"As Ellsion says, forming the civic imagination is not the only role for literature, but it is one salient role. Narrative art has the power to make us see the lives of the different with more than a casual tourist's interest--with involvement and sympathetic understanding, with anger at our society's refusals of visibility. We come to see how circumstances shape the lives of those who share with us some general goals and projects; and we see that circumstances shape not only people's possibilities for action, but also their aspirations and desires, hopes and fears. All of this seems highly pertinent to the decisions we must make as citizens. Understanding, for example, how a history of racial stereotyping can affect self-esteem, achievement, and love enables us to make more informed judgments on issues relating to affirmative action and education" (Nussbaum 88, italics mine.)Martha Nussbaum writes like an affirmative action hire. I think she needs a double shot of that "liberal education" she's always talking about.
RATING: 15%, or 65% if you're a card-carrying democrat with a head injury.
(Image from www.justbooks.co.uk.)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment