PULSE Midterm

Burnett- “Fracking Our Attention”

• student’s are not paying attention due to decreasing attention spans which hinders essential forms of study to the liberal arts. (ex: looking at art, reading, having discussions)

• attention span: approx 47 seconds

• How to fix this issue: “require attention to attention, and dedicated spaces to learn (or relearn) the powers of this

  precious faculty”. Essentially in classrooms teachers should implement strategies to rebuild attention spans.

  • Ex: one teacher has students go outside and observe their neighborhood without any phones, each student writes down what they see, after the students observe they then have a discussion to talk about their observations. The results of this were “miraculous”: students found common ground, had a collective sense that “the world is ours”

• This issue also affects democracy because people NEED to be educated/literate to maintain democracy so people can critically think if the government becomes corrupt.

Weil- “Reflections on the Right 'Use

of School Studies with a View

to the Love of God”

• Christian prayer consists of attention

  • quality of prayer = quality of attention 

• “The development of the faculty of attention forms the real object and almost the sole interest of studies”; essentially schoolwork teaches you how to be attentive in all aspects of your life including how to pray (which is the most important). 

• “All tasks that really call upon the power of attention are interesting for the same reason and to an almost equal degree”; in other words, students in school should try to enjoy ALL subjects because every subjects helps them learn how to be attentive during prayer with God. 

  • For example, if a student struggles with geometry, it can be seen as an advantage as the person solving a problem is giving effort and attention to a subject when it is difficult and is therefore still learning how to be attentive towards God.  

• All efforts of our attention will one day bring light to the soul, even if it takes a while, therefore: “students must therefore work without any wish to gain good marks, to pass examinations, to win school successes; without any reference to their natural abilities and tastes; applying themselves equally to all their tasks, with the idea that each one will help to form in them the habit of that attention which is the substance of prayer”.

Sample Test Question On Attention: “How does contemporary society try to hijack our attention? What is it important to be attentive to ourselves, our neighbors and our environment? How has your PULSE experience helped in cultivating your mindfulness? Why is a liberal arts education important for being mindful?”

• In a world of growing technology, students are suffering decreasing attention spans. Studies have shown that students have an average attention span of only 47 seconds. This is caused due to the multitude of various media that can be consumed on electronic devices.

• From a christian standpoint, being attentive is essential for a relationship with God according to Weil. The quality of a prayer is contingent to the quality of attention you spend on said prayer. All education should be seen as a way for you to cultivate that attentiveness. For example, if you struggle with a subject but still give true and genuine effort, it does not matter if you get the question wrong because you learned how to be more attentive which will help you become a better christian.

• From a non christian standpoint, it is paramount to be attentive to ourselves, our neighbors, and environment. When you put distractions away and observe the world around you, it is easier to create common ground with those around you. In a liberal arts education setting, being attentive helps cultivate skills such as observation, looking at art, reading and being present during discussions. Attention is also essential to democracy. People need to be educated and/or literate in order for democracy to flourish. This is because society needs to be able to think critically in the event a government becomes corrupt and begins to spread propaganda.

• In PULSE we begin every class with a mindfulness activity. I have noticed that many more students arrive to class on time or even early so they do not interrupt these mindfulness sessions. These mindfulness sessions have continued to help me continue to learn how compartmentalize in not only my time at pulse but in all areas of my life. Learning how to be mindful in all of my activities has been a very important aspect to my life. In 8th grade, I played for a competitive JO volleyball team. With a bunch of middle school girls, there was a lot of times where when we should have been practicing we were talking about drama with friends and stressors about graduating middle school and going into high school. One day, my coach decided to sit us down and give us advice her old volleyball coach (Bojan), who was also our club director, gave her. She told us that “when Bojan was my high school coach he told us something that really made me mad in the moment but really changed how I viewed my life. He sat us down one day and said “when you’re at volleyball, you think about volleyball only. I don’t want you thinking about boys or homework assignments; when you’re at school think about homework and when you’re hanging out with your friends talk about boys””. Our coach explained that it was important to put your effort and attention to the thing you are doing rather than thinking about other things. This life lesson has always been very important to me and while I do not always give 100% attention to the thing I am doing at all times, I have noticed that when volunteering for my community partener I have been able to consistently give my best effort. 

