Up@dawn 2.0

Monday, May 23, 2016

Some suggested quiz questions from chapter 6-9 of The Cave and the Light

Don Enss

Chapter 7. Knowledge is Power

11.      What was Aristarchus’s theory that was an “astonishing leap into the future?”
22.      Eratosthenes used Pytheas’s book and performed some calculations to formulate a thesis that took    1,500 years to prove. What was that thesis?
33.      Archimedes was the first mathematician to use the concept of ____________ in his work. It is the  cornerstone of calculus.
44.      What was a basic Aristotelian principle that Archimedes grasped from his years at Alexandria?

Chapter 8. Hole in the Soul: Plato and Aristotle in Rome

11.      “an Archimedean problem” was Cicero’s pet phrase for what?
22.      What was the intellectual breakthrough that Polybius had that became a model for all historians in  the future?
33.      In researching and writing his Histories, Polybius “hit upon the Roman’s one fatal weakness. What  was it?
44.      The balance between what two concepts does Cicero believe is essential for the future of all free  men?

Chapter 9. Dancing in the Light: The Birth of Neoplatonism

11.      What is the term that described the emptiness and meaninglessness that “Rome’s finest minds and  spirits,” felt about the “empire’s unparalleled prosperity and splendor?”
22.      According to Herman, who is the first romantic anthropologist?
33.      What is Seneca’s solution to life’s inevitable cruelties?

44.      According to Herman, Plotinus “was one of the most important and influential thinkers to appear    between Aristotle and Saint Augustine.” What school of thought is he credited with founding?

1 comment:

  1. Great quiz questions, Don. Remember, all, you can answer any of his (or anyone else's) in lieu of mine.

    And since these 12 "bases" earn Don 3 runs and will probably put him over 5, remember that whenever you do that you can still log the additional runs as "extra bases." They won't count on the scorecard but they'll earn you the moral equivalent of bonus points - whatever "moral" might mean, in this context, maybe kind of like William James's misunderstood "moral equivalent of war" idea.

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