Anecdotes, Facts, Examples for GS and Essay
This thread is meant to be a repository of interesting anecdotes/news articles/facts/examples/case studies which we can use in our essay and GS papers. In my experience, listing these things down somewhere is not enough to ensure that we are able to use them in the exam. Therefore let us discuss and debate so that we can internalize them.
I will start. As per SIPRI, world spent $2 trillion on military in 2020. Jeffery Sachs estimates that we need around $3.5 trillion spread over 20 years to eliminate global poverty. So if we are able to cut down our military expenditures for few years we will have enough money to deal with problems such as poverty and climate change. A lesson for ethics in international relations?
The thing you wrote about writing & posting the stuff is not enough is so so true. We shall try to discuss when we get off time. I had made some good compilation on various book about poverty including Jeffery Sachs ka books. I'll try pen the crux of it down when I get some time.
@nerdfighter I think "stop, think andapply" should be motto. The best thing would be if we are able to use such things in the next test or the practice answers we write. But I am myself struggling with this. I have read so much interesting stuff during the course of my preparation, but none of it reflects in my answers.
Exactly. I actually read shit tonnes of books in college, more than I care to admit. But I did not have any recollection mechanism then.
Walter Lippman's Book 'Public Opinion'
For Lippman, the world was too complex for an ordinary individual to comprehend. In order to make sense of it, people carried a mental image of the world inside their heads. These pictures were what drove groups or individuals to act in society in the name of Public Opinion.
A strong democracy, therefore, needs institutions and media that help in creating the most accurate interpretations of the world in the minds of the people.
But this isn’t easy. Lippman was worried democracy relied on something so irrational as a public opinion that takes shape in the minds of poorly informed and easily manipulated people. For Lippman, policymakers and experts should use narratives for ‘manufacture of consent’ among people which enables public opinion to be channelled in a manner that’s consistent with what’s good for society. Lippman believed persuasion and the knowledge of how to create consent through ‘propaganda’ will change politics in the age of mass media. Walter Lippmann’s Public Opinion, published in 1922, is one of the most persuasive critique of democracy. Shortly after it was published, John Dewey, the great defender of democracy and the most important American philosopher of the era, called Lippmann’s book “the most effective indictment of democracy as currently conceived.”
(I'll edit this post as I get more time. This isn't very clear. Just copy pasted it from my notes for now)
Further Readings:
https://www.vox.com/2018/8/9/17540448/walter-lippmann-democracy-trump-brexit
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1919/11/the-basic-problem-of-democracy/569095/
nerdfighter,@nerdfighter Is the "narrow corridor" meant to be the ideal state of things? (have not seen the video. it is too long :P)
Yes. And I will try to write down the summary soon.
sbhati,
More insights on what makes a good essay?
Hi, I think scores may have been different if someone else valued it; so, some of the following , if not all, might be useless. I scored very poorly in all my essay mocks last time, but got decent feedback on forum.
My learnings are as follows:
1. Adopting an argumentative method of writing the essay, as opposed to a method where you simply elaborate on the given topic may pay rich dividends. For instance, if I got a topic “There can be no social justice without economic prosperity but economic prosperity without social justice is meaningless”, I would broadly engage with the following ideas: a) Can there be social justice without economic prosperity; b) Is economic prosperity a precondition for social justice; c) Is economic prosperity without social justice meaningless or can economic prosperity be a gateway to greater social justice? Rather than adopting an approach where I would simply elaborate on the given topic by touching upon different topics, I adopted a style where I wasn’t afraid of going against the topic if I had cogent reasons to do so. Then of course, where it was apt, I did add in quotes, but only if I could connect it directly with the point I was making. For example, in the above topic, I remember using “The opposite of poverty is not wealth. The opposite of poverty is justice.”
2. Presenting ideas and arguments, and having a logical flow to them rather than jumping around different dimensions of the same topic helps.
3. Staying authentic. I felt presenting ideas that are internalised adds more value than giving a great number of facts or examples or quotes.
4. A run of the mill essay can be boring. An essay which is a bit off beat can be high risk, but highly rewarding. Striking a conversation with the examiner helps, because majority of aspirants fail to do this.
5. Pick a topic which you can connect with. Popular advice is to avoid philosophical essays as much as you can. I felt comfortable with them because they are open to interpretation. I wrote on the essay “Mindful manifesto is the catalyst to a tranquil self.” That topic, at least to my interpretation, struck I chord with where I was at that point in my life. So, I felt I could present my ideas well.
6. Spending way too much time brainstorming can be counterproductive. Having a broad idea of the arguments you would engage with, and a reasonable idea about the specific points that you can quote on the way might be enough. If I spend too much time brainstorming, I overcomplicate. I think writing an essay gives you ideas along the way. Do use them because they might be your best ones. However, be careful not to deviate from the topic.
7. What gets valued is your thought process, not your knowledge.
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