Assignment:
We are discussing religion, globalism, and ethics.
Please reply to any two of the following four questions.
Follow the web links to Bob Dylan's song "Highway 61 Revisited" for both the song and then the lyrics. Dylan begins with a retelling of a story from the Bible to fit the song. The other song that actually quotes from Plato's Euthyphro is listed in question two "No Church in the Wild" by Jay-Z and Kanye West.
In light of that song and our course readings so far, please answer any two of the following questions:
1) What connection does that Bible story and Dylan's song have with ethics and the so-called "Divine Command Theory" as espoused by Euthyphro? Here is the Dylan song "Highway 61 Revisited" by Karen O (click on small arrow after "link"):
And here is the story of Abraham called by God to kill his own son (Dylan's first line in his song refers to this story):
2) What does the song "No Church in the Wild" use from Plato's dialogue Euthyphro? What do you understand the song to be trying to say with that quote in this song? Is the song using the quote from Plato to convey a different meaning than it has in the dialogue by Plato?
3) How might a person be a theist (believing in god), but still not accept Euthyphro's Divine Command Theory for how best to live? It might be helpful to know that the Abraham story that Dylan refers to in his song can be clearly contrasted with another Abraham story where the Patriarch actually argues with God about what justice would require of even the most powerful being; that story is the famous Sodom and Gomorrah one, found in Genesis 18:16-33. Here is the second Abraham story that doesn't follow the divine command theory:
When this page opens scroll down to the heading "Abraham Pleads for Sodom" and notice his argument with God).
Participants must create a thread in order to view other threads in this forum.
Four postings are the required minimum.
- 1 main response: 250 words minimum for the post addressing the questions given for the week;
- 1 reply post with 100 words minimum
- 2 other reply posts at 60 words minimum for each.
One of these reply postings must be asking a content related question on another student's posting.