Talking About Leadership, Ethics and Choice

Ten Texts
TALKING ABOUT LEADERSHIP, ETHICS AND
CHOICE
sjoerd-jeroen moenandar
moenandar@gmail.com
education | storytelling | culture

oRead inspirational
texts
oTalk about these
texts
oWrite about these
texts
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?
2
moenandar@gmail.com http://moenandar.blogspot.com

o Find one quote per tekst:
• A passage you find particularly
inspiring, touching, irritating,
striking…
• Why this passage?
o Write a short essay about
each text (400 words)
• What kind of leadership, ethics,
room for choice?
• Link to other texts and social
and cultural issues
o Write your own story (who
are you?)
• Refer to these texts
• Refer to other texts
WHAT TO DO WITH THE TEXTS?
3

1. The Epic of Gilgamesh (Tablet I-III)
2. The Zhuangzi (Chapter 29)
3. Hrafnkels Saga
4. William Shakespeare, Julius
Caesar, Act Three, Scene iii
5. Raden Ngabehi Yasadipura I, The
Dewa Ruci, Canto III
6. Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in
Wonderland, chapter V.; Through
the Looking Glass, Chapter III
7. George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-
Four, Part 3, Chapter 3-6
8. Albert Camus, “The Guest”
9. Malcolm X with Alex Hayley, The
Autobiography of Malcolm X,
Chapter 17
10. Pink Floyd, The Wall, lyrics
THE TEXTS
3
All texts can be found online, links
will be given in the weekly
powerpoint presentations

The Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet I-III
WEEK 1
moenandar@gmail.com

o 3000BCE
o From nomadism to
agriculture
o From agriculture to
villages
o From villages to cities
o From cities to
civilisations
o The Epos of Gilgamesh:
great stress on
becoming civilised.
CONTEXT
2

o Civilisation
• Gilgamesh: king bad boy
• Gods create Enkidu to civilise
him
• First: Enkidu must be civilised
(by female erotics)
o Friendship
• Gilgamesh and Enkidu
become BFFs
o Death
• Enkidu dies, leaving
Gilgamesh devestated
• Search for eternal life
• Acceptance of mortality
THEMES
3

o What does the text
teach us about being
a good man?
o What does it say
about being a good
king, about
leadership?
o About friendship and
how it shapes us?
WHEN READING GILGAMESH
4

Zhuangzi, Chapter 29
WEEK 2
moenandar@gmail.com

o One of the ‘three
teachings’
• Confucianism
• Buddhism
• Daoism
o The Dao (the Way)
o Daoist texts
• Dao De Jing
• Zhuangzi
• Liezi
• Many others
DAOISM
2

o Cannot be comprehended
• “The Dao is forever
nameless” (Dao De Jing,
chapter XXXII)
o The Dao cannot be found in
knowledge; it cannot be
expressed in language
o Doing nothing is the way
• But: this is not the same as
not acting
• Going with the flow instead
of swimming upstream
(unless swimming upstream
is the flow)
THE DAO
3

o Not in language
• “The Dao begets one;
one begets two; two
begets three; three
begets the myriad
creatures” (Dao De
Jing, chapter XLII)
• Language can only be
used for the myriad
creatures (i.e. the
things of this world)
WHERE TO FIND THE DAO
4

o The Dao can be suggested,
it cannot be shown
o The Dao is everything at
once and nothing at the
same time (strong and
weak; big and small; high
and low)
o Even if the Dao is both
positive and negative it’s
easier to find it in the
negative: the weak, the
small, the low
WHERE TO FIND THE DAO (CONT.)
5

o The leader should
attempt to be like
the Dao
• The Dao is present
through its absence
• “The Dao never acts,
yet nothing is left
undone” (Dao De
Jing, chapter XXXVII)
DAOISM AND LEADERSHIP
6

o A leader leads by not
leading
• “Not to honour men of
worth will keep the people
from contention” (Dao De
Jing, chapter III)
o Always put the happiness
of the people first
• “He who values his body
more than dominion over
the empire can be trusted
with the empire” (Dao De
Jing, chapter XIII)
DAOISM AND LEADERSHIP (CONT.)
7

• Confucionists:
honouring men of worth
o Knowing the right
behaviour from the
wrong
o Active leadership
• Confucius often
ridiculed in Daoist works
o The master gets
lectured
o ‘Admits’ the flaws of his
own philosophy
DAOISM AND CONFUSIONISM
8

o Book of master Zhuang
(Zhuang Zi, ±369 -
286BCE)
• But not all chapters by
him
o Wrote during the ‘period
of the warring states’
• Opposed the rigidity of
confucian philosophy (of
the ruling class)
• Sympathy for the weak
o No respect for anything
THE ZHUANGZI
9

o Confucius speaks with Robber
Chih
• Chih turns the tables: being a
‘good man’ will only cause
trouble
o Tzu-Chang (Confucianist) speaks
with Want-It-All (greedy person)
• Want-It-All shows: ideas of right
and wrong will only get you
killed and nothing is worth dying
for
o Never-Enough speaks with
Sense-of-Harmony
• Sense-of-Harmony makes clear:
Status will make you afraid of
losing it, riches will make you
scared of being robbed
THIS WEEK’S EXCERPT
0

Hrafnkels Saga
WEEK 3
moenandar@gmail.com

o Settled by Normen after
the unification of Norway
• Dislike of centralised state
• Freemen
o Goði (pl. goðor)
• Head of a goðort (region)
• Both worldly and religious
authority
• Lawmakers and judges
during the parliament
(AlÞing) in the summer
MEDIEVAL ICELAND (800-1500)
2

o Society of farmers
• Vikings
• Self-sustaining
o Egalitarian society
o Free farmers:
• Defend and sustain
themselves and
family and
dependents
SOCIETY
3

o Strong ethics
• Hospitality and
generosity
• Fierce defence of
honour (e.g. blood
revenge)
o Importance of family
ties, friendships and
networks
o Polytheism (but religion
not very important)
SOCIETY (CONT.)
4

o One of the most
magnificent medieval
literatures
• Stories of the Gods
• Stories of famous
warriors from the past
• Viking adventures
• Family stories
• Poetry and prose
ICELANDIC LITERATURE
5

o Stories of the
settlers
o Oral tradition,
written down in
13th century
FAMILY SAGAS
6

o Short saga of a chieftain
dedicated to the god
Freyr
• Dedicates half of his
possessions and the
horse Freyfaxi to his god
o Kills shepherd boy Einarr
• Proposes to settle with
Einarr’s father
• Father refuses, cousin
Sámr starts a court case
HRAFNKELS SAGA
7

o Hrafnkell looses the case at
AlÞing
• Sámr is aided by two
brothers
• Execution of the verdict:
Sámr and the brothers chase
Hrafnkell away
• Sámr takes Hrafnkel’s place,
Hrafnkell becomes powerful
somewhere else
o After six years: Hrafnkell kills
Sámr’s brother
• Retakes his former position
• Sámr loses everything
HRAFNKELS SAGA (CONT.)
8

o What is considered
justice here?
o Who is right, who is
wrong?
• Morally
• Pragmatically
o What would you have
done?
o What kind of leadership
when might is right?
WHEN READING HRAFNKELS SAGA
9

William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act
Three, Scene II
WEEK 4
moenandar@gmail.com

o Ruled by the senate
• Aristocrats: senators
• Most powerful
institution in the
ancient world
o Influence of Roman
civilisation
• Roads
• Latin
• Central place of Rome
in Europe
ROMAN REPUBLIC
2

o Julius Caesar
• Powerful senator
• Successful military leader
• Popular with the people
(‘bread and games’)
o Growing power of Caesar
• Crossing the Rubicon
(49BCE)
• Dictator for life (44BCE)
• Deification
o Two opinions
• Death of a tyrant?
• End of a golden age?
DEATH OF CAESAR (44BCE)
3

