Instructions
IMPORTANT: You do NOT need to restate the prompt. Dive straight into the problem (I suggest you start by identifying the key issues in the situation). Seriously, don’t waste space with a lengthy introduction. I know what the prompt says since I wrote it – only repeat the details of it if they’re necessary, but avoid summaries.
Instructions: You are to respond to the topic below using the ideas and concepts we have been discussing in this course. Your response should be between 200 and 300 words. You MUST cite something from within the course (textbook, course pages, discussions, etc.) AND another source you find from outside the course (the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Links to an external site.), the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Links to an external site.), another book, a journal – check out our library’s online resources (Links to an external site.), Wikipedia, YouTube, a TV show, etc.) when crafting your response. You might want to write this in another application (Google Docs, Word, Notepad, etc.) and copy and paste it.
Paragraph #2 Topic:
Near the end of World War II, the city of Dresden, Germany was severely damaged when allied forces dropped nearly 4,000 tons of explosives on a 15 square mile area around the city center. The “Church of Our Lady,” built in the first part of the 18th century, had been a symbol of the city and was reduced to rubble. It lay in ruins as a war memorial until 1995 when a number of people decided it was time to rebuild it. They sorted the rubble, salvaged all the useful stones and parts, and used a sophisticated computer program to determine the exact location of the stones when the church last stood in 1945. Using as much of the original parts as they could (and filling in the gaps with new parts) as well as the original plans, they slowly rebuilt the entire church over a 5 year period in the exact same spot that it once stood. Is the “Church of Our Lady” that now stands in Dresden the same Church that stood there in 1750? Why or why not? What makes it the same? Or what makes it not the same? If you say they’re the same, then what are the essential parts of the Church that make it the same? If you say they’re different, then how do the two Churches relate to each other?
Now, let’s apply a little twist: Assume you visit Dresden and you are standing in front of the church looking at it. You close your eyes for five seconds and then open them and see the church again. How do you know you’re looking at the same church that you saw before and after you opened your eyes? Or could it actually be a different church? Why or why not?
(Be sure to make use of the course materials when crafting your response.)
