White Teeth Lesson Plan

Consider Marcus Chalfen's interaction with the young woman reading his book at the airport. How is his reaction representative of the broader outlook (and weaknesses) of "Chalfenism"?

Marcus engages with her because she is reading his book about his transgenic mice. She expresses some apprehension about genetic engineering, with one objection about the sanctity of life and another about the potential implications for things like eugenics. Marcus, on the other hand, dismisses these claims not on the grounds that they are wrong, but that they don't fully appreciate the situation. He presumes that is position is the correct one, and that is his warrant for dismissing others....