Arrupe- “Men and Women For Others” 

• critiqued jesuit education because he believed that graduates from Jesuit institutions “had not been properly educated to participate “in the promotion of justice and the liberation of

  the oppressed””.

• stressed the importance of forming students to put others first 

• faith goes with justice!!!

  • JESUS, Calls us to love our neighbor and preached the Kingdom of God which involves a code of ethics that stresses the importance of love and charity

Kolvenbach- “THE SERVICE OF FAITH AND THE PROMOTION OF JUSTICE IN AMERICAN JESUIT HIGHER EDUCATION”

• A time where Jesuit schools are open to men and women and are led by lay (not religious) people and women.

• Stressed the importance of putting jesuit teachings into action 

  • Guest Speaker Father Burgaleta SJ uses Matthew 25:25 to justify this approach. Matthew 25:25 teaches us that individuals are responsible for using the gifts and abilities God has given them to grow and serve

  • For service learning: when you encounter the injustice other people face, you are more inclined to fight those injustices

Sample Test Question: In dialogue with Arrupe and Kolvenbach, what does the Jesuit mission of forming students to be men and women for and with others entail? How does PULSE try to realize this mission?

Arrupe: It is important that Jesuit institutions properly prepare its graduates to be men and women for others. Arrupe in his writings felt like jesuit colleges and universities had not properly prepared graduates to do this. Jesuit education should propose, not impose, to its students that faith goes with justice. Additionally Arrupe stresses the importance that jesuit education should stress the importance of putting others first. This is because Jesus calls on us to love our neighbor and follow the kingdom of God which implores us to act with love and charity.

Kolvenbach: Writes about Jesuit Education in a more contemporary time; schools are now co-ed and universities can be governed by women and lay people. Kolvenbach stresses the importance of jesuit education urging students to use the teachings of the jesuit mission they learn at school into action in the real world. In discussing Kolvenbach’s “THE SERVICE OF FAITH AND THE PROMOTION OF JUSTICE IN AMERICAN JESUIT HIGHER EDUCATION” Father Burgaleta SJ mentions how Matthew 25:25 is a bible verse that can be used as an argument for Kolvenbach’s beliefs as Matthew 25:25 teaches us that individuals are responsible for using the gifts and abilities God has given them to grow and serve.  

In PULSE: Service learning is essential to the Jesuit mission to be a person for others. When encountering the injustices a different person faces, the lessons you learn are crucial to your formation to be a person for others. You gain empathy and learn how to acknowledge the humanity in others. You are also more likely to want to fight the injustices you witness which can serve as a catalyst for using the lessons you have learned during your time at a Jesuit school into a means to ridding those injustices. In PULSE students are spending 12 hours a week being exposed to social injustices, and we are encouraged to read the Boston Globe to learn even more about broader social issues that impact our community partners, and use practical skills we have learned into aiding our partners. From personal experience in volunteering, I have learned about many social issues in Boston that do not pose a problem in my hometown. I was able to give a presentation on the alarming rates of chronic absenteeism in Boston. Some are the causes are specific to Boston because kids are taking public transportation independently. This issue does not affect my hometown in Ohio because parents either drive kids to school or there are district bus systems where bus drivers can keep an eye on students who are absent. I have also been able to use some of the lessons I have learned at BC to aid my community partener, CHS. Ex: public speaking skills 

Young- “Five Faces Of Oppression”

Umbrella definition of structural oppression: designates the disadvantage and injustice some people suffer not because of a tyrannical power coerces them, but because of the everyday practices of a well intentioned liberal society.

Social group: shared: identity, culture, sense of belonging, life experience; forged or thrust upon us

Association: voluntary group you join ex: “BC marketing club”

Aggregate: an attribute that one cannot control and does not form a person’s identity. ex: hair color

The Five Faces of Oppression:

1) Exploitation: When one group works for another group without adequate compensation

• Ex: a contractor vs construction worker’s salary 

2) Powerlessness: Lack of agency/autonomy over life choices 

3) Marginalization: groups excluded from the workforce (day to day society

• Ex: To fight “marginalization” BC has a supportive employment program to give jobs to people who are typically marginalized from society such as people with an intellectual disability. 

