This Quiz covers chapters 1 and 2 of the Melchert text.
Questions and Answers
1.
Alec is intelligent, strong, and charming. He has made a fortune in business by highly risky speculation and by hostile corporate takeovers, many of which have put many people out of work. Critics call him heartless and greedy. He replies by telling them that business is war, and he's just playing the game to win. Despite his critics his efforts in business have made him one of the richest people in the country. He lives on a private island with his wife, a former supermodel from Italy. According to the Homeric ideal, is Alec a good person? Would Anaximander agree? Why or why not? Defend your answer.
2.
Shana is a research scientist studying the origins of the universe. Though she understands how difficult her subject matter is, she resolves to press on anyway seeking the truth about where the universe came from. According to Xenophanes, is her search a wise one? What advice might he give her about her hope to find the truth?
3.
How does Homer conceive of the gods? Compare and contrast the Homeric conception of the gods with that put forward by Xenophanes? In what ways are their accounts alike? In what ways are they different?
4.
Heraclitus thinks of the world as a place of constant change. If he is right about this, then what can we really know about the world? Would Parmenides be satisfied with the kind of knowledge that is possible for Heraclitus? Why or why not? Defend your answer.
5.
Imagine a large ball of clay. Now suppose that a talented sculptor takes this ball of clay and makes things out of it: miniature people, animals, trees, and so on. Then he takes the objects he has made and rolls them back into the ball of clay, which then looks exactly like it did before he made anything. Would this be a good metaphor for Parmenides' idea of the one? Why or why not? Defend your answer.
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