One. Ambition, Faustian Bargain, envy (Moldova); the need to strike a pose; Pascal and the need to make others think you're something on the outside when you're nothing on the inside. The psychology of a cipher. Walter Kirn's parallels to Clark. And their differences, including Kirn's appreciation for self-deprecating irony.
Two. Symbiosis, enabling, willed ignorance, collaborating; Kirn's deeper motivations including egotism
Three. Archetype of the Trickster and society's collaboration
Four. The psychology of a sociopath who uses words to gain advantage over others. The Sociopath Next Door.
Five. Lawyers are tricksters spinning the truth. The world of BS according to Harry Frankfurt's On Bullshit. It's ironic that the impostor is tried in a court in which trickery is rewarded. An lecture on BS could take an entire class
Six. Determinism, free will, Sam Harris' book about the subject
Seven. Kirn's parallels with Dexter Green (see essay options) and the pursuit of a chimera. The students will compare the two characters.
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