o Context
• Chaotic times: battles
for the throne
• Elizabeth I: ruled for a
long time, now getting
old
• People feared return to
chaos
o Issues in the play:
• What happens when a
powerful leader dies?
• Is it right to kill a tyrant?
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S JULIUS CAESAR
(1599)
4

o Julius Caesar
• Benevolent leader and
tyrant
• Foolish and wise
• Powerful and weak
o Brutus
• Wise and honourable
• Concerned with the
common good
o Mark Anthony
• Devoted follower of
Caesar
• Cunning
THREE IMPORTANT CHARACTERS
5

o How does Brutus try to
convince the crowd?
o How does Anthony try
to convince the crowd?
o How do their speeches
appeal to
• Logos
• Pathos
• Ethos
WHEN READING ACT THREE, SCENE III
6

Raden Ngabehi Yasadipura I, The Dewa
Ruci, Canto III
WEEK 5
moenandar@gmail.com

o From ancient India
(between 2500-3000 years
old)
o Story of a Great War
• Kaurevas (evil)
• Pandawas (good)
o The Pandawa Five
• Yudhistira
• Bhima
• Arjuna (of the Bhagavad
Gita)
• Nakula
• Sahadeva
THE MAHABHARATA
2

o Embrace presence of
God in this life
o Fitrah
• Act in line with God’s
will
• Act only out of love for
God
o Sheikhs and students
o Attention to the ‘inner
teachings’ of Islam
(batin)
SUFISM
3

o Originally: animism
o Hinduism (from 1st
century onwards)
• Local adaptations of the
Mahabharata
• Added stories
• Wayang kulit
o Islam
• Mixed with earlier
religious practices
• Sufi missionaries used
wayang kulit stories
RELIGION IN JAVA (INDONESIA)
4

o About Bhima (here:
Wêrkudhara )
• One of the
Pandawas
• Giant warrior
• Reaches
enlightenment (like
Arjuna in the
Bhagavad Gita)
THE DEWA RUCI
5

o This version: 18th
Century
o From The Book of
Cirebon
• Collection of mystical
writings (kebatinan)
• Javanese syncreticism
(mixing sufism,
hinduism and Javanese
philosophy)
o Author: Raden
Yasadipura I (?)
CANTO III
6

o Kaurevas want to get rid
of Bheema:
• Bheema’s guru sends
him on a mission
impossible
• Reaches the island of
the Dewa Ruci
o Dewa Ruci
• The Spirit of Man
• Javanese notion of
tripartite man: Man,
Spirit, God.
STORY UP UNTIL CANTO III
7

o What is ideal
behaviour?
o What is said about
being a teacher?
o And what about
being a student?
WHEN READING THE DEWA RUCI
8

Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in
Wonderland, chapter V.; Through the
Looking Glass, Chapter III.
WEEK 6
moenandar@gmail.com

o Age of moralism
o Personal morality
• Dignity
• Restraint
o Covering up
• The body
• Strong emotions
o Importance of
manners and being
well-behaved
THE VICTORIAN AGE
2

o Clergyman (studying to be
a priest)
o Mathematician
o Shy, eccentric bachelor
o Love of logic, mathematics
and words
o Wrote two famous books
• Alice’s Adventures in
Wonderland (1865)
• Through the Looking Glass
and What Alice Found
There (1871)
LEWIS CARROLL (CHARLES DODGSON,
1832-1898)
3

o Rudeness versus
manners
o Identity (who am I?)
o Alice remains close
to herself
THEMES IN THESE CHAPTERS
4

o Alice: good Victorian
girl
• Well-mannered
• Always polite
o Everybody else: rude
• Communication
breakdowns
• Contempt
• Stupidity
• Refusal to understand
and explain
RUDENESS AND MANNERS
5

o If everything’s
changed – did I
change too?
o If I’ve changed, I am
not I anymore –
then who am I?
o If I can’t tell who I
am – is there still an
I?
IDENTITY: WHO ARE YOU?
6

o Alice: remains
constant
• Simply walks out of
fruitless situations
• No lesson learned
o Alice is Alice
• Indomitable
• Not intimidated
• Always curious
REMAINING CONSTANT
7

