Disney Darwin Quiz 10

What is Stephen Greenblatt's job?

He holds an endowed Chair in Humanities at Harvard

What was the title of the poem (6 books) that Lucretius authored in -50BC?

On the Nature of Things

According to Greenblatt, "It was a beautiful poem of the most dangerous ideas: that the universe functions without the aid of gods, that religious fear is damaging to human life, that pleasure and virtue are not opposite but intertwined, and that matter is made up of very small material particles in eternal motion, randomly colliding and swerving in new directions"

accurate

According to Greenblatt, the poem "changed the course of history, The poem's vision would shape the thought of Galileo and Freud, Darwin and Einstein, and - in the hands of Thomas Jefferson - leave its trace on the Declaration of Independence"

accurate

According to Greenblatt, Lucretius wrote that "the highest goal of human life is the enhancement of pleasure and the reduction of pain. Life should be organized to serve the pursuit of happiness. There is no ethical purpose higher than facilitating this purpose for oneself and one's fellow creatures. All other claims - the service of the state, the glorification of the gods or the ruler, the arduous pursuit of virtue through self-sacrifice - are secondary, misguided, or fraudulent"

accurate

According to Greenblatt, Lucretius wrote that "it is possible for human beings to live happy lives, but not bc that think they are the center of the universe or bc they fear the gods or bc they nobly sacrifice themselves for values that purport the transcend their mortal existence. Unappeasable desire and fear of death are the principal obstacles to human happiness, but the obstacles can be surmounted through the exercise of reason"

accurate

If it moves on wheels in Disneyland, Bob Gurr likely designed it

accurate

What one word does Bob Gurr think both Walt Disney and Charles Darwin share?

curiosity