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Possible Questions for the Second Exam
The exam will be one of these five questions. You may use one page of notes and copies of the texts that are not annotated. Remember that an essay must have a thesis and that you must offer support for your thesis. Do not include superfluous elements.
1.
“Marx and Nietzsche share the same fundamental values; the only real
difference between these two theorists is their understanding of the social
reality of capitalism.” Attack or defend this claim. 2.
Explain the basis on which Freud would criticize Marx. Do your best to
indicate how a Marxist might answer these criticisms, and then evaluate the
effectiveness of the Marxist answer. 3.
Both Nietzsche and Freud believe that guilt is a centrally important
phenomena. Compare and contrast their views on guilt, and give your own
evaluation concerning whether the reduction of guilt is desirable. 4.
One of Sartre’s goals in Existentialism and Human Emotions is to
answer the criticism of Communists (Marxists) who say that existentialism
doesn’t allow human beings to achieve solidarity with other human beings. Does
he succeed in countering this criticism? Defend your position. 5. All
the philosophers that we have studied believe that in some important way, human
beings create value rather than discover value. Explore this theme in all these
philosophers. Argue for the perspective of one of these theorists or show where
they have all gone wrong.
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