Kevin Turnbull

GHUM 102: God, Meaning, and Morality

Final Exam
1. Consider Socrates. For what truth, if any, would you be willing to become a
martyr?- In order to answer this question through the lens of Socrates, we have to
examine the manner of his death, and what he died for. Socrates was brought to
trial, found guilty of refusing to recognize the gods recognized by the
state and of corrupting the youth, and sentenced to death because of it.
Before even beginning to answer this, one must then determine if this makes
Socrates a martyr. After reading Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo, we as
the reader know that it was Socrates teachings that brought these charges about.
Some would argue that this makes him a martyr, for sticking to his guns and dying
for what he believes. Others would say this simply makes Socrates a fool for
letting himself be killed so easily by the state. However it does bring to light the
question about martyrdom in modern day, and what it would mean. In todays
modern age, the people have never had a louder voice, and its never been more
ignored by those above them. So then it becomes a question of are you willing to
become and example, or are you happy just influencing those around you. So long
story short, Id say that there really isnt much of anything Id be ready to die for.
I feel like you can make enough of an impact through positive teachings and
speaking to make a difference. However, just to entertain the notion, if I could see
myself becoming a martyr for one thing, I think it would be making sure that in
the eyes of the government and the law, all people become equal. While Jim Crow
and racism defended by the law is no longer an issue, we still have many laws, or

lack thereof, that fail to protect the LGBT community in todays society. With no
federal amendment to protect gay marriage, very little legislation to protect
transgender people, we live in a world where you can only feel 100% safe and
comfortable being yourself, and still be protected by the law, if you are a
heterosexual cisgender man or woman. One could argue that the current system
also fails to protect those of different races, however since there are protective
anti-discrimination laws for people regarding race, its harder to make a case for
that. So I think Id say thats the one thing Id die to make an example for. I
would, in theory, die to make a case for anti-discrimination legislation, on a
federal and universal level, to also encompass all sexual orientations and gender
identities. However, like I said, I believe that a lot more can be accomplished
through talking and teaching and spreading ideas around the masses of people,
and getting people on your side, and standing up to the establishment through the
power of numbers rather than the power of martyrdom.
2. Are Facebook, Twitter, etc., bullshit?- Although the millennial generation would
be quick to hop and defend their various forms of social media, Frankfurt would
definitely consider them to be bullshit. The biggest reason is that about 90% or so
of content on these websites is nothing but, by definition, bullshit. Bullshit, or
humbug, is deceptive misrepresentation, short of lying, especially by
pretentious word or deed, of somebodys own thoughts, feelings, or attitudes
(Frankfurt 6). Not that the bullshitter is intentionally misleading or malicious, but
that he simply just spouts superfluous and inflamed words without any regard to
their truth value. All one has to do to see this on Facebook is go on and look at

their friends posts amid any sort of social controversy. For instance, with the
recent tensions in Ferguson, social media is buzzing with all sorts of sentiments,
defending Mike Brown, defending Darren Wilson, defaming the justice system,
berating the police, berating each other. Its just a giant crock of, well, bullshit. No
one really knows what theyre talking about. Theyre fueled by emotions, media
misrepresentation, and peer pressure to fall into their friends opinions, or go
against them. For every 20 or so posts about the issue, 1 person, maybe 2, will be
able to provide any research or fact to back their claim. Though that is only one
instance of bullshit, the principle applies across the board, and across all social
media networks. People act on what they read with little time or care invested in
researching their arguments. And that is what bullshit is. Just flying off the handle
and writing a novel about ones feelings, without any investigation into their truth,
or lack thereof.
3. Is Mersault a hero or an anti-hero?- Although one could argue that Mersault was a
hero, because he set out to prove that life was meaningless except for material
things and succeeded in doing so, by all other definitions of Hero, Mersault
falls woefully short of receiving such a classification. Perhaps the biggest tell for
this is when he says he opened himself to the gentle indifference of the world
(Camus 122). A hero is passionate and virtuous and valiant. Nothing about a
heros life ever feels indifferent. The entire novel is centered around themes
such as the dominance of materialism and the meaninglessness of human
existence. While it is certainly possible to write a story in which a hero can
prevail through these things, The Stranger does the opposite. In it, a woefully

