Intellectual Heritage A (Fall 2007) - Final

Instructions

Please answer 4 of the following questions. You have at most 1,200 words (roughly 4 pages, double-spaced, Arial, 12 point font) in which to answer all 4 questions.

The final exam is due by midnight Thursday, December 13th. You must post you exam answers through Turn It In. The link is on the assignments section on Blackboard.

Answer 1 Question from 1-2:

1. Explain Sappho's poem that begins "Some say that a band of cavalry."

2. In book 2 of The Republic," Plato's character Glaucon argues that people only act justly if they lack the power to do injustice. Explain Glaucon's argument for this claim.

Answer 2 Questions from 3-6:

3. In Exodus, God sends Moses to ask Pharaoh to release the Jews, but God repeatedly "hardens the heart" of Pharaoh (ex. Exodus 4.21). Doesn't this work against Moses? What purpose does it serve to make Pharaoh stubborn?

4. In Genesis 22, God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Do you think that this is an order that Abraham should obey? Why or why not?

5. The Koran repeatedly warns that unbelievers will be punished in a hell of fire. Is it just for Allah to inflict eternal torture on those without faith? Why or why not?

6. In the Bhagavad-Gita Krishna tells Arjuna that one's body will be replaced like a pair of clothes worn by the soul. Evaluate the idea of reincarnation. Can a soul that shares none of your memories be said to be you? What marks the difference between "rebirth" and simply "birth"?

Answer 1 question from 7-8:

7. Iago masterfully executes an elaborate revenge plot against Othello, manipulating other characters with ease. However, Iago is undone by a simple oversight. Explain the irony of Iago's downfall.

8. Does Machiavelli think that it is better for a prince to be loved or feared? Explain why?