david foster wallace http :// www H u m a n i t i e s

In Rhys Southan’s essay, “Is Art a Waste of Time,” we learned about Effective Altruists (EAs), whose central goal is to reduce suffering and increase the lifespan and happiness of people (and animals) around the world. According to Southan, EAs believe in replaceability, which he described as the following:

“The idea is that the only good that counts is what you accomplish over and above what the next person would have done in your place. In equation form, Your Apparent Good Achieved minus Good Your Counterfactual Replacement would have achieved equals Your Actual Good Achieved” (365).

Prompt:

The idea of living an ethical life is appealing, but complex – how do we achieve that goal? Is using this EA doctrine the best way to ensure a person lives an ethical life? Construct an essay that responds to this question by supporting (agreeing with) the EA doctrine, refuting (disagreeing with) the EA doctrine, or complicating (agreeing with some elements and disagreeing with others) the EA doctrine, drawing evidence and examples from at least two (2) other works, in addition to Southan’s, below.

Important notes:

Your thesis should examine the EA’s formula for living an ethical life, and explain whether and why this is (or is not) the best way to live ethically

Your body paragraphs should include examples, including summaries and quotes, from at least two of the articles above, in addition to “Is Art a Waste of Time?”

Your body paragraphs should analyze the strategies the authors used in their pieces, and how these strategies help to explain their own ideas about living ethically

Your body paragraphs should synthesize at least 2 authors, and should not be organized by author

Requirements:

Style: Your essay must be typed, using a 12-point font, should have standard 1-inch margins, and must conform to MLA style

Length: 5-6 pages

Main article is Rhys Southan’s essay, “Is Art a Waste of Time” (this pdf is attached in the file)

Choose any 2 sources from below:

1. Necessary Edges: Arts, Empathy, and Education” by Yo-Yo Ma https://elishaemerson.uneportfolio.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/400/2018/09/YoYoMaNecessaryEdges.pdf

2. The Animals: Practicing Complexity” by Michael Pollan https://edibleschoolyard.org/sites/default/files/Joel%20Salatin%20Reading_Michael%20Pollan.pdf

3. Consider the Lobster” by David Foster Wallace