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Volume 12 Issue 1 Spring 2019 A Journal of Georgetown University’s Tocqueville Forum for Political Understanding Editor-in-Chief Mark McNiskin Managing Editor Emily X. Ren Editor-at-Large Jacob Dyson Section Editors Christof Kuehne and Aidan Poling (The Forum) Benjamin Brazzel (The Archive) William Leo (The Sanctuary) Carrie Connelly and Savannah Willard (The Parlor) Mark McNiskin (The Clock Tower) Digital Editor Sachin Meier Copy Editor Nathalie Danso We are announcing our new website! The editorial staff of Utraque Unum is proud to present our new digital ver- sion of the journal, which can be found at utraqueunum.org. The website will feature digital-exclusive articles and interviews, letters from readers, a complete archive of the journal's collection, and the chance to engage other readers of the journal in conversation and scholarship. In addition, each new print edition will be available to read online. We encourage our readers to check out this exciting new chapter in our story. Please direct any reader responses or letters to [email protected]. Happy reading! Acknowledgements The publication of Utraque Unum was made possible by the generous support of Bill Mumma, the Collegiate Network, and the Intercollegiate Studies Insti- tute. Additional funds were provided by the Tocqueville Forum for Political Understanding. The mission of the Tocqueville Forum for Political Understanding is to en- courage a deeper engagement with the intellectual and cultural traditions that form the basis of the American federal democratic republic. The Tocqueville Fo- rum sponsors these activities solely through the contributions of generous sup- porters of its mission. If you would like further information about supporting the Tocqueville Forum, please e-mail [email protected] or visit government.georgetown.edu/tocquevilleforum. As always, we welcome your thoughts and comments regarding this jour- nal. If you are or once were a Georgetown University student, professor or staff member we would welcome the opportunity to review your work for publica- tion in Utraque Unum. In addition to writers, we are looking for section editors, artists, graphic designers and web designers. If you wish to inquire about these positions or are interested in being added to the journal’s mailing list, please email the editors at [email protected]. About Utraque Unum Lady Justice in Her Library, by Sarah Jiang (COL ’21) Since it was founded by students of the Tocqueville Forum in 2007, the editors of Utraque Unum have worked to provide you with the best student scholarship Georgetown University has to offer. The purpose of the journal is not only to celebrate student scholarship and acquaint stu- dents with the tasks of serious writing and editing, but also to encourage reflection on complex problems in politics, in culture, and in life on the Hilltop. We strive to facilitate productive, meaningful, and judicious discourse, and believe that undergraduates represent an oft-over- looked source of thought and analysis. Within these pages, you will find essays on political theory and politics, history, philosophy and theology, arts and culture, and campus life and liberal learning. If you are interested in submitting an essay for publication inUtraque Unum or would like to receive the latest issue via mail, please email the Editor-in-Chief at [email protected]. | Utraque Unum Spring 2019 Volume 12, Issue 1 Table of Contents From the Editor-in-Chief ....................................................................1 From the Director Humanizing Political Theory, by Professor Richard Boyd . 3 The Forum (Articles on Politics and Political Theory) Crises in Venezuela, by Henry Silver . 7 Rashid Rida and the Evolution of His Thought, by Virginia Valenti . 11 The Archive (Articles on History) American Perception of China and the Anglo-Chinese Opium War, by Thomas Connelly . 19 IRA: The Irish Resistance in America, by Erica Lizza . 24 The Sanctuary (Articles on Philosophy and Religion) The Ethics of Neurolaw, by Jack Thorman . 31 Transgender Identity, Language, and the Christian God, by Solveig Baylor . 37 Plato and Nietzsche on Hope, by Michael DeFelice . 43 The Parlor (Articles on Literature and the Arts) Mortal Permanence: A Study of Self-Sacrifice, by Andisheh Kamyab . 52 Hearing the Human Struggle in Tarkovsky's Solaris, by Bianca Berman . 58 A Window of Opportunity, by Caroline Provost . 64 Tess Trumps Alec: An Analysis of the Murder of Alec d’Urberville, by George Grigg . 67 The Clock Tower (Articles on Georgetown) “During the base-ball season confessors have far fewer mortal sins”: Georgetown’s Catholicism Through America’s National Pastime, by Julia Greenwood . 69 History of the Philodemic Society, Pt. II, by Jonathan Marrow . 