[Hac-announce] Conversations: September 3, 2011, 2:30pm.

[L.M.C. Harvey]

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Hello
Everyone from Cynthia Harvey,  Conversations Coordinator 




Much argument among many people seems,
to me, to be devoted to defending against ideas that those people
feel threatens some practice, such as marriage, or institution, such
as organized religion, that supports their identity, their very sense
of self.  What happens when one loyalty conflicts with another? No
wonder people fight so hard! 




What
part of our present identities have we derived from humanism?  -- or
our ideas about what humanism is?  Are there some pillars of humanism
that are active in our present world?  From time to time I would like
to return to these questions in our conversations.  




This
month we'll look at another of Michael Sandel's lectures on justice
which considers various historical ideas about how to define
principles of justice and offers discussion about applying those
concepts to contemporary issues.  This lecture, #11, considers the
potential for conflict between individual and communal identities. 
The following quote and those below are from notes on the
justiceharvard.org
site.  "We inherit our past, and our identities, from our
family, city, or country. But what happens if our obligations to our
family or community come into conflict with our universal obligations
to humanity?"




"Part
1 – THE CLAIMS OF COMMUNITY
Communitarians
argue that, in addition to voluntary and universal duties, we also
have obligations of membership, solidarity, and loyalty. These
obligations are not necessarily based on consent. We inherit our
past, and our identities, from our family, city, or country. But what
happens if our obligations to our family or community come into
conflict with our universal obligations to humanity?
Part 2 – WHERE OUR LOYALTY LIES
Do we owe
more to our fellow citizens that to citizens of other countries? Is
patriotism a virtue, or a prejudice for one’s own kind? If our
identities are defined by the particular communities we inhabit, what
becomes of universal human rights?"


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