Jon Gertner, "The Futile Pursuit of Happiness," and:

William Greider, "Work Rules"

Jon Krakauer, "Selections from 'Into the Wild'"

Tim O'Brien, "How to Tell a True War Story"

Robert Thurman, "Wisdom"

Gertner & Greider: Individualism and the Socialization of Powerlessness

Context: William Greider argues that the American workplace is reminiscent of the feudal system of lords (management) and serfs (lower workers) in Work Rules . He stresses that workers have long since acquiesced to this social environment since “the loss of freedom goes largely unnoticed because it is so routinely part of their lives.” (Greider 213)

Question: Greider argues that the “socialization of powerlessness” is an intrinsic trait of the American workplace, where individualism and freedom are unacceptable. How is the workplace, as discussed by Greider, impacted by the theories that Gertner discusses?

 Thoughts to consider while answering this question:

 Consider this quote:

Our culture says, if your hands are involved, you can't have a brain,” Ronald Blackwell, an AFL-CIO official and former clothing-union leader, observed. “The seamstress and the machinist and nearly every kind of job involves brain as well as hands, but the intellectual content of working with your hands is ignored.”

-Has the advent of the information age (i.e. the Internet) perpetuated this thought?

-Does society value white-collar work rather than blue-collar work? If so, how has this thinking lead to a “loss of freedom” in the workplace? Think about how some people feel that the only way to success (or happiness ) is through a high paying job, regardless of a possible loss of freedom.

Justin Auciello, Fall 2005

Gertner & Krakauer: Individuals and Adventures

What draws individuals to undertake grand personal adventures? Take your own position on this question, considering the issues raised in Gertner's and Krakauer's essays. Show how Gertner's article confirms, complicates, or contradicts Krakauer's reflections. And what are the implications of Chris McCandless's story for the argument represented in Gertner's article? The objective of this assignment is to make connections between the two essays. Do not simply compare or contrast them; discuss the authors in relation to one another.

Some additional thoughts and questions that you may choose to address in your answer:

•  Was McCandless's behavior rational? In what ways? If not, why did he do it? What might Gertner and his researchers say about McCandless's motives?

•  Taking McCandless as an example but speaking generally, what is the appeal of the natural world? What does it represent in the imagination of those who seek it, and what power does it hold for them?

•  Consider what elements of McCandless's fantasies and desires are pervasive in American culture.

•  What does the specifically American nature of McCandless's quest have to do with the “pursuit of happiness” as Gertner understands it?

Tim Cassedy, Fall 2005

Gertner & O'Brien: Truth is Stranger Than Fiction

In the first paper, you explored the social consequences of eliminating “forecasting errors” from individuals’ experiences. At first glance, the essays by Gertner and O’Brien are radically different, both in the writing styles they employ and in their subject matter. How can we bring these texts into dialogue with one another? For this next assignment, I would like you to consider how O’Brien’s ideas about the messy concept of “truth” might change the way we think about the ideas Gertner’s essay presents. Both authors explore the relationship between an individual and the community to which he or she belongs, and both place special emphasis on the role perception plays in our individual and collective experiences.

 Assignment Question:

In what ways might O’Brien’s notion of truth alter the pursuit of happiness that Gertner discusses?

 In developing your position on the main assignment question, you may wish to consider the following questions, but you are not required to answer them in your essay:

• What are the specific words or phrases O’Brien uses to define “a true war story”? Does he ultimately settle on a comprehensive definition of truth, or does that definition remain elusive? What do you make of this?

• The issue of perception seems important to both O’Brien and Gertner. Why, and in what specific ways, does individual human perception matter for each author? What roles do our perceptions play in our actions and in how we experience things?

• The researchers in Gertner’s article refer to forecasting errors that may (or may not) render the pursuit of happiness a futile one, while O’Brien questions whether it is futile to try to achieve “truth” in narrative. According to these two texts (not merely your personal opinion), are happiness and true stories ultimately illusions?

Jenna Lewis, Fall 2005

Gertner & Thurman: Happiness and Wisdom

What is the relationship, if any, between the quest for happiness (as psychologists and economists represent it), and the cultivation of “wisdom” described in the chapter by that name from Robert Thurman's book, Infinite Life ? Which concepts, from Gertner's “The Futile Pursuit of Happiness”, might apply? How might the Buddhist experience of “nothingness” make people think about happiness, whether the pursuit is futile or not?

Some possible ideas to begin thinking about:

• The “pseudo self” (Thurman) and errors in “affective forecasting” (Gertner) that humans typically make;
• The potential relationship (or lack of a relationship) between the state of “alienation” (Thurman) and “impact bias” (Gertner);
• The potential linkage (or not) of “nothingness” (Thurman) and freeing people from the “hot states” (Gertner) in which they overestimate their own capacity to find satisfaction by changing their external circumstances;
• What might the psychologists (Gertner) say about Thurman's description of consciousness as a “system”?
• Thurman's manner of organizing his essay into sub-sections (Preamble/Problem/Practice) and the views that Gertner conveys.

These are just potential starting points and sample linkages that you might choose to explore. Feel free to use any or all of these to help get you started, but also allow yourself to draw other connections on your own. The important thing is to decide upon your thesis and project linking happiness and wisdom (perhaps your linkage is that the two do not link with one another). Once you establish the thesis statement and gain a sense of project, you are then ready to explore an integrated connection between the two texts.

Scott Cagenello, Fall 2005

Gertner & Thurman: Happiness?

At first glance, Jon Gertner and Robert Thurman appear to be on different planets; however, both confront the issue of happiness. Focus on one or, at most, two aspects of happiness and write an essay about the way G. and T. address this issue: To what extent do they agree or disagree, and to what extent do they address this issue(s) from a perspective that the other scholar has not considered. How would the "other" respond to this perspective? Can he?

Remember to briefly define specialized terms. (Even though we all know G's definitions, assume that your readers have not read his essay and define his terms.)

You may need to consider the language G. and T. use. For example, is G's "miswanting" the same as or similar to T's "misknowledge?"

T's essay depends on an understanding of his concept of the "self." Although G. does not address this concept, can you draw a conlusion about G's concept of the self from his essay?

Irene Riegner, Fall 2005

For more assignment ideas involving this essay, please visit the Gertner link-o-mat.

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