George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Part
3, Chapter 3-6
WEEK 7
moenandar@gmail.com

o Post-war anxiety
o George Orwell (Eric
Arthur Blair)
• Established author
• Past as a colonial civil
servant (policeman in
Burma)
• Democratic socialist
• Staunchly anti-
totalitarian
1949 (YEAR OF PUBLICATION)
2

o Absolute
Totalitarianism
o Ruling party: INGSOC
• Led by Big Brother
• Ruled by the Inner
Party
• Sustained by the
Outer Party
• Ruling over the proles
SOCIETY IN NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR
3

o Total control
• Over language
(Newspeak)
• Over thoughts
(Thought Police,
doublethink,
thoughtcrime)
• Over reality (rewriting
history, deciding
what’s true and
what’s not)
SOCIETY IN NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR
(CONT.)
4

o Starts keeping a
diary (thoughtcrime)
o Starts an affair with
Julia (moves outside
the control of the
party)
WINSTON SMITH
5

o Taken to the Ministry
of Love
• Torture
• Betrayal of Julia
• Not just submission to
the party, but
acceptance of the
notion that the party
is the truth
o Finally learns to love
Big Brother
WINSTON SMITH (CONT.)
6
“Always, at every moment, there
will be the thrill of victory, the
sensation of trampling on an
enemy who is helpless. If you
want a picture of the future,
imagine a boot stamping on a
human face — forever.”

Albert Camus, “The Guest”
WEEK 8
moenandar@gmail.com

o Postwar (WWII)
• Absurdism (freedom
of creating own
meaning in
meaningless
universe)
o Algerian war for
independence
(1954-1962)
1949 (YEAR OF PUBLICATION)
2

o Born in French
Algeria, poor
background
o Studied philosophy
o Progressive
intellectual
o Strongly anti-
totalitarian
ALBERT CAMUS (1913-1960)
3

o Presents situation in
which there is no
right choice
• No success
• Just different roads to
failure
o Daru
• Teacher
• French, born in Algeria
• Colonial power?
“THE GUEST” (1954)
4

o Balducci
• Policie officer
• Colonial power
o ‘The Arab’
• Stupid?
• Or faced with
impossible choice
(just like Daru)?
“THE GUEST” (1954) (CONT.)
5

o What is ‘the right thing
to do’ here?
• Morally
• Pragmatically
o What would you have
done?
o What kind of leadership
can we show in a society
based on immoral
premises?
WHEN READING THIS STORY
6

Malcolm X with Alex Hayley, The
Autobiography of Malcolm X, Chapter 17
WEEK 9
moenandar@gmail.com

o From rural USA
• Born Malcolm Little
• White aggression against
blacks
• Son of activists
• Racism on daily basis
o Moved to Harlem (New
York)
o Imprisoned because of
petty crime
o Converted to Nation of
Islam
MALCOLM X (1925-1965)
2

o Black nationalist
movement
o One of several black
pride movements
o “Islam”: not the white
man’s religion
o White man is the
cause of the black
man’s trouble
NATION OF ISLAM (NOI)
3

o Malcolm Little became
Malcolm X
o Gave up his old lifestyle
o Started studying
relentlessly
o Guided by Elijah
Muhammad (NOI
leader)
o Became successful
preacher
MALCOLM X AND NOI
4

o Based in Harlem,
speaking all over the
country
o White America: a threat
o Followers: source of
self-respect and self-
improvement
o Civil rights movement:
originally critical of his
radicalism
MALCOLM X AS NOI PREACHER
5

o Break with NOI
o Hajj
o Reconcilliation with
broader civil rights
movement
o Assassination
MALCOLM X, FINAL YEARS (1964-1965)
6