4) Cultural Imperialism: Involves the universalization of a dominant group’s experience and culture and its establishment as the norm. Essentially: stereotypes create what’s normative 

• For example: Historically white, straight men have been the dominant group in US culture and politics. Typically this group of people has the power to attribute harmful stereotypes to a minority community and those stereotypes become the typical way we view a group. Ex- “all women should be mothers”

• Cultural encounter fights those stereotypes

5) Violence: Members of some groups live with the knowledge that they must fear random, unprovoked attacks on their person or property. The motive of these irrational acts of violence are to dehumanize the person who is a part of the minority group. 

Remen: Fixing, Helping, Serving 

Helping: see life as weak, sees others are weaker and needier than the helper, you become aware of your own strength 

Fixing: see life as broken, see others as broken and respond to this perception with our expertise, you trust your own expertise but may not see other’s wholeness 

Both Helping and Fixing: draining, works of the ego, NOT a relationship between equals

Serving: see life as whole, a work of the soul, sees the wholeness in others, makes us awareness of our wholeness, renewing, creates connections 

Many of the community members that PULSE partners serve experience oppression. What is structural oppression and how is it manifest (5 faces of oppression)? Based on your experiences, what faces of oppression are addressed by your community partner and in what ways?

• Structural oppression is when a certain social group suffers disadvantages and injustices, not because of a tyrannical power coerces them, but because of the everyday practices of a well intentioned liberal society. In Young’s “Five Faces of Oppression” structural oppression can manifest in five different ways: Exploitation, Powerlessness, Marginalization, Cultural Imperialism, and Violence. Exploitation is when one group works for another group without adequate compensation. Powerlessness is the lack of agency or autonomy marginalized groups have over life choices. Marginalization is where groups are excluded from the workforce and other day to day activities. Cultural Imperialism is where minority groups suffer from harmful stereotypes attributed to them by a dominant social group. Lastly, Violence is defined as the awareness some minority groups have that due to their identity they could be a victim of an irrational act of violence. 

• I am serving for Cathedral High School (CHS), a 7-12th grade Catholic School in the Southend In Boston. While on the outside the school may look like a private school full of affluent students, all students receive at least 50% off of tuituition.

• At CHS 97% of the student body identify as people of color. The CHS student body are more likely to be victims of Cultural Imperialism because they are a part of minority social groups. While the CHS community is extremely inclusive so students do not have to suffer from these harmful stereotypes, I am aware they likely have to face other’s stereotypes towards them. As a volunteer myself who is aware of potential stereotypes that harm the CHS community, I am sure to recognize if my implicit biases were to ever impact my serving.   

• When choosing where to attend college, finances are a determining factor for students. Instead of choosing a college that may be "higher ranked” or has more prestige but gives less financial aid than a "lower ranked university” CHS students will likely choose the better financial option. This is not unique to just CHS students, many high school seniors who are choosing to enroll in colleges based on the amount of tuition they have to pay. This is an example of powerlessness in society because the students’ autonomy to choose where to attend university is hindered by the amount of money they have.   

Burial At Thebes 

Antigone has obligations to 

1) Her Family 

2) The Polis 

3) The Gods 

In the novel, Antigone prioritizes her obligation to the Gods 

Ismine: 

At first does not want to bury her brother due to her obligations to the polis and gendered obligation to obey men. When Antigone is set to be killed, Ismine wants to die with her but Antigone refuses because Ismine cannot have stolen honor. 

Creon: 

• The King 

• Believes that obligation to the country is greater than the obligation of family 

• Actively defies the will of the Gods and is punished after 

Haemon: 

• Son of Creon, future husband to Antigone 

• Question of obedience: should he obey his father or wife? 

• Claiming he speaks on behalf of Thebans when confronting his father 

• Believes that a true ruler: seeks the truth and is willing to change his mind 

Tireas: 

• Spokesperson for the gods (morality)

• Tells Creon that burying the dead is the will of the gods therefore Creon is wrong for not letting Polyneices be buried 

• Creon accuses Tiresias of accepting bribes and is unaccepting to take his advice 

The Role of the Government:

• Should help the common good 

• MUST BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GODS 

Law and Justice: 

• The law is used as a tool to enact justice but law does not always succeed in enacting justice 

• Law is a tool, Justice is an ideal 

• According to “The Burial At Thebes” there is a difference between a just and unjust law 

• Just law: human law in accord with divine law 

• Unjust law: Human Law in which divine law is defied 

The Role of the chorus: 

• Theban elders 

• Represents standard wisdom, societal values, traditional wisdom, the polis 

• Believes the primary obligation is to follow the Gods (shifts from the beginning of the novel where they said it was important to follow Creon)

Sample Test Question: Discuss Creon’s edict regarding Eteocles and Polyneices. Discuss Antigone’s response in relation to Augustine’s distinction between eternal and temporal laws. In your assessment, what takes priority, duty to the gods, duty to the city(country), or duty to family?

