"Geography of thought" discussion Questions from Group2 (Chapter2)

1. If you were "confronted with apparent contradiction,"(pg 45) would you try to seek the Middle Way or would you insist on debating for the "correctness of one belief vs another"? Which approach do you think is better when making a decision for the society?

2. "We might expect to find differences in: Beliefs about controllability of the environment, with Westerners believing in controllability more than Easterners."(pg 44, 45)
Do you agree with this statement? Explain why or why not using examples.

3. On page 41, it says that "・・・the history of Europe had created a new sort of person-one who conceived of individuals as separate from the larger community and who thought in terms of imbued with freedom."
Give an example of a historical event in Japan which affected the characteristics of the personality of a Japanese individual.


Group Leaders:
Saori Matsuoka
Yoko Hanaki
Ayaka Yahagi

"Geography of Thought" Discussion Questions from Group1 (Chapter1)

1, On page 3, Nisbett talks about how the Greeks respect the individual and on page 5, how the Chinese respect authority and family. But in modern times, this may not be the case. Have you ever felt a time when Asians are not as Nisbett described in this chapter? If so, how? And why did you feel that way?

2, Which way of life would you rather choose between the Greeks (individuality) or the Chinese (harmony) and why?

3, On page 23, Nisbett says that "feng shui" (Chinese practice which considers relationships among any given things and balances the energies for better life.) still continued in the East.
Do you believe in "feng shui" and why or why not?

Group Leaders:
Emi Arakawa
Ryoko Hiroi
Haru Yabumoto

Wagar Discussion questions from Group 6 (Chapter 6) **SAMPLE POST**

 **SAMPLE POST**

Choose one question to respond to, or you can respond to what someone else has posted:

1. Wagar says that in the transition between the second and third futures, people will "no longer need the service of public officials. The may switch to locally available, small scale energy systems...and one by one, communities of such individuals will sever their economic and political ties to the global democratic socialist system" (page 5, line 15-27). Do you think this is really possible? Why or why not.

2. The second future of Socialist Democracy will put an end to the warfare system once and for all by disarming the nation-states and permitting no military force but its own (page 4, line 6-7). Until today, some have tried to make a kind of "world police" (like the UN or NATO peace keepers, for example), but this plan has not succeeded completely. Do you think this plan of one "global military" can ever come true in the future?

3. According to Wagar, people will get an expanded idea of "cultural pluralism" in the 4th future (page 7, line 34). How do you think this will happen?

Group Leaders:
Kazuhiro O.
Taishi E.
Reiko K.