Week 5 Worldwide

Follow the instructions highlighted at the end of each of the following sections!

Worldview Questions

1. What makes something beautiful? What is truly art? What constitutes good art? Is beauty truly in the eye of the beholder?

In addition, ask yourself this:

a) How would you define “beauty?”

b) How is defined with a ‘value,’ like goodness or truth (or can it be)?

c) Do we need beauty (aesthetics) to survive in life?

2. Where is history headed? Is history simply a cycle of similar events repeating themselves? Is history headed toward a particular set of climatic events? Is the future alterable, or are we simply playing out an inevitable scenario?

In addition, ask yourself this:

a) Who determines what history is recorded, of all of earth’s past events?

b) Does history really “repeat itself?” [Note: try to find the exact quote about this notion on the internet].

c) Do you make history by your life? How and why?

Chapter 13 Questions

Key Questions

1. Given the content of this chapter, how would you answer the question, what is beautiful? How would you respond to someone who disagreed with you?

2. Do you agree with the author’s definition of art near the end of the chapter? How would you critique it?

3. Do you think there is a distinction between good and bad art? What criteria would you use to decide? Do you think a Christian should try to do something about bad art of a certain kind?

4. Does it matter whether art is highly individualistic or if it appeals to a broad audience? Is art better or worse depending on the extent to which it “teaches” something or rouses emotion?

5. Has Romanticism shaped how you look at the world, especially in ways you may not have realized?

6. This is the most extensive presentation of Freud’s psychology in this book. How helpful do you think his notion of repression is in explaining human behavior? Can you think of examples of his defense mechanisms from real life? How well do you think his theories apply to art?

Chapter 14 Questions

Key Questions

1. Do you agree with Cicero and others that Herodotus was the father of history? Give reasons for your answer.

2. What do you think the role of the supernatural should be in historical reconstruction? Evaluate Ernst Troeltsch’s three criteria for historical investigation.

3. Articulate your viewpoint: To what extent can we be objective or complete in our reconstructions of the past? To what extent is history inevitably told by the “winners”?

4. Personally evaluate this chapter’s presentation of myths of progress. To what extent do you think Western civilization is a construct rather than a historical reality? To what extent has history telling in Europe and America made unreasonable value judgments in its terminology and choice of material?

5. If you are a Christian, what is your perspective on issues over which Christians have differing viewpoints, such as the degree of God’s involvement in history, whether God primarily acts in love or justice, and whether things are likely to get better and better or worse and worse?

Chapter 15 Questions

Key Questions

1. What is your response, especially if you are a Christian, to the “postmodern critique” of our commonsense assumptions about the reality of the world and the categories within which we process it? How might it affect the way you read the Bible or the way you relate to people who think differently than you about something? How might it change or not change your attitude toward your sense of what is true and what is real?

2. We have now finished the final chapter of the book. Take a moment to look back through the book’s table of contents. Are there areas in our journey where you have moved from being unreflective (“premodern”) to being more reflective or more objective (“modern”)? Are there areas where you have a sneaking suspicion that areas of unreflectiveness may soon come to light?

3. At the end of this book, what would you say is your “theory” of what is real and what it means to say something is true?

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