• Eteocles and Polynices are both Antigone’s brothers. Eteocles and Polynices both fought in war. While Eteocles died in battle defending the polis, Polyneices died as a traitor. Creon declared that Eteocles will be buried honorably, however; because Polynices betrayed the polis he was not to be buried.

• Antigone defied the law of the polis by burying her brother due to her obligation to the Gods. Augustine defines eternal laws as divine laws (laws made by God) that stay forever, temporal laws are laws enacted by the government that should be in accordance to the eternal law. According to Augustine, if temporal laws are not in accordance with the eternal law, that law should be broken. Because burying the dead is the will of the Gods and Creon’s declaration to not bury Polyneices directly defies eternal law, Antigone was justified to bury Polyneices and break temporal law.

• In my assessment, one should prioritize duty to the Gods. If temporal laws are in conjunction with the will of the Gods, by prioritizing duty to the Gods you will also prioritize the city. Additionally if temporal laws do not follow eternal laws, morally, it would be justified to break those laws. For example, many key people in the Civil Rights Movement such as Martin Luther King Junior and Rosa Parks broke “temporal laws” in order to advocate for a more just society. By bravely defying those temporal laws, new temporal laws were created and society was improved. Additionally by prioritizing the will of the Gods, familial obligations would also be prioritized (in an ideal world). For example by following eternal law and burying her brother, Antigone fulfilled her familial obligations. Lastly when Creon defied the Gods, he lost his entire family. Those two instances are another reason why on should prioritize duty to the Gods.

Sample Test Question: What is Ismene’s advice to Antigone regarding the latter’s desire to bury their brother; why? What is the reason behind her argument? Does she change her position?

• Ismene originally councils antigone to not bury their brother. She gives this advice because of her beliefs that the obligation to the polis and gendered obligation to obey men outweigh the obligation to bury their brother. 

• Once Creon threatens to kill Antigone, Ismene changes her mind and wants to die with Antigone. 

Plato’s Republic 

Justice According to: 

Polemarchus: to give to each what is owed to him 

Thrasymachus: Justice is in the interest of the stronger 

Glaucon: justice is a compromise that individuals agree to for self interested reasons, to prevent the worse outcome of suffering injustice themselves/ as seen in the ring of gyges: if people are given the ring they will act in a corrupt manner no matter what bc perfect injustice is more gainful than perfect justice but suffering from injustice is worse than being just  

Socrates: Justice leads to the happiness of the soul, justice is the soul ruling wisely 

Justice occurs: when all three parts of the soul are balanced (Rational, Irascible, and Appetitive) 

Justice in the polis occurs when all 3 groups are doing their jobs 

1) Gold, philosopher king, those who excel in wisdom and should rule 

2) Silver, guardians, those who excel in courage, should not have money 

3) Bronze, those who excel in temperance, money makers, commerce 

Plato’s view on education and wisdom

Education of children should be the responsibility of the polis

Goal of education: to see the world rightly

Education is a coercive process, it is difficult to escape ignorance (and people often want to stay in ignorance)

Contemplation is the process of intellectual and philosophical inquiry that leads to wisdom

Udyana: Goal of life is happiness

Udyana for Plato: anyone who reaches contemplation can achieve happiness

For Aristotle there are requirements for Udyana:

• Virtuous (believes men only can be virtuous)

• Friendship (cannot be by ourselves and be happy)

• Breeding (need to come from a good upbringing)

• Attractive

• Needs money (money provides leisure to engage in “freeing”(liberal) arts that prepares you for politics (a chief good)

Aristotle

Defines virtue as:

• a golden mean between extremes (excess and deficiency)

