Integrating Value Today

I apologize for the late post. How many of you noticed??

This will be our last discussion of the semester. I think it is a good time to think about what you think is the integrating value of our current cultural matrix--ours, of 2008. What do you think is the main value of our culture, not ourselves individually? Why?

Thanks for a great class and a great discussion.

What does the Magna Carta Mean to Us?

We did some of this in class, but I'd like you to make this a little more personal. What values do you see expressed by the Magna Carta (either version) that suggest Divided Loyalty? Which of those values do you personally find the most important in living in a democracy?

From Unified Loyalty to the Individual

What is the potential of valuing the individual? What is the danger?

Unity Today

Do you think that our culture still values Unity--and the values associated with the Roman idea of Unity: gravitas, pietas, simplicitas, virtus? What evidence can you cite to support your claim?

Take the Week Off

Honestly, I thought our class discussion so good yesterday that I flat out can't think of anything to ask you! We will pick up the discussion next week!

Oedipus and the Inquiry into Perfection

From what you know about Oedipus now, and what you will know when you finish the play, how do you think the Greeks dealt with the role of Fate in the the human inquiry into perfection? In other words, how much can/could humanity actually do to achieve Beauty, Truth, Freedom, etc. alone?

Inquiry Into Perfection

How do you see the values associated with the value system integrated by the Greek notion of "Inquiry into Perfection" in our culture today? Are those values still valid?

Making New or Keep Old Connections

We have had very good class discussion of how Hector, Achilles, and Ulysses valued connections--old and new. Many of you defended Ulysses' view of connections--to his men, to home, to honor--very well in your homework. What we haven't done, as a class, although some of you have done so on you values-analysis essays, is discuss if you think current culture values connections, both keeping old ones and making new ones. How important is that to us today?

Hector v. Achilles

Who do you think is more heroic, Hector or Achilles, and why? Feel free to use references from Books 6 and 9 of the Iliad and from the movie, Troy. It might be interesting so see how close the Achilles of Troy is to the Achilles we read about in Book 9.

Heroes Today

I’m convinced that heroes exist today but I think the definition of a hero has somehow been tainted. A hero doesn’t necessarily have to be Spiderman, but a hero can be an ordinary person, like a mother that puts her children before herself, a fireman on 9/11, or a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who had a dream. Coming from a mother of two I believe it’s important that the future generation understands that a hero is far more than super powers but a person who is a leader, selfless, and has courage.

I Need a Hero

We have talked this last week about mythological and classical heroes. We also sort of outlined the definition of a hero in myth and classical literature. Do you think we still need heroes (in the psychological-social sense rather than literally) today? What does it take to be a hero now--they aren't usually divine, for example? What does that say about what we value in our society, or how we see ourselves?

I need to warn you that I will usually ask a series of questions. They aren't really separate questions that need totally separate answers. The series of questions is my way of attempting to clarify the topic, in this case "do we need heroes."

Order Today

Order is definitely a value that society holds dear today. One example on the macro-level would be our government. Our government is set up to make society orderly by making sure that power is evenly dispersed. There is the power of the people and then the power of the government and bureaucracy. Checks and balances are set in place so that one particular entity has too much power. Another example of "order" would be law enforcement e.g. police, constables, sheriffs and the judicial systems. These institutions were created specifically so that there would be order and justice (another value that complements order). If we didn't have these positions and systems then we would have no order.

Is Order a Value Today?

Welcome to the blog discussion. I hope you will find this as useful as other classes have in the past. This is your chance to explore and exchange ideas with your classmates outside the boundaries (and limitations) of the classroom.

We haven't taken the time in class yet to discuss whether or not you feel that Order, the Integrating Value of the AMCM, is still a value in contemporary society. Do you think it is? Make sure you use specific examples to support your view.