Notes: Regardless of which option you follow, you should write in the form of an essay with a clear thesis statement, and use detailed textual support (page references and/or quotes).
Option 1: Most of you proposed assignments connecting science and religion, which would ask you to think about the future of religion itself, and whether religion and science are compatible over the long run. Here’s my version.
Take one precise passage, in which Silver poses a direct challenge to religious belief -- possibly your own. Without distorting or ignoring the facts as you understand them (you may go beyond Silver, but stick to *scientific* sources, not random junk from the internet), discuss what impact you imagine this *particular* set of scientific facts will have upon religion in the decades and centuries to come. I believe this assignment will allow most of you to write about what interests you.
Ironically, this reminds me of an assignment I gave years ago when I taught “Bible as Literature” over the summer.
Option 2 (following Andre): Showing detailed awareness of Silver’s book, especially of the material in part 2, write an essay in which you propose a definition of “human nature” or “the human” which you both agree with and are prepared to argue survives Silver’s various challenges to conventional understandings of human behavior.
Option 3 (following Brian): Analyze one or more personal anecdotes offered by Silver in depth, focusing on these two issues:
1) Are personal anecdotes appropriate in this kind of writing?
2) Do they strengthen his argument, or simply distract us from it?
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