Student Journal

by Veronica Gould

A civil war ends when an authoritarian leader takes over the city. A woman tries to bury the body of her brother, but is forbidden by the leader. She speaks out against him, and becomes a rebel against the regime in the process. The rebel is killed by the leader, and yet this causes the leader’s regime to collapse.

This is the story of Antigone, the ancient Greek play by Sophocles, which details the conflict between the authoritarian leader, Kreon, and the woman who speaks out against him, Antigone. The play tells the story not only of the complex political conflict between these two characters, but also shows the psychological motivations that drive them. In this way, it offers a perfect case study for the ideas that Sigmund Freud presents in Civilization and its Discontents.

by Winston Tingle

It was in the late 19th century that Friedrich Nietzsche launched his famous attack against religion and its moral precepts. Since the time of Nietzsche’s writing, Western society has only become more secular. Perhaps as we attempt to situate ourselves in the new world we are still just beginning to find ourselves in, it might be prudent to examine his account of religious thought. While some of Nietzsche’s claims about religion can be taken generally, that is, in regard to all religion, Nietzsche’s critique ends up being largely directed toward Judeo-Christian groups in Europe—religious traditions and theologies that were influential in his time and part of the world. Nietzsche’s arguments in On the Genealogy of Morality are nevertheless taken as one of the strongest attacks on religion in the Western philosophical tradition. A critique that actually sets up the problem of the modern self: without divine warrant for any particular set of behaviors and attitudes, how are we supposed to understand and conduct our lives?

by Gurnoor Kaur Suri

Literary work on Gandhi is marked by phenomenal abundance. What accompanies this abundance are two extremities of such analyses: viewing Gandhi as either a highly politicisedIndian icon or a holy man who revolutionized the conventional perception of being “holy.” Such wide distinctions in the way that he is understood makes it challenging for us to bridge the two together. I do not wish to restrict my perception of Gandhi to one fixed quarter while also acknowledging my strong belief in him persisting as a moral, instead of a political, icon—his philosophy shaping, and in some forms, triumphing his politics.