#205 Le Guin: The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

Ursula Le Guin in the 1970s. Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries.

Utility vs. justice: Continue yesterday’s discussion

• Paige left us off with thinking about the implications of Bentham denying natural rights as “nonsense upon stilts” (Sandel, 1). Why do you think Bentham feels so confident making such a claim? What implications might it have? What do you think?
• Before we continue our utility/justice conversation with Le Guin, let’s turn for a moment to Rawls. What does the “veil of ignorance” experiment achieve? Does it miss anything?

Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”

• What makes this author and this text new for us?
• How did you feel as you read the text?
• What’s the central paradox of the story?
• How might that paradoxical metaphor be applied to the world in which we live?
• What do you think Le Guin can contribute to the conversation about utility vs. justice?

Assignment: 

We have read short selections from Hobbes, Locke, Sandel (on Bentham and Rawls), and Le Guin. Now is a good moment to pause and reflect in writing on what we have learned.

For our next assignment, you may choose your own question to respond to, and may respond to that question in either one longer paragraph or two shorter paragraphs. Here are a few possible example questions:

• Are individual rights essential to a good society?
• Is humanity’s original condition that of “war” or “perfect freedom”? Why does this matter in creating a state?
• Should the state endorse religions or support religious institutions?
• What should individuals do when they encounter injustice promoted by the state or society?

Your response must:

• Identify the question you wish to answer in the title of your assignment.
• Include clear, argumentative topic sentences that address the full range of topics addressed in that paragraph.
• Proceed logically and include clear transitional phrases.
• Directly engage with evidence from at least two texts and include citations.
• Use formal academic prose (unlike our letter exercise, you should again refrain from first- and second-person references.

Submit using this link to Canvas.