Goal of lecture: identify questions being asked

  • First example of worldbuilding: creating fictional “countries” based on real countries, such as Ecotopia and Cascadia (with both countries being on the American West Coast)
    • Spurs thinking about what you need in a world and what could be possible
  • Worldbuilding: Creating worlds and stories through media; must take into account many factors
    • Can also use worldbuilding to build a better world in real life; rallies, secret meetings, revolution
  • Late Anthroprocene: The current, modern era in Earth’s history (vs. jurassic, triassic, etc.)
    • Some consider it amazing (one species has had so much impact on Earth), others don’t (climate change)
    • What kind of worldbuilding is possible in the late anthroprocene?
    • How do we prepare ourselves to build — and rebuild — our world?
  • Rhetoric: The art of talking and persuading
    • Must take into account your position, your audience, your purpose, the context, etc.
    • Originated in Ancient Rome as a way to gain power in a democratic government
    • Key to effective communication
  • Aesthetic (Education): The idea that everyone should be generally educated so they can move between careers/jobs
    • Created in order to have more educated, well-informed students
    • Gen ed classes are based off of aesthetic education
    • Arts and humanities spur self-reflection and thinking, making it a requirement for an aesthetic (general) education
    • May have led to Europe being more advanced compared to the rest of the world, thus European world domination
  • What kinds of minds and characters can we cultivate that OUR WORLD cannot afford to be without?