Write a Fictional, Argumentative Dialogue Between Two or More Characters

question 36

Essay

Write a fictional, argumentative dialogue between two or more characters debating the meaning of freedom and the problem of freedom and determinism. Your characters should each take stands and defend them with clearly stated reasons. They can respectfully disagree with one another, and should try to address each other's criticisms. Be especially aware of the assumptions that each character makes when s/he takes a stand. Your dialogue can conclude with agreement, agreeing to disagree, or some sort of new synthesis of preliminary positions. Dialogues should include discussion of the meaning and importance or value of freedom, and of some aspects of the debate over freedom and determinism. They should bring out your perceptions of what's at stake in this issue.   You can draw on materials from Chapter 7, but you are not limited to these. You may also wish to stage this dialogue as an oral presentation to your class or make a video of it.

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Definitions:

Freud

Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist who founded psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst.

Hall

G. Stanley Hall, an American psychologist and educator who is considered one of the founding figures of child psychology and educational psychology.

Key Transitions

Significant changes or periods of transformation in an individual's life or within a system that mark a passage from one state or phase to another.

Maturity

A state of being fully developed in one's emotional, physical, and intellectual capacities, often associated with adulthood and reasoned decision-making.