Intersecting Wisdom: Dalai Lama and Jonathan Gottschall on Compassion and Fiction
Carefully read "Compassion and the Individual" by the Dalai Lama, and consider how he would react to one of the other essays we have read this semester (you pick which one). Explain what points he would agree with, which ones he might question, and why you think so. You may write your answer as a traditional essay ("The Dalai Lama would agree with X, but I think he might actually take issue with statements like Y and Z") or even as an imagined dialogue between the two authors.
Textual evidence from both essays, in-text citations and a correct Works Cited page is required. Follow MLA style closely because this is part of you grade.
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Intersecting Wisdom: Dalai Lama and Jonathan Gottschall on Compassion and Fiction
Introduction
We examine how the Dalai Lama's article "Compassion and the Individual" and Jonathan Gottschall's essay "Why Fiction Is Good for You" overlap with their respective viewpoints on morality, human nature, and wellbeing. The Dalai Lama's emphasis on happiness and compassion collides with Gottschall's claim that fiction significantly influences moral development and worldview enhancement. This essay aims to clarify these two writers' possible agreement and disagreement to provide insight into the Dalai Lama's likely response to Gottschall's opinions.
Points of Agreement
Happiness as a Universal Goal
The Dalai Lama and Jonathan Gottschall believe happiness is a basic human desire. Tibetan Buddhism and the Dalai Lama emphasize joy as the main objective of life. He claims that everyone has an intrinsic yearning for contentment present from birth and unaffected by cultural, ideological, or educational factors (Dalai Lama, 1). The Dalai Lama shares Gottschall's understanding of the universality of the human experience, according to which the pursuit of happiness is a unifying factor for all people. This common viewpoint highlights the significance of comprehending and addressing the universal desire for fulfillment that cuts across many circumstances and