• Strongly against
oppression
o Always aligned with the
victim of oppression
• Self-improvement
o Education
o Knowledge of self
• Need for radicalism
• Black pride
o Black nationalism
o Black internationalism
• Power of speech
MALCOLM X: LEADER
7

Pink Floyd, The Wall (lyrics)
WEEK 10
moenandar@gmail.com

o Originally part of the British
underground music scene
• Psychedelic (The Piper at the
Gates of Dawn)
• Drugs
o Needed to reinvent themselves
after Syd Barrett left
• Experimental (Saucerful of
Secrets, Ummagumma, Atom
Heart Mother)
• Symphonic rock (Meddle, Dark
Side of the Moon, Wish You Were
Here)
• Harsher sound (Animals, The Wall)
o Recurrent themes: madness,
alienation
PINK FLOYD
2

o 1960s
• Loss of respect for
authorities
• Need for critical thinking
o Emancipation (of women,
of young people)
o Rise of mass consumption
(and unease about this)
o Late 1970s
• End of postwar optimism
• Resurfacing of old demons
(fascism)
CONTEXT
3

o Roger Waters’s frustration
with being a rock star
• Building a wall between
the performers and the
audience
o Wall as a symbol
• No emotional connection
between people
• Building walls: giving in to
the worms: outside ideas
(consumerism,
totalitarianism) taking us
over
THE WALL
4

1. “In the Flesh”
• Rock star Pink is acting
weird: what’s going
on?
2. “The Thin Ice”
3. “Another Brick in the
Wall part 1”
• Pink’s childhood:
father died in the war
THE WALL – SIDE 1
5

1. “The Happiest Days of
Our Lives”
Wall part 2”
• Bad influence of teachers
(authorities make us feel
bad about ourselves)
3. “Mother”
• Overprotective mother:
undermines our autonomy
THE WALL – SIDE 1
6

1. “Goodbye Blue Sky”
• We’re living life as a
war: in a shelter
2. “Empty Spaces”
• Not really
communicating
3. “Young Lust”
• Pink on tour cheats on
his wife, she cheats on
him at home
THE WALL – SIDE 2
7

1. “One of My Turns”
2. “Don’t Leave Me
Now”
Wall part 3”
• Breakdown of Pink’s
marriage: I don’t need
love!
4. “Goodbye”
• The wall is complete:
Pink is cut off
THE WALL – SIDE 2
8

1. Hey You”
2. “Is There Anybody
Out There?”
3. “Nobody Home”
• Total emotional
isolation of Pink,
locked in his hotel
room on tour
• Worms (television)
eating into his brain
MALCOLM X: LEADER
9

1. “Vera Lynn”
2. “Bring the Boys
Back Home”
• Remembering the war
that killed his father
3. “Comfortably
Numb”
• Pink is given drugs so
that he can perform his
concert
MALCOLM X: LEADER
0

1. “The Show Must Go
On”
2. “In the Flesh”
3. “Run like Hell”
4. “Waiting for the
Worms”
• A hallucinating Pink
turns his concert into
a nazi rally with
himself as a fascist
dictator
THE WALL – SIDE 2
1

1. “Stop”
2. “The Trial”
• Pink puts himself on
trial for not being
completely without
feelings. The Worm
sentences him to be
‘exposed’
3. “Outside the Wall”
• Is it really so bad to be
exposed to love?
THE WALL – SIDE 2
2

o “Autonomous or isolated?
o Are we all islands, or is
(emotional) connection
possible/desirable?
o Is yesterday’s pain today’s
burden?
o Being part of a
community:
• Good? Support
• Bad? Exclusion of others
WHEN READING/LISTENING TO THE WALL
3

Talking About Leadership, Ethics and Choice

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (20)

Similar to Talking About Leadership, Ethics and Choice

Similar to Talking About Leadership, Ethics and Choice (14)

More from Dr Sjoerd-Jeroen Moenandar

More from Dr Sjoerd-Jeroen Moenandar (7)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Talking About Leadership, Ethics and Choice