Friday, December 2, 2022

Foundations Final Exam 2023

Greetings Foundations Students...

If you are here, I presume it means you are preparing for your Final Exam. Below I have posted a PDF of the exam essay prompts, exactly what I will hand you on the day of the test. Below that, every question is posted with any resources I thought might help you to formulate an answer. Good luck, and I will see you on test day.
Exam Schedule:
  • 7th Period: the FIRST Exam on Wednesday, December 13, 2023.

Section I: The Three Western Worldviews (Choose ONE; 20 pts)
  • [1] Briefly explain the Problem of Perception, and why the problem is fundamental to philosophy. Explain how each of the three Western Worldviews has tried to address this problem with respect to epistemology and ontology (and make sure you define those terms). What is the problem with looking at any of these solutions as "more right" than another?

    [Presentations: Premodernism, Modernism, Postmodernism; For fun, watch this.]

  • [2] Describe the three major worldview shifts in the history of Western thought in terms of their basic beliefs with respect to metaphysics, epistemology, ontology, and anthropology. Explain what brought about each shift, and what was gained and lost with each

    [Presentations: Premodernism, Modernism, Postmodernism]

  • [3] What is the "Great Chain of Being?" Discuss how this concept addresses issues in philosophy such as Change ("Becoming") and Permanence ("Being"), the problem of "Nothing" and the existence of mind/consciousness. Contrast this concept with ancient Atomism (modern Materialism) and how it addresses those same problems.
  • [4] Explain Anselm's Ontological Argument, and the concepts from Classical philosophy necessary to understand it properly. Why do most modern Materialists like the "New Atheists" misunderstand the argument? Why is the argument nevertheless considered problematic even by Theists such as St Thomas Aquinas?

Section II: Morality, History and Art (Choose ONE; 20 pts)

  • [5] Explain why the question of Morality's objectivity or subjectivity matters to philosophy. Both Modernism and Postmodernism ultimately see Morality as subjective. Explain why, and explain what value, if any, each worldview sees for morality as a social construct. In your answer, explain the Modern attempts to find a new grounding for morality, and use Nietzsche's critique of Judeo-Christianity to explain the Postmodern suspicion of moral claims.
[Presentation: Morality I]
  • [6] Explain the Meno Problem, and how Plato's Theory of Recollection was intended to resolve it. Relate that theory to Plato's concept of Form, his belief in reincarnation, and his understanding of virtue as a kind of knowledge (and vice as ignorance), analogous to but not exactly like knowledge of a techne like medicine or navigation. Finally, explain the cardinal virtues and their role in living the "examined life."
[Presentation: Morality II]
  • [7] Discuss the concepts that are the basis of Aristotle's understanding of Virtue as "eudaimonia," including teleology, hylomorphism, Substance, the Four Causes, Act and Potency. Using life issues such as abortion or euthanasia, how does Aristotle's philosophy explain Catholic beliefs about human life and personhood?
[Presentation: Morality III]
  • [8] Modern historiography (the so-called Historical-Critical Method) is rooted in a fact/value distinction and probability model that are intended to make the discipline as "scientific" as possible. Explain the problem with this method (does it detect history, or create it?), and its limitations. Why is the method of limited value when it comes to answering questions about the historicity of a sacred text like the Bible?

    [Presentation: History II]

  • [9] It is sometimes said that "History is written by the winners." What does this mean, what is the "problem" with it, and how does Orwell's 1984 illustrate the philosophic relevance of this claim? How is the interpretation or meaning of an historical event understood differently in each of the three periods of Western thought?

    [Presentation: History I]

  • [10] Why is Art/Aesthetics an important topic in philosophy? How does each of the three periods of Western thought understand the meaning of a work of art, both in terms of its objectivity/subjectivity, and where such meaning might originate? 

    [Presentation: Aesthetics I]

  • [11] Using the gospel accounts of Jesus' Last Supper and Passion in Mark and John, and Da Vinci's painting The Last Supper, explain the Premodern understanding of the objectivity of meaning in art and history, and how it differs from the modern/postmodern understanding of each. Why is it important to understand the premodern perspective in order to avoid mistaken judgments of "accuracy" with respect to ancient art and historiography? 

Section III: Plato (Choose ONE; 20 pts)

  • [12] What is 'Sophistry'? Why was it so successful in ancient Athens? What was Socrates' problem with it? To what extent and in what ways might the contemporary West be seen as analogous to the end of the Athenian Golden Age and the rise of Athenian Sophistry? 

  • [13] What are the three definitions for justice/morality proposed to Socrates in Book One of the Republic? How does he respond to each? Why does the first book end in aporia? What definition does Socrates ultimately propose for justice, and what does he mean by it? 

