For this week, we are discussing religion, globalism, and ethics. Please reply to any two of the following four questions.
Follow the web links to Bob Dylan’s song “Highway 61 Revisited” for both the song and then the lyrics. Dylan begins with a retelling of a story from the Bible to fit the song. The other song that actually quotes from Plato’s Euthyphro is listed in question two “No Church in the Wild” by Jay-Z and Kanye West.
In light of that song and our course readings so far, please answer any two of the following questions:
1) What connection does that Bible story and Dylan’s song have with ethics and the so-called “Divine Command Theory” as espoused by Euthyphro? If we take the song, as some do with the first stanza especially, as a war protest song, how does the interpretation of the Abe story in the song change? Here is the Dylan song “Highway 61 Revisited” by Karen O (click on small arrow after “link”): https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8SOo0SuzBZE
And here is the story of Abraham called by God to kill his own son (Dylan’s first line in his song refers to this story): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2022&version=CEB
Here are Dylan’s lyrics in the first stanza of “Highway 61 Revisited” that relate to our topic for this week:
Oh, God said to Abraham, “Kill me a son”
Abe said, “Man, you must be puttin’ me on”
God said, “No” Abe say, “What?”
God say, “You can do what you want, Abe, but
The next time you see me comin’, you better run”
Well, Abe said, “Where d’you want this killin’ done?”
God said, “Out on Highway 61”
2) What does the song “No Church in the Wild” use from Plato’s dialogue Euthyphro? What do you understand the song to be trying to say with that quote in this song? Is the song using the quote from Plato to convey a different meaning than it has in the dialogue by Plato? Please be aware that some of the lyrics to the song “No Church in the Wild” can be offensive and inappropriate for children. Here is the song: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FJt7gNi3Nr4
Here are the opening and relevant lyrics of “No Church in the Wild” (with the important words for our discussion highlighted in yellow):
Human beings in a mob
What’s a mob to a king?
What’s a king to a god?
What’s a god to a non-believer?
Who don’t believe in anything?
We make it out alive
All right, all right
No church in the wild
Tears on the mausoleum floor
Blood stains the Coliseum doors
Lies on the lips of a priest
Thanksgiving disguised as a feast
Rollin’ in the Rolls-Royce Corniche
Only the doctors got this, I’m hidin’ from police
Cocaine seats
All white like I got the whole thing bleached
Drug dealer chic
I’m wonderin’ if a thug’s prayers reach
Is Pious pious ’cause God loves pious?
Socrates asks, “whose bias do y’all seek?”
All for Plato, screech
I’m out chere’ ballin’, I know y’all hear my sneaks
Jesus was a carpenter, Yeezy, laid beats
Hova flow the Holy Ghost, get the hell up out your seats, preach
3) How might a person be a theist (believing in god), but still not accept Euthyphro’s Divine Command Theory for how best to live? It might be helpful to know that the Abraham story that Dylan refers to in his song can be clearly contrasted with another Abraham story where the Patriarch actually argues with God about what justice would require of even the most powerful being; that story is the famous Sodom and Gomorrah one, found in Genesis 18:16-33. Here is the second Abraham story that doesn’t follow the divine command theory: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis%2018&version=CEBwhen this page opens scroll down to the heading “Abraham Pleads for Sodom” and notice his argument with God).
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