• being virtuous means: choosing the right thing, knowing the right thing, and gaining pleasure from doing the right thing

• If you have one virtue, you have them all (unity of the virtues)

• Cardinal Values: Justice, temperance, prudence, and courage

Citizens:

• only citizens (determined by the constitution) can benefit from the common good

Types of people:

• Virtuous: knows the right thing, chooses the right thing, gets pleasure from doing the right thing

• Continent: knows the right thing, chooses the right thing, does not get pleasure from doing the right thing

• Incontinent: knows the right thing, tries to do the right thing and fail

• Viscous: doesn’t even try to do the right thing

View of justice

• To give like things to like people

Friendship: In general is willing the good to another for their own sake (not your own)

• must be a relationship of EQUALITY (ex: wealth is a stumbling block of friendship)

Types of friendship:

• Pleasure: “Shared enjoyment of an activity or common interest”

• Useful: “A mutual benefit or use”

• Virtuous: pursue the good life, useful and pleasure

Types of love: 

• Philia: family love 

• Eros: pleasurable love 

• Agape: unconditional love, almost self-sacrificial 

The Constitution: 

• Perverse vs True Constitution 

  • The One: Kings (TC), Tyrany (P)

  • The Few: Aristocracy (TC), Oligarchy (P)

  • The Many: Polity (T)— requires a strong middle class—, democracy (P) — believes democracy is rule of the poor—

• Believes the best form of Gov is a kingship but the most preferred form of government is polity

• Liberal arts —> good politics

• Government is for the common good

Do you agree with Aristotle that friendship is necessary for human flourishing? Explain your answer by discussing types of friendship and why you feel they are/not necessary.

In my opinion friendships are necessary for human flourishing. Due to personal experience I have seen the devastating effects of what happens to people when they do not have friendships. In the COVID-19 pandemic when people were isolated from others, many people’s mental health plumented. For me personally, virtual connection to my friends such as weekly “lunch table zoom meetings”  where my friends and I would eat lunch together over zoom and virtual “sleepovers” where my parents would let me call my friends late at night as if it were a sleepover, made the pandemic much more bearable. It also helped me flourish when I was grieving the loss of my great grandmother and upset over losing certain things due to COVID-19 such as not being able to go on a class trip.  According to aristotle, since friendships are a relationship between equals the support system I had at home that also helped me with these issues are not considered to be friendship but rather Philia (family love). I believe that having all three types of friendship together are essential to flourishing as a human being.

Useful friendships are essential to navigating the practical aspects of life.  Useful friendships are a relationship between equals that each give the other mutual benefit or use. For example in college, I have had many “class friends” where we sit next to each other in class and study together but when the class ends we lose contact. This helps me flourish as a human being in academic settings because I know I can rely on somebody if I miss class due to being sick. Only having these types of friendships however, can be detrimental to flourishing as a human because if you only befriend people who will stop being friends with you once there is no longer a practical use, you will not have very many lasting friendships and support system. 

Pleasurable friendships are crucial for the “fun” aspects of life. According to Aristotle pleasurable friendships are friendships based on shared enjoyment of an activity or common interest. For example I have many college friends who share similar interests to me. Pleasurable friendships help combat isolation because people can participate in activities they find pleasure in together. 

The last type of friendship is very rare to find but truly helps you flourish as a person. Virtuous friendships are where friendships are not only useful and pleasurable but also pursue the good life. Out of the category of friendships, I have a comparatively small number of virtuous friendships than useful or pleasurable friendships. Virtuous friendships to me are vital to flourishing as a human being because I know I can count on them to have my back at all times and be someone I can also have fun doing things with. 

Sample Test Question: In dialogue with Plato and Aristotle, what is wisdom and how is it acquired? What does learning look like to these thinkers? How would you relate their ideas to the role of a liberal arts university such as Boston College?

• Plato’s view of wisdom and learning:

  • Edu: goal to see the world rightly

  • anyone can be educated and reach contemplation

  • Wisdom is achieved through contemplation

• Aristotle’s view of wisdom and learning:

  • Not everyone can be educated 

  • Liberal arts are considered to be freeing arts which help train you to be good at politics (the chief good) 

• Role of a liberal arts university:

  • Edu can be a coercive process according to Plato, it requires us to go out of our comfort zone. BC core curriculum can be seen as a way to get students to challenge themselves in their education. Instead of only studying what we know how to do and what we are good at, the core curriculum has us study a multitude of different subjects. Sometimes students deeply benefit from being forced to take certain classes as they realize they love taking these kinds of classes and then choose to further pursue that topic.