74 The Editor’s Desk ear Reader, I started writing in books in earnest soon after I came to Georgetown. Before college, I Dsaw it as a taboo activity, only acceptable with well-worn books already heavily highlighted or underlined. I remember returning my lightly-marked up copy of Dubliners to my 12th grade English teacher, prepared to deny everything, or possibly to flee the classroom, if she happened to page through it. Now, two and a half years later, it is hard for me to read a book without a pencil in my hand, underlining especially meaningful passages and furiously scribbling messy notes in the margins. This activity changes the text in a literal, physical sense, as the pages come to contain markings and words which the author did not put there. I believe that it also changes the text in a more substantial sense. Writing in a book captures the unique relationship between yourself and the words on the page. It creates a new text which is preserved for you to discover later, whether you are revisiting the book after many years or returning to an assigned text for a final paper. Nowhere is the value of writing in books clearer to me than when I have reread a book I previ- ously marked up. In addition to comments on certain passages and connections to other works, I often write the names of friends or family members in the margins of a text, and even ideas from conversations of which the book reminded me. These comments are always a joy to rediscover. They contain a mixture of humorously ‘earth-shattering’ insights which I have long since moved past, serious thoughts that produce deep reflection, and memories I frequently find that I have forgotten. They give me glimpses of how I thought about the book in the context of my life when I first read it, and even of who I was then. At Georgetown, we hear a lot about the virtues of “dialogue,” which adopts many forms. Class discussions, panel events, and political debates are all different types of dialogue which push us to explain our views and defend our positions. The university administration frequently reminds the student body of its commitment to diversity, which it pursues at least in part to improve our edu- cational experience by encouraging dialogue between students from different cultural backgrounds. In my Intro to Philosophy class, I learned that Plato’s philosophical works take the form of conversa- tions between people earnestly seeking the truth. Each of these types of dialogue between individu- als is important. However, by writing in books, I hope to stimulate dialogue both between myself and the text and, crucially, between myself as I was and myself as I am now. In her essay “On Keep- ing a Notebook,” Joan Didion writes, “I think we are well advised to keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be whether we find them attractive company or not.” I wholeheartedly second that idea, with one modification: I think it is important to keep on speaking terms with the people we used to be, to the extent that it is possible to do so. I have found education, and particularly my time in college, to be an intensely personal process characterized by large identity shifts. I am not the same person who I was when I started college. One major purpose of education is to take these in- evitable personal changes in hand—to control who we are today and who we will become tomorrow. It is easy to lose ourselves amidst the hectic pace of life on the Hilltop. We can get so wrapped up in our work and in dialogue with others, whether academic or social, that we neglect to look within. There are many ways to do this. Some people keep a journal, while others meditate. The Jesuits have the Daily Examen, with which they reflect on the day, seek God’s presence in their lives, and look to tomorrow. I write in books, to keep a record of who I used to be and of the ideas and passions I had at a particular moment in my life. It helps me trace how I became the person I am now, and maybe even helps me decide who I will be in the future. As you read the fantastic articles in this semester’s edition of Utraque Unum, I hope you reach insights that carry not only intellectual, but also personal significance. The work that follows in this journal is well worth marking up and revisiting. For that I have the authors to thank: each of them dedicated themselves to painstakingly perfecting papers that were already excellent, a crucial yet taxing activity which I consider the most difficult step of the writing process. I owe a great debt of gratitude to Jake Dyson, whose unmatched hard work over the past two years has ensured that the journal is not only still alive but thriving. To Jake and to our other seniors, Benjamin Brazzel and William Leo, I wish the best of luck, although none of them will need it.