Ishmael Companion: Beyond Civilization -- resources for teachers and readers
"I like the way my life is now." · What would come of it? · I'm not entirely alone! · Objections · The most telling objection of all
Three of the people quoted on the first page of this unit stress the fact that they're "doing what they want." How great a value is it to you to "do what you want"?
Why do you think that any given homeless person can't get more than "just an hour" from a social worker?
Is the author proposing an end to the distinction between deserving and undeserving poor? Do you think this distinction should be preserved? Why or why not?
Quinn claims support from social scientist David Wagner. Have students write a paper "translating" Wagner's proposals into the language Quinn uses for his proposals.
Which of the "objections" does the shopping-cart story illustrate, and how?
Quinn claims that acceding to homelessness would "open the prison gates of our culture," and that the disenfranchised and disaffected would "pour out." Do you agree? Do you agree that it "might be exciting"?
Carlos achieved a degree of freedom by "living in a hole." What do you think of this freedom? How does it differ from "real" freedom? Can you imagine how any circumstance could bring you to the point where living in a hole under a loose grate in a park might seem like your best choice?
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