callous man is dragged into a murder, and emerges on the other side of the ordeal
not much changed at all. Although he has begun to see the world as something
else, it is not a positive change he goes through. Though the book has a profound
impact on its readers, the events contained in the text do nothing to change the
world of Mersault, and Mersault does nothing to change the events either. His
callous indifference, much as he sees the world, is what makes him an anti-hero.
4. Using a true experience of suffering (either your own or someone close to you),
does Dillard offer anything constructive for dealing with suffering?- For me,
perhaps the most poignant piece of constructive advice Dillard has to offer
regarding suffering is that it is Gods Art, and therefore results in beauty.
Though I am not religious, or even spiritual, I could see how it would be
comforting to think that ones misery or misfortune is going to work out for them
in the end. Similar to how a caterpillar still struggle. As it forms a chrysalis, or a
cocoon for a moth, it struggles to emerge from it. If it were to be cut out of its
casing, sure it would be free from its suffering, but it would never be able to
function on its on, because it is too weak. Nature, or the Universe, or God if
youre so inclined, forces it to struggle, because when the struggle is over, the
butterfly (or moth) will be able to fly and soar through the world with relative
ease. Dillard presents the same case for human suffering. Without some sort of
struggle, humans are weak, and would be unable to face the challenges of the
world. However, suffering is, in her eyes, Gods way of allowing us to become
stronger and able to take on the challenges of the world. For me, this was most
apparent last year, when I had mono. I got mono right around Thanksgiving, and

was sick the entire holiday season. Being a performer, I of course had show after
show after concert after show all through the month of December. I had to push
through as many as I could, being as sick as I was. Doing so enabled me to push
my limits, up my endurance, and realize that sometimes being a little tired is ok.
That holiday season really put into perspective how lucky some people have it,
and through my suffering has allowed me to become better at what I do.
5. Is Schopenhauer in any way consoling about the sufferings of the world?- No.
6. What is Melvilles point in the depiction of Ahab?- Ahab receives a very peculiar
literary treatment in Moby Dick. Although he is meant to be seen as the villain of
the story, the reader is also able to sympathize, because they understand where his
hatred and malice stems from. So at the same time as we are pitying this man for
his obsession with some great white whale, we also begin to fear him, because we
begin to see how very plausible it is that something similar happen to us, as
humans. Ahabs shock value comes from the fact that he is so incredibly human.
Ahab becomes so obsessed with destroying this whale, and therefore (he believes)
destroying evil, that he doesnt realize what hes doing. And that allows the reader
to examine the human question of what if that happened to me?. Melville could
have easily made Ahab into a stone cold villain, whose mission it was to hunt
down this whale and destroy it, and the entire novel could be about Ishmael trying
to stop him, and then succeeding, and all would be well with the world. But he
didnt choose to do that. He chose to make the reader be able to empathize with
Ahab. And thats how you need to see his true motivation. Ahabs point in his

depiction of Ahab was that evil is not simply a literary device. All humans are
capable of some form of evil. And they should be aware and conscious of it.
7. Is happiness the goal of life?- To put it very concisely, yes and no. While
happiness, or more specifically, pleasure (if you care to make the distinction), is
one of the basic driving forces of human nature, and therefore the goal of life,
one also has to consider what things other than happiness, I.E. anger, sadness,
numbness, etc. do to enrich the human experience as a whole. McMahon himself
sums it up best in the last paragraph of the novel. But when, and if, human
beings decide to take this fateful step in the quest to live as gods, they should
know that in doing so, they will be leaving a piece of their humanity behind
(McMahon 479). Of course, there are many different views of happiness. For
example, the ancient Greeks believed that Happiness is what happens to us, and
over that we have no control (McMahon 19), whereas early Christian thinkers
such as Aquinas believed that Mans ultimate happiness consists in the
contemplation of truth, for this operation isshared with no other animals
(McMahon 129). So technically speaking, this question is unanswerable, because
no one person or school of thought can really agree on what happiness actually is
to begin with. But forgoing technicalities for the sake of academic enrichment, it
is safe to say that while happiness if often the motivation to life, it is not
necessarily the goal. When presented with the ultimatum Be happy right now, or
suffer your whole life to be happy later, almost all humans will choose to be
happy in the now. They are motivated by their desire to immediate happiness.
Consider the very last words in McMahons novel. Quixotelearns at the end of

his journeys that the road is better than the arrival (McMahon 480). Basically,
humans are motivated by the desire for happiness, but that does not always mean
it is the ending goal they have in sight.