  • [14] What are Glaucon's three ways in which a thing can be good? What type of good does Glaucon think that justice is, and how does the legend of Gyges' ring make his point? What type of good does Socrates think that justice is, and why?

  • [15] What is 'music' in (Pythagorean and) Platonic thought? What is Plato's attitude towards music? Why are music and philosophy a threat to one another? What place is there for music in the Just city? Contemporary American culture understands the control of 'music' by government to be censorship and the restriction of freedom of expression. Explain why Plato thinks that this is an illusion. But then answer this: Specifically within the context of democracy (as opposed to the Kallipolis), would Plato still be opposed to 'artistic freedom'?

  • [16] Bloom claims that 'students today know exactly why Plato takes music so seriously.' What does he mean by this, and why does he think Plato's perspective is particularly important today? Do you agree or disagree, and why? Bloom also argues that the point of rock music can be reduced to one thing –regardless of the lyrical content of a given song. What is this one thing, and why don't the lyrics matter?

  • [17] Bloom states that 'Indignation is the soul's defense against the wound of doubt about its own; it reorders the cosmos to support the justice of its cause.' Explain this statement and its relevance to his discussion of music. How is this related to Plato's understanding of how music influences the soul?

  • [18] Much of the Republic can be summarized in one key question: Who will rule the city, its poets or its philosophers? Explain why Plato thinks this question is so important and how he thinks it should be answered. Agree or disagree with Plato, and explain why.

  • [19] Explain Plato's concept of the 'Tripartite Soul,' and how it relates to his claim that the city is the soul 'writ large.' If Plato is right, what can be said about the state of the 'soul' of the contemporary West?
  • [20] *Explain Plato's Doctrine of the Forms. Compare/contrast it with the metaphysical or cosmological perspective typical of modernity (i.e. the relationship between being, becoming, knowledge, and opinion). Include in your answer a discussion of the Form of the Good (and why Plato allegorizes it as being like the sun), and an explanation for why the doctrine holds such appeal for Christian theology.

  • [21] *Explain the Regime Taxonomy found in the closing books of the Republic. Describe each regime giving past or present examples of each, and discuss how Plato uses the parallel examples of family structures to explain why each regime ultimately degrades.

Section IV: Where do you stand? (Choose ONE; 40 Pts)

  • [22] Imagine the following scenario:  You are married and in your 40s. You and your spouse have raised a daughter whom you have just helped move into her dorm room to begin her freshman year in college. She has always been a responsible person and academically gifted and disciplined, with a life of great potential ahead of her. One day, she excitedly calls to tell you she wants to go on a rock climbing trip with some of her new friends from college, and you reluctantly encourage her. A few days later, you receive a phone call from a hospital telling you that your daughter slipped while climbing, her restraints failed to prevent a serious fall, and that she is currently on life support. You are urged to get there as soon as possible, because her doctors fear that she will not survive the night. When you arrive, you are told that your daughter is in a coma, and if she does recover she will need extensive and prolonged reconstructive surgery. Then her doctor tells you the following:

    "I know that you are currently filled with much fear and anguish, and that you probably feel like you're about to fall apart and you cannot function. Strange as it may sound, this is actually because you are experiencing a biochemical and neurological process to which we have given the label 'love,' that is probably just some sort of evolutionary survival mechanism and really no longer necessary. If you would like, I can prescribe a pill for you that will restore those processes to normal, and you will be able to function normally without all of the terrible feelings you are now experiencing. You will be indifferent to your daughter's condition, but your indifference won't bother you and the fact is there isn't anything you can do about her condition anyway. You might also be concerned that if your daughter awakens from her coma and you are not here she will miss your presence and this might in some way negatively impact her recovery, but we can administer the same drug to her as well, and she will feel fine. She will be just as indifferent to your absence as you are to her condition."

    Would you take the drug? Why or why not? Before you answer (lest you think the answer a simple one), read the accompanying article entitled "Could We Reduce Love to a Pill," which might complicate things a bit…Whatever your answer, be sure to think it through philosophically.

  • [23] (This question assumes the scenario from #22) Now suppose that your spouse was out of the country when the accident happened, and there was no way that s/he could get to the hospital in time to be by your daughter’s side during her time of need…at least not by conventional means of travelling. But imagine that a new method of travelling by teleportation has been developed, by means of which your spouse could travel anywhere in the world almost instantly. This new technology is controversial and not widely available, but every time it has been used it has appeared to work flawlessly. The teleporter works by putting you to sleep, breaking down the atomic composition of your body, mapping it out completely, then reconstructing that composition precisely in another teleportation chamber. People who have used the teleporter appear to emerge from it exactly the same as they were when they went in, but the controversy surrounding the technology has to do with various theories regarding what the machine actually does. Advocates claim that the machine causes no permanent harm to the traveler, as has been confirmed by numerous studies of health and memory conducted on people who have used the machine. But critics argue that the problem with the machine has to do with what happens when the traveler is deconstructed- they argue that at that point, the person is actually killed, and that the person who emerges from the machine, while identical in every materially measurable way, is simply not the same person. So, while the machine appears harmless, it is in fact deadly. In light of what is at stake, would you encourage your spouse to use the machine? Why or why not? Keep in mind that, to answer this question adequately, you must in some way explain what “you” are…and relate that explanation to the justification of your choice. (In other words, you must attempt to answer the Anthropological question)

