Summary

My Summary

This series for me has been one of the highlights of the semester. I have thoroughly enjoyed the seminars, the literature and the journey through which we have just emerged. I definitely feel more learned and I remember the first thing that confounded me at Paul’s first seminar was how little I knew about the world staring point blank at me!

I have learned a great deal in a very short time about current issues, history and even the future as the journey this module has taken me on now makes me the world quite differently and aid me in forming better informed views.

We have seen the recent world through the eyes of cynical, the optimist, the pessimistic, the academic - Lefebvre and not so academic – King Vidor. Through the eyes of the ascetic - Veblen and hedonists – Rodolfo Valentino, through the eyes of radicals – The Beat Generation etc and I feel I have had an unbiased education in this module. I can now interject trivial conversations amongst my friends with a deeper view and understanding of what goes on behind the scenes in our seemingly transparent world.

Some of the literature have also made me more aware of the sad situation of my third-world home country and I have come to understand better the sort of tragedy that was bound to befall its middle class nationalists struggle to wriggle itself free from colonialism.

Virtue is another theme that comes to mind over this reminiscence. A quality that has become so rarefied but was portrayed powerfully by Thorsten Veblen and contrasted by Mr Ford.

And what will the whole journey be without the stark realisation of that ancient conflict – The individual against the collective? Indeed, much of the wrongs in our world today stem from that source.

I may not have 20/20 vision yet but the passion has been ignited and I eagerly look forward to future sessions in the quest for enlightenment.