Assignment for Group #2, due Tuesday

Two options.

1) Answer this question, using your own instincts *and* either Silver or McKibben. Is Akin human? Beyond just asking whether he's human or not, you might also evaluate him in terms of value; for instance, one person might argue that he is fundamentally inhuman, but that this is a good thing, while another person might take the opposite side.

2) One of my favorite science fiction novels, Solaris (some of you may have seen the so-so movie version, which bears almost no resemblance to the book, a few years back), includes this fascinating line: "we are in a situation beyond morality." In a world so thoroughly altered as Lilith and Akin's world, does morality as we understand it have any meaning or relevance? While explaning what morality means *to you* as simply as possible, explain why Lilith and Akin's world is (or is not) beyond morality.

Note: As promised, the assignment for next week will be optional. If you want an additional grade (regardless of your group), then do it - if not, don't. If you want to work on your participation grade, offer comments on one (or more!); if not, don't.