Task Compilation 1

Module 2

Aspa, Llewellyn Ann N.

GED104/A31

Submitted on: October 16, 2020

Exercise 1. Reading Comprehension Task
1. What is the framework of de-development of rich countries all about?
De-development states that poor countries should stop to “catch up” with rich countries
and instead, rich countries should “catch down” to poor countries. This does not
necessarily mean that rich countries should stop their economy or become poor as well.
This just means that GDP is not a basis of how well the country is doing. This promotes the
stopping of overproducing. Overproducing does not only affects the society but all the
environment. If overproducing continues for a long time, there will be loss of food, natural
resources, and necessary resources. De-development does not promote of giving up or
harsh limits on humans but this helps them to develop their understanding and
consciousness.
2. How is the de-development framework different from traditional frameworks of
development?
Traditional frameworks of development is promoting continuous growth to all countries.
Even the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals promote growth to save the world.
However, for the past years, growth has always been the goal of all countries and yet the
world has not changed. GDPs on some countries may have increased but the number of
people living on poverty has increased as well. Than plan of needing more growth is
actually not an adequate solution because we are already overshooting the planet’s
biocapacity. US has a high GDP but consumes a large hectare while other some Latin
countries have lower GDPs and uses only small hectares but are actually appropriately
developed countries. The difference between de-development and the traditional
development is that growth in economy is not necessary in de-development. It only needs
to take environment into account as the economy is being improved. Overproduction is the
main problem of de-development that is wishes to execute.
3. According to Hickel, how can rich countries de-develop?
The rich countries can de-develop by stopping their habits of overproducing. They
should also leave behind the idea of growth that they believe that will help the world. Rich
countries should also stop consuming large hectares and natural resources. Overproducing
 of different products will lead to a lot of products being discarded as not all of them will be
consumed. This also shows that money for the production and natural resources used were
just wasted. Rich countries should not focus on increasing their GDP because this is not
really the best way to measure the wellness of a country. There are other countries that do
not have a high GDP but are considered sustainable developed countries and has a high
happiness index.
4. Why does Hickel frown upon pundits using terms such as de-growth, zero growth, or de-
development in describing an alternative framework?
Though these words are accurate, they seem off-putting especially for those who are not
on board with the idea. This makes the words look repulsive since the idea is against human
progress which is the point of life. This makes de-developing looks like it actually oppose
positive outlook on life, improvement, and growth. However, the truth is de-developing is
not actually against growth. It only promotes growth in understanding the whole picture and
being more conscious.
5. Some people might think that de-development is about giving things up. How does Hickel
explain that this is not the case?
Hickel explained that de-development is not really about giving up but it is actually about
gaining deeper understanding and consciousness about what really is happening around us.
Moreover, this gives the world a chance to save the environment and save resources as the
economy is still well.
Exercise 2: Personal Consumption Audit

My Personal Consumption Audit

Product/Food Average daily, No. of hours/days I Impact of this ‘de-
weekly, or reduce/do away developing’ on my
monthly amount with everyday living
consumed
Playing Six (6) hours/day Four (4) hours/day By reducing the number of
video/online hours of playing video
games games, I can be more
productive in school works.

Watching movies Six (6) hours/day Five (5) hours/day This will help me rest my
and series eyes for a longer time and
finish my tasks.
Junk food Three (3) Two (2) packs/day By reducing this, I can be
packs/day healthier and actually save
more food until the next
resupply.
Phone cases Three (3) cases/ six One (1) case/ six This will save more money
months months and more resources. There
will be no more wasted
phone cases around the
house.
Lying in bed Four (4) hours/day Two (2) hours/day This pertains to being lazy
and just lying in the bed. By
reducing this, I can be more
productive or exercise
instead.
Assignment 6: Documentary Film Analysis
1. Why was C. S. Lewis very much a skeptic and critic of scientism? Was he against
science?
2. How did C. S. Lewis explain the following?
2.1. science as religion
2.2. science as credulity
2.3. science as power
3. Why did C. S. Lewis think that modern science is far more dangerous than magic?
4. Why did C. S. Lewis become increasingly concerned about the rise of scientocracy? How
does scientocracy relate to scientism?
5. Based on what you learned in the documentary film, how does scientism pose a threat to
the human person flourishing in science and technology? Why would science be guided
by an ethical basis that is not dictated by science itself?