christian roots

Groups who are NOT working with Charlie will have open studio time for the bulk of Friday morning (Group B this week, Group A next week). You should come for the whole period and bring materials and tools that will help you make the most of your time. (Group A will spend an hour visiting the Evergreen archive next week.) Also, remember that everyone should submit a one-page book art project proposal by this Friday. 

Here is the website for Evergreen's Focus the Nation events: http://focusthenation.evergreen.edu/evergreen.html

All events Wednesday morning are at the College Recreation Center.

 

You can choose from the following two prompts. 

 

Prompt 1: In his letter to Martin Dorp, Erasmus claims that “I wanted to mock, not to attack; to benefit, not to wound; to comment on men’s manners, not to denounce them.” (231) Assess this claim based on selected passages from The Praise of Folly. Do you think Erasmus is being sincere about his intentions?

Thurs, January 31: 4:30-6 pm, Lecture Hall 1

Optional Lecture: John Corcoran, Aristotle's Demonstrative Logic

Fri, February 1: 2-4 pm, Lecture Hall 1

 Required Lecture: John Corcoran, Q & A History of Logic    

The attachment below should open. Please let me (Kevin) know if you are having trouble with it. Thanks!

The highlighted sections on the attached document are changes from the original syllabus.

Grant, Science and Religion, pp. 191-248; Iqbal, Science and Islam, pp. 1-27 and 61-78 (we will hand out copies of the Iqbal reading on Friday).

You can choose from any of these four prompts.

Prompt 1: Fagan comments multiple times that environmental determinism is unpopular in academic communities. Does he craft a compelling case that "climate made history" in Europe between 1300 and 1850? You are encouraged to focus your argument on one type of evidence used by Fagan, such as, ice cores, archeological evidence, volcanic eruptions, or glacial retreats and advances.

Prompt 2: How did global climate change influence class relations in Europe during the Little Ice Age?

 

Prompt 3: Edward Grant presents a strong argument about (a) the interrelation between natural philosophy and Christian theology in the 14th and 15th centuries, and (b) the central role that this relationship played in the unique success of science in western Europe. Summarize and evaluate Grant's argument. What are the strengths and weaknesses of his position?

 

Prompt 4: Edward Grant and Muzaffar Iqbal present two distinct views of Islamic science, which might be called "traditional" and "revisionist" interpretations. What are the key differences between these two interpretations? Based on the arguments in the selected readings, whose interpretation do you find most compelling or persuasive? Why? 

If you would like additional assistance with the book arts project, Charlie will be in the print shop (Lab 2 basement) on the Wednesdays between 4 pm and 10 pm and Thursdays between noon and 6 pm.

These are the scanned notes from the morning workshop on Carolyn Merchant's book Death of Nature. Thanks to Gia for doing the scanning!