Deep Thoughts Versus Big Data: Dostoevsky’s Underground Man in the 21st Century

Catalog description

This intensive Wintersession seminar centers on Fyodor Dostoevsky's novella, Notes from the Underground, which examines the plight of the underground man, an overly-conscious individual who struggles in a society that rewards conformity. We begin with an overview of the philosophy of the underground man in the context of nineteenth-century Russia and Russian literature (reading other related primary and secondary texts). Then we will apply our discussion to an investigation of own lives today, as our interactions increasingly occur on screens and not in person. Readings in English; no prior knowledge is required. 1/2-1/18 daily with longer meetings on weekends.