M. Kagan, Le Moyne College, PHL 201, Open Format Quiz #4, December 2, 2002

This is an "open-format" quiz. It can be taken as an "open-book," in-class or take-home, group, individual, or oral [with the following instructions]. Written exams should not exceed one page per answer. (Oral exams will involve follow-up questions, but will not last longer than 30 minutes.)
If taken in class OR as a take home as an individual effort, answer 1 of the following. All take-homes are to be typed, double-spaced, with citations for sources and assistance).
The exam may be done by a group containing up to 5 members. The group needs to answer as many questions as there are members in the group. Group take-homes are to be typed, double spaced. If you wish to take this exam as an oral, please make an appointment as soon as possible.

The take-home versions of this exam are DUE Friday, December 6, 2002, in RH436 before 2:30 p.m.

 Do you think the God of Earthseed and the God of non-dualist Vedanta are essentially the same or essentially different?  Why? 

2. Who is the narrator of Parable of the Sower? What problem about her society is bothering her?  How could it be argued that we, in our society today, face similar problems?  

3. What is Lauren's brother, Keith, like, and why does he die?  Who, in our world today, is like Keith?  What do you think Parable of the Sower suggests we do about their situation?

4. Why do you think Butler chose the Parable of the Sower from the New Testament for the title of this book?  In your answer, make sure to show familiarity with the course of events in Butler's Parable of the Sower.

5. Briefly summarize the narrator's theory of the human person. How is it related to the religious views she expresses in Parable of the Sower ?

6. What do you think the narrator of Parable of the Sower thinks is the purpose of a community? What do you think of her opinion?

7. Briefly describe non-dualist Vedanta as a response to the conflict of finitude. Do you find it plausible? Why or why not?

8. According to Freud's definition, is Earthseed a religion? Why or why not? What, if anything, does your answer suggest about the adequacy of Freud's definition of religion?

9. Briefly state a goal you would like to accomplish in the next 2-10 years.  How could you apply an insight from non-dualist Vedanta or Butler's Parable of the Sower to achieve this goal? 

10. Locate the general reading questions on the syllabus. Answer them for Huston Smith's chapter on Hinduism OR for Butler's  Parable of the Sower .

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