The actions of several of the characters in Jumpers are shaped by the plausible view that nothing is ultimately and universally good or bad -- that morals are subjective feelings, local customs, or arbitrary conventions, not divinely established truths. This idea contributes to Dotty's pathological insecurity, provides an intellectual foundation for Archie's brutal pragmatism, and frustrates George's efforts to establish God's existence.
Suppose that you were called upon to take George's place at the symposium for which he is preparing -- that is, to respond to Archie's presentation of the subjectivist's view. What would you say?
Write up your answer and have it ready to turn in at the beginning of class on October 8. It should be legibly typed or set, double-spaced, with ample margins (I recommend an inch and a quarter at top, bottom, and sides). If it runs to more than one page, each page after the first should bear your surname and a page number in the upper right-hand corner.
In response to a recent request to the faculty from the environmental group Free the Planet, I have decided to accept, and indeed to encourage, double-sided printing.
I suggest that you will find it convenient to answer this question in about six hundred words, though I'll accept papers that are longer or shorter.
This document is available on the World Wide Web as
http://www.cs.grinnell.edu/~stone/courses/stoppard/symposium.xhtml
created October 1, 2002
last revised October 1, 2002