Aliens and zombies. What a great session it was today. Aside from the sharp turn into sci-fi and Game of Thrones town, I thought the debate was a lively one and one that, though it was never truly resolved (like a recent conference in Singapore), it did highlight the very real lines in the sand currently drawn between liberals and realists.
So is fundamental change possible? It's a great question and one I look forward to exploring much more deeply my paper. My summation of today's class is that there is very little agreement as to what fundamental change looks like, what would cause such a shift, or whether we'd even perceive it right away if it did occur. Even outside of our pro/con groups I think a pretty solid breakdown in the class of those that believe that fundamental change is possible and those that think it isn't. I would also say the balance leans toward a more interest/realist-based approach. Our class seems skeptical that actors can stray from Hobbes' man in the state of stature. I find myself simultaneously agreeing that human nature is the hardest of habits to break, but also that normalizing behaviors and outside stimuli can create lasting change.
At the end of the day I really want the zombie apocalypse to show up or, as mentioned in class, a significant climate event to bind humanity together in a new system, a world government where all voices are equal, with strong considerations for human rights and the ability and capacity to maintain justice within that system. Let me dream.
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