Monday, November 14, 2011

Ethics and Science-Fiction

Ursula K. Leguin created the short story "Those That Walked Away from Omelas" that we utilized in our initial study of utilitarianism. While science-fiction is often used to teach students about ethical dilemmas, both contemporary and imagined, it is rarely done with such poignant appeal to human emotions. For those that might have enjoyed the taste of Leguin's work they received in class, I encourage you to look deeper into her contributions to literature and subsequently ethics. You might find surprises such as a connection to Academy Award winning animation studio Ghibli...

Did reading Leguin's short story inspire any of you to change the way you live your life or the way you feel about a current events issue?


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1 comment:

  1. Ms. MountainNovember 15, 2011 at 9:58 PM

    Mr. Hindman,
    Sorry I'm so late commenting! While this story is a bit fuzzy in my memory, I do feel it speaks directly to the current Occupy Wall Street protests. People around the world are voicing their dismay with the rich people who revel in wealth while many suffer in poverty. The 1% have the power to part with some of their wealth to help others instead of ignoring the suffering, much like the majority of people in Omelas. They can choose to walk away from their elite lives to a new world that is quite unimaginable.

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