Friday, September 5th

Goals:
Understand Thoreau's philosophy on civil disobedience and transcendentalism

Essential Question:
What is the individual's role in creating a just society?


STARTER
Trolley Car Dilemma Case #1
(Suppose you are the driver of a trolley car and your trolley car is hurtling down the track at 60 mph.  At the end of the track, you notice 5 workers working on the track. You try to stop but you can’t because your brakes don’t work.  You panic because you know, for sure, that if you crash into these workers, all 5 will die.  You feel helpless until you notice that off to the right is a side track and at the end of that track is just one worker working.  Your steering works so you know that if you turn right, you could avoid killing the five workers but certainly kill the one at the end of the track. What would you do?  Go straight ahead or turn right? These are the ONLY two choices.  Defend your reason.
(The trolley problem is a thought experiment in ethics, first introduced by Philippa Foot in 1967)

Agenda
1. Discuss Trolley Car Dilemma Case #1 and consider case #2
Trolley Car Case #2
This time you are not the driver, you are an onlooker standing on a bridge overlooking the track.  Down the track comes the trolley car, same situation is at hand.  Except, now, you’re not the driver and you REALLY feel helpless until you notice, standing next to you, leaning over the bridge, is a very large man.  And you could give him a slight shove and he would fall over the bridge, onto the track, right in the way of the trolley car, he would die, but he would spare the five.  Now.  How would you push the large man? Explain.

2. Read to Act 2 (FINISH THE PLAY BY TUESDAY!!)

3. Act out 58-63, 67

4. Discussion

• What is the role of the individual in creating a just society?
• Are laws designed to protect or inhibit freedom?
  
• By paying taxes that fund an immoral cause or governmental action, are you guilty too? Are you an accomplice? Is silence a form of consent? How do you see this playing out in your own life?
  

5. Appreciations

Homework: Get caught up in the play.  You'll need to be finished with the play by TUESDAY. We'll have time to read in class on Monday but if you are a more relaxed reader, you might want to spend some time reading this weekend.