Renaissance and Early Modern Europe
Respond to one prompt with a short paper of 300-400 words ca.
1. John Locke’s A Letter on Toleration (1689) is an eloquent condemnation of religious persecutions among Christians as well as a powerful argument for toleration. Some of Locke’s key points include the discrepancies between the teachings of the different churches, and the consequent uncertainty on which would be the “right” religion. He concludes: “One thing is certain about religion, whatever else may be called in question, that no religion which I do not believe to be true can be true for me or of any use to me”. What fundamental principle (or principles) is implied in this statement, and what are the consequences of its application in both the personal and the public spheres?
2. Immanuel Kant’s What is Enlightenment? (1784) defines the Enlightenment as “human emancipation from self-incurred immaturity”. Why does Kant think this emancipation to be particularly important as far as “religious matters” are concerned? Does he see religious toleration as the outcome of emancipation? How does Kant’s view of religion in this short essay compare to Locke’s in A Letter on Toleration?
Second:
Respond to one prompt with a short paper of 300-400 words ca.
1. Francis Bacon is sometimes credited with coining the phrase “knowledge is power”. While this is only partly true (in that exact form and sense the sentence was actually first formulated by Thomas Hobbes, who was Bacon’s secretary in his early years), could one argue that the ideal society of Bensalem does indeed look like the embodiment of this principle? Why or why not? Further, how does Bacon imagine the relationship between religion and science in The New Atlantis?
2. Galileo Galilei’s letter to Christina of Tuscany argues for the accuracy of the Copernican vs the Ptolemaic system despite the fact that, according to Catholic authorities, the former would be incompatible with the text of the Bible. How does Galileo try to solve this conflict? What arguments does he bring forth to support the freedom of scientific inquiry?
