logical Fallacies
Begging the Question
Begging the question assumes that a statement is self-evident when it actually requires proof.
Major Premise: Fulfilling all my major desires is the only way I can be happy.
Minor Premise: I can’t afford when of my greatest desires in life, a Lexus GS350.
Conclusion: Therefore, I can never be happy.
Circular Reasoning
Circular reasoning occurs when we support a statement by restating it in different terms.
Stealing is wrong because it is illegal.
Admitting women into the men’s club is wrong because it’s an invalid policy.
Your essay is woeful because of its egregious construction.
Your boyfriend is hideous because of his heinous characteristics.
I have to sell my car because I’m ready to sell it.
I can’t spend time with my kids because it’s too time-consuming.
I need to spend more money on my presents than my family’s presents because I need bigger and better presents.
I’m a great father because I’m the best father my children have ever had.
Weak Analogy or Faulty Comparison
Analogies are never perfect but they can be powerful. The question is do they have a degree of validity to make them worth the effort.
A toxic relationship is like cancer that gets worse and worse (fine).
Sugar is high-octane fuel to use before your workout (weak because there is nothing high-octane about a substance that causes you to crash and converts into fat and creates other problems)
Free education is a great flame and the masses are moths flying into the flames of destruction. (horribly false analogy)
Ad Hominem Fallacy (Personal Attack)
“Who are you to be a marriage counselor? You’ve been divorced six times?”
A lot of people give great advice and present sound arguments even if they don’t apply their principles to their lives, so we should focus on the argument, not a personal attack.
“So you believe in universal health care, do you? I suppose you’re a communist and you hate America as well.”
Making someone you disagree with an American-hating communist is invalid and doesn’t address the actual argument.
“What do you mean you don’t believe in marriage? What are you, a crazed nihilist, an unrepentant anarchist, an immoral misanthrope, a craven miscreant?”
Straw Man Fallacy
You twist and misconstrue your opponent’s argument to make it look weaker than it is when you refute it. Instead of attacking the real issue, you aim for a weaker issue based on your deliberate misinterpretation of your opponent’s argument.
“Those who are against universal health care are heartless. They obviously don’t care if innocent children die.”
Hasty Generalization (Jumping to a Conclusion)
“I’ve had three English instructors who are middle-aged bald men. Therefore, all English instructors are middle-aged bald men.”
“I’ve met three Americans with false British accents and they were all annoying. Therefore, all Americans, such as Madonna, who contrive British accents are annoying.” Perhaps some Americans do so ironically and as a result are more funny than annoying.
Either/Or Fallacy
There are only two choices to an issue is an over simplification and an either/or fallacy.
“Either you be my girlfriend or you don’t like real men.”
“Either you be my boyfriend or you’re not a real American.”
“Either you play football for me or you’re not a real man.”
“Either you’re for us or against us.” (The enemy of our enemy is our friend is everyday foreign policy.)
“Either you agree with me about increasing the minimum wage, or you’re okay with letting children starve to death.”
“Either you get a 4.0 and get admitted into USC, or you’re only half a man.”
Equivocation
Equivocation occurs when you deliberately twist the meaning of something in order to justify your position.
“You told me the used car you just sold me was in ‘good working condition.’”
“I said ‘good,’ not perfect.”
The seller is equivocating.
“I told you to be in bed by ten.”
“I thought you meant to be home by ten.”
“You told me you were going to pay me the money you owe me on Friday.”
“I didn’t know you meant the whole sum.”
“You told me you were going to take me out on my birthday.”
“Technically speaking, the picnic I made for us in the backyard was a form of ‘going out.’”
Red Herring Fallacy
This fallacy is to throw a distraction in your opponent’s face because you know a distraction may help you win the argument.
“Barack Obama wants us to support him but his father was a Muslim. How can we trust the President on the war against terrorism when he has terrorist ties?”
“You said you were going to pay me my thousand dollars today. Where is it?”
“Dear friend, I’ve been diagnosed with a very serious medical condition. Can we talk about our money issue some other time?”
Slippery Slope Fallacy
We go down a rabbit hole of exaggerated consequences to make our point sound convincing.
“If we allow gay marriage, we’ll have to allow people to marry gorillas.”
“If we allow gay marriage, my marriage to my wife will be disrespected and dishonored.”
Appeal to Authority
Using a celebrity to promote an energy drink doesn’t make this drink effective in increasing performance.
Listening to an actor play a doctor on TV doesn’t make the pharmaceutical he’s promoting safe or effective.
Tradition Fallacy
“We’ve never allowed women into our country club. Why should we start now?”
“Women have always served men. That’s the way it’s been and that’s the way it always should be.”
Misuse of Statistics
Using stats to show causality when it’s a condition of correlation or omitting other facts.
“Ninety-nine percent of people who take this remedy see their cold go away in ten days.” (Colds go away on their own).
“Violent crime from home intruders goes down twenty percent in a home equipped with guns.” (more people in those homes die of accidental shootings or suicides)
Post Hoc, Confusing Causality with Correlation
Taking cold medicine makes your cold go away. Really?
The rooster crows and makes the sun go up. Really?
You drink on a Thursday night and on Friday morning you get an A on your calculus exam. Really?
You stop drinking milk and you feel stronger. Really? (or is it a placebo effect?)
Non Sequitur (It Does Not Follow)
The conclusion in an argument is not relevant to the premises.
Megan drives a BMW, so she must be rich.
McMahon understands the difference between a phrase and a dependent clause; therefore, he must be a genius.
Whenever I eat chocolate cake, I feel good. Therefore, chocolate cake must be good for me.
Bandwagon Fallacy
Because everyone believes something, it must be right.
“You can steal a little at work. Everyone else does.”
“In Paris, ninety-nine percent of all husbands have a secret mistress. Therefore adultery is not immoral.”
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