    [Just for fun: Watch this, or this]

  • [24] If those two questions cause you stress, I offer a third option, based on a rather famous problem in philosophy called "Mary in the Black and White Room" (or "The Knowledge Problem," or "Mary's Room"). Imagine that there is a scientist named Mary who has lived the entirety of her life in a room where everything is black and white (yes- this includes her perception of herself), and she has only been able to observe the outside world indirectly via a television monitor that is also black and white. In other words, Mary has never actually experienced the full spectrum of the phenomenon of "color." Her scientific expertise is in the process of human sense perception, specifically the functioning of the human eye. She knows how the eye functions in relation to the central nervous system and the brain, and when she sees someone on the TV make an observation about the color of an object (such as, "This apple is green, but this one is red, and this one is golden.") she knows everything about the corresponding physiological processes taking place in the human body, and everything about the relevant physical properties of color (such as wavelength) necessary to provide an exhaustive physical and scientific explanation of what is happening. Suppose one night while Mary is sleeping, someone sneaks into the room and replaces the black and white TV with a color TV. When Mary wakes up the next morning and turns on the TV, will she learn anything new? Explain your answer in light of what you (think you) have learned in this class this semester.

  • [25] Explain the purpose of the "Allegory of the Cave" in Plato's Republic, and explain how it was spiritualized by Early Christianity. What is it about the Allegory specifically and Platonic philosophy generally that the Early Church found to be so amenable to the Judeo-Christian concept of God? The Catholic and Orthodox traditions tend to see Plato as a sort of proto-Christian, the pagan equivalent to an Old Testament prophet whose philosophy was fulfilled by Christianity; on the other hand, some Protestant thinkers consider the Hellenization of the Early Church to be a corruption of Christian thought. The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once famously described Christianity as "Platonism for the masses." With which perspective do you agree, and why?

    [Presentation: Socrates, Plato, the Republic, and the Allegory of the Cave]

  • The Mystery Question. Don't worry about it. It probably won't be of interest to you anyway.


The Presentations

  • Worldviews: Aesthetics I
    Powerpoint PDF 
  • Worldviews: Aesthetics II
    Powerpoint PDF 
  • Worldviews: Science and Religion I
    Powerpoint PDF 
  • Worldviews: Science and Religion II
    Powerpoint PDF 

  • Classical Realism: Socrates
    Powerpoint PDF
  • Classical Realism: Plato and the Republic, Book I
    Powerpoint PDF
  • Classical Realism: Plato and the Republic, Book II
    Powerpoint PDF
  • Classical Realism: Plato and the Republic, Book III
    Powerpoint PDF 

The Allegory of the Cave, from the Benjamin Jowett translation, narrated by Orson Welles.


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Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Theology 10 Semester Exam Review

Let The Good Times Roll...

Below you will find everything you need to prepare for the Semester Exam, which is currently scheduled for the following time:
        • 1st Period: The FIRST Exam on Monday, December 11.
        • 2nd Period: The SECOND Exam on Monday, December 11.
        • 3rd Period: The FIRST Exam on Tuesday, December 12.


This exhilarating examination experience features four festive parts purported to provide pedagogical pleasure:

 Section I: Take Home Project
You were given the prompt for this in class, and all information necessary to complete it should be found in your notes. If it's not there, I shall weep for you, briefly. This project should be shared with me by Monday December 4 by midnight. Here's a link to the prompt, just in case you want to look at it for sentimental reasons.

Section II: Multiple Choice
There will be 100 multiple choice questions on the exam, taken from the form embedded below. The questions cover everything we have learned so far this semester. Please be aware that there are [TBD] practice questions on this form, and while only 100 will appear on the test, there will be multiple versions of the test, meaning you could potentially see any of these questions.
  • 100 Multiple Choice Questions, 1 point per question, 100 points total this section.
  • If you right click in the frame below and then select Reload Frame from the menu, the questions and answers will be re-scrambled.
MAKE SURE YOU ARE LOGGED IN TO YOUR STUDENT GOOGLE ACCOUNT
to access this form, otherwise it will not work.
Section III: The Exam Essays
Choose TWO of the essays listed below, and be prepared to answer them in class on the day of the exam. You may not use any notes on exam day, but you may certainly prepare your answer in advance. The essays you choose are the ones you answer- you do not need to be prepared to answer any questions other than those two from this list.
  • TWO Essays, 35 points each, 70 points total this section.