  • Liberal arts according to aristotle are essential to learning how to be a good politician. In modern context, being educated and having critical thinking skills are essential to maintaining democracy. Boston College’s liberal arts programs teaches students how to be round-minded and critical thinkers. 

Sample test question: In dialogue with two-three of the thinkers we have examined, what is the relationship between being happy and being moral? Can one be both? Can one be immoral and happy?

Sample Test Question: Are external goods necessary for happiness? Compare and contrast Plato’s and Aristotle’s perspectives toward

temporal goods: Ultimately, what is your position on the subject?

• External goods = factors that contribute to happiness

In dialogue with Sophocles, what is the relationship between law and morality? Are there different types of laws? What takes precedence?

• SOPHOCLES: Wrote the original tragedy of Antigone

• Law is there to enact justice but is not successful

• Laws should serve the common good

• Law is a tool, Justice is the ideal

• There are two types of laws Unjust and just laws. Unjust laws are human laws that are not in accordance with divine law. Just laws are are human laws that are in accordance with divine law.

• Just law is seen as moral law.

• Just laws should take precedent

Boethius- “The Consolation of Philosophy” 

• The evil we suffer is because of bad fortune, not because of God’s punishment 

• False Philosophy: false ways of handling feelings

  •  Poetry —> leads to wallowing

  • Epicureans —> using pleasure to distract from feeling

  • Stoics —> not responding to outside world

• Unhappiness is a cause of looking for false goods

• Fortune = things that happen to you by chance that either positively or negatively impacts you

• True happiness comes from God (bc it cannot be taken away from you)

• False happiness is when you seek lesser (perishable goods) goods and are at the whim of fortune

• Evil = privation of something that should be there

• All things that exist to the extent they exist are good

• Pure evil cannot exist, true hell is nothingness

• Evil is not a thing but a lack

• How to be happy: embrace good fortune when it comes, but turn inward and find God

Augustine 

• Why do humans suffer: the evil we suffer is God’s just punishment which means you did something to deserve it 

• What is sin: not the act, not the object, but THE INTENTION 

  • Sin is disordered desire —> passion

    •  ex: the act of adultery (sex) is not the sin but the lust and desire during adultery is the sin

• Eternal law is divine law, Temporal law is human law; a temporal law may not always be moral

• Happiness is living according to good will

• Good will: will that acts rightfully, virtuous in accordance with wisdom, makes you free

• Cardinal virtues: prudence (the knowledge to seek good and avoid evil), temperance (ability to control desire and passion), fortitude (ability to do what is difficult), and justice

Sample Test Question: In dialogue with two of the thinkers we have explored this semester, what is our obligation to society and promoting the common good?

Sample Test Question: Compare and contrast Boethius’ and Augustine’s understanding of evil and human suffering. What is evil, from whence does it come, and what is its cause? How would you explain the problem of evil?

Sample Test Question: in dialogue with Boethius and Augustine, what is the relationship between law and morality? Are there different types of laws? What takes precedence?

• UMMMM WHEN DID WE TALK ABOUT LAWS WITH BOETHIUS 

• Augustine: eternal vs temporal law, not all temporal laws are moral 

Sample Test Questions: Are temporal goods/goods of fortune necessary for happiness? Compare and contrast Boethius, and Augustine. Ultimately, what is your position on the subject?

• Both think temporal goods are not necessary for happiness

• Augustine: happiness is living with accordance to good will. Good will is will that acts righteously and virtuously in accordance with wisdom. Good will is the most freeing choice one can make and sins, disordered desires, are the main enemy of good will.

• Boethius: God is the one true source of happiness. Temporal goods are NOT sources of true happiness because it is temporary and can be taken away from you at any moment.

• My view: With the definition of happiness we discussed in class where happiness is defined as a disposition and end goal, I agree with Boethius and Augustine. As a Catholic, I believe that when I center towards God, I feel like I am able to feel a constant source of happiness. Blah Blah Blah