Subscribe to MWCC News Mount Wachusett Community College Professors Daniel Soucy and Jim Korman will be giving a talk and facilitating a discussion at the event Can the U.S. Constitution Save Us From 1984? taking place at the Athol Public Library from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on April 4.
The duo will discuss George Orwell’s 1984 and whether the U.S. Constitution could prevent a similar future. While built around the book, the discussion will expand beyond the book and examine the U.S. Constitution.
“We will discuss the possibility of a totalitarian government being realized through the existing logic and language of the Constitution,” said Soucy. “We will discuss how the logic of the document does not strictly prevent this possibility, yet it is more fodder for conspiracy theorists than a likely event. We will discuss actual case law to support our claims. The talk promises to be informative and fun.”
Daniel Soucy is the Chair of Liberal Arts and Sciences and a Professor of Philosophy at Mount Wachusett Community College. He completed his graduate education in Philosophy and Logic at SUNY Albany, and holds dual baccalaureate degrees in American History and Political Science from Westfield State University. His interests include: logic, the philosophy of logic, ethics, American Pragmatism (especially the works of C.S. Peirce and John Dewey), and the many intersections of philosophical learning, civic learning, and civic engagement. Daniel also serves as a member of the Medical Ethics Board for Heywood Hospital, and a Trustee of Old Sturbridge Academy.
Jim Korman is the Chair of the Legal Studies program at Mount Wachusett Community College. He graduated from Western New England Law School in 1992 with a Juris Doctor, ranking in the Top 25 percent of his class. He received his Bachelor of Arts in History graduating Magna Cum Laude from Springfield College in 1988 and has an Associates of Arts in Criminal Justice from Spring Technical Community College.
The discussion is part of the MWCC Humanities Project, which is funded by a Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. This year’s activities (which have included lectures, film screenings, and a poetry reading) are built around George Orwell’s book 1984 and what relation the world of that book has to our current way of life. A full list of activities, and more information about the Humanities Project, is available at mwcc.edu/humanitiesproject.