  1. Explain the Documentary Theory. Why is the question of Mosaic authorship an important one for Jews and Christians? What are the problems with the Torah that have caused scholars to question Mosaic authorship? What are the sources proposed in the Documentary Theory? How does the Theory shed light on the composition and interpretation of the Torah?

  2. Briefly explain the Deuteronomistic Cycle (or "Cycle of Salvation History"). What is the relevance of the cycle to the interpretation of the Torah and Nevi'im? Explain how the story of the Healing of the Paralytic in the Synoptic Gospels is meant to challenge or respond to the assumptions of the cycle.
  3. Why does Catholic/Christian philosophy understand God's creation of the cosmos as "ex nihilo"? What does this mean, and what are the philosophical problems this doctrine is meant to address? Do the Creation Stories in Genesis support or undermine this doctrine? Why?
  4. Explain the Priestly Cosmology in Genesis. Which two stories in the Primeval History assume this cosmology, how do we know, and what is this cosmology used to explain?
  5. Explain how key Biblical themes that are illustrated in the Second Creation Story in Genesis repeat in later stories in the Primeval History, such as Cain and Abel, the story of the Nephilim, the Flood, and the Tower of Babel. What is the main point of this repetition of themes? What "paradox" about the creation of humanity are these stories meant to point out?
  6. Explain how the Second Creation Story in Genesis illustrates the aspects of the Biblical concept of Sin. What is sin, and what are its consequences? What is "The Fall"? How is the Bible's claim that Abraham's "faith was credited to him as righteousness" related to the problem of sin and the Fall?
  7. Why does it matter whether or not God punishes Adam and Eve in the story of the Fall, as opposed to simply describing the consequences of their actions? How is this issue particularly relevant to the portrayal of Eve?
  8. In some Christian art, either Mary or Jesus is portrayed as standing on a snake. Why? What is the Biblical basis of this depiction. Be sure to explain why BOTH have been portrayed this way in your answer.
  9. Explain St. Augustine's doctrine of Original Sin. How is it illustrated by the story of the Fall in Genesis? How is this theme carried forward in the Primeval History, and how is the Call of Abraham related to it?
  10. Explain the Black Sea Flood Theory. What is its significance for Biblical interpretation, specifically with respect to the Flood Narratives in Genesis? If the theory is true, does it make the Genesis Flood story "historical"? Why or why not?
  11. Discuss the relevance of the book of Genesis to New Testament interpretation, focusing on the following stories/characters:

Adam and Eve, the Serpent, and the Garden of Eden

Abraham and the Binding of Isaac

Joseph and His Brothers



Section IV: I Lied.
Look, it was just a lot easier to be alliterative with the word "four" than with "three." If you didn't get that joke, then maybe you aren't paying as much attention to this review page as you should be...



How To Study...
There are 220 total points on this test, but your points correct will be taken out of 200, meaning there are 20 extra credit points built in. So how should you study? Do the following:
  • First, get that Mandatory Project done if you haven't already. Don't procrastinate any more on that thing. It'll feel like an albatross around your neck. You'll get stressed. You'll get nervous and sweaty, and nobody likes that.
  • Second, master the Multiple Choice. This is where most of the points on the test come from, so make sure you know it. Besides, I spent a lot of time on the Google Form with the practice questions, and I did that all for you. Because I'm nice like that. 
  • Third, prepare the essays that seem easiest to you, given what you had to learn for the Multiple Choice. Don't stress over the essays too much... if nothing else, you can cobble together something from the answers to the other questions on the test.

The Class Presentations
If you need them, I've provided links to PDFs of the PowerPoints I used in class. Remember that you are always required to take notes, and you are expected to have your notes in class every day, so if you are missing answers to questions in your notes pages, make sure to use these presentations to address that.




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Monday, November 28, 2022

World Religions: Final Exam Fall 2023

The World Religions Final Exam Schedule for Fall 2023:

6th Period: SECOND Exam on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023


What you need to study:



And finally, I post for your enlightenment, every presentation given in this class:


Some Addendums
If they will be of benefit to you, I offer some presentations from the Foundations class that go into greater detail on some of the subjects discussed in this one:

Also, there is always the possibility that you've not been paying much attention this semester to the numerous times I've mentioned the problems with defining the word "religion." Maybe you've been too busy playing games on your cellphone, or watching videos on YouTube or Tik Tok? Who knows...but you'll need some idea of how to define the term, and this essay might help...or maybe not.


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