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Quiz about Social Theorists of the 19th and 20th Centuries
Quiz about Social Theorists of the 19th and 20th Centuries

Social Theorists of the 19th and 20th Centuries Quiz


During the 19th and 20th centuries, the way we think about the world around us was revolutionized by great thinkers. Some of these are well known; others are more obscure: here is a quiz about their theories, works and lives.

A multiple-choice quiz by lola0177. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
lola0177
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
344,279
Updated
Jun 27 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
1615
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Let's start with an easy one: This German thinker incorporated the philosophy of Hegel in formulating dialectical materialism, which held that progress is determined by economic, and in particular class, conflict and struggle. Who is this social philosopher, author of such works as "Das Kapital" and "The Communist Manifesto?" Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Famous for such often misinterpreted notions as the the "Superman" and such statements as "God is dead," who is the author of such well-known works as "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" and "The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music?" Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Who is the 19th century Scottish anthropologist whose seminal work, "The Golden Bough," influenced Joseph Campbell's "The Hero with a Thousand Faces," itself an influence on the original Star Wars trilogy? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Which 20th century thinker posited the notion of a "collective unconscious," which holds that cross-culturally recurrent themes can be attributed to universally, subconsciously recognizable symbols and motifs? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Which French thinker, who, along with Karl Marx and Max Weber, is regarded as the founder of sociology as an academic discipline, is thus called "the father of the development of sociology"? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Which pessimistic German historian and philosopher, author of such influential works as "The Decline of the West", argued that civilizations rise and then invariably decline? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Which 20th century French philosopher, greatly influenced by Nietzsche's "geneaology of morals" and author of such works as "Madness and Civilization", argued, for example, that laws are instruments not of justice but of power? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Which cultural anthropologist played an influential academic role in championing a broader sexual morality in the 1960s, following her studies in Samoa? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Which American anthropologist, author of "The Interpretation of Cultures", argued that it is impossible for an observer to detach themselves from the cultures they are observing, thus undermining scientific objectivity in the social sciences? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Which American economist, an adviser to President Ronald Reagan, became known as a champion of laissez-faire economics, proposing an economic policy known as "monetarism?" Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Let's start with an easy one: This German thinker incorporated the philosophy of Hegel in formulating dialectical materialism, which held that progress is determined by economic, and in particular class, conflict and struggle. Who is this social philosopher, author of such works as "Das Kapital" and "The Communist Manifesto?"

Answer: Karl Marx

Despite the influence of his theories on 20th century politics and economics, Marx (1818-1883) died a stateless person, and is buried in Highgate Cemetery in London.
2. Famous for such often misinterpreted notions as the the "Superman" and such statements as "God is dead," who is the author of such well-known works as "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" and "The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music?"

Answer: Friedrich Nietzsche

The contemporary of, and often influenced by, such thinkers as Wagner and Freud, Nietzsche (1844-1900) did much to introduce moral relativism and psychological uncertainty to modern philosophical thought.
3. Who is the 19th century Scottish anthropologist whose seminal work, "The Golden Bough," influenced Joseph Campbell's "The Hero with a Thousand Faces," itself an influence on the original Star Wars trilogy?

Answer: Sir James Frazer

Frazer (1854-1941), the quintessential armchair anthropologist, argued for a transition in religious thought from magic to organized religion and finally to science, all of which attempt to answer the same basic questions about the universe and man's role in it.
4. Which 20th century thinker posited the notion of a "collective unconscious," which holds that cross-culturally recurrent themes can be attributed to universally, subconsciously recognizable symbols and motifs?

Answer: Carl Jung

Swiss psychologist Carl Jung (1875-1961) called these recurring motifs "archetypes", accessible by "dream analysis", the research of which Jung was a pioneer.
5. Which French thinker, who, along with Karl Marx and Max Weber, is regarded as the founder of sociology as an academic discipline, is thus called "the father of the development of sociology"?

Answer: Emile Durkheim

The son and grandson of Orthodox Jewish rabbis, Durkheim (1858-1917) began study at a rabbinical school but early in his school career decided to live in a secular fashion, entering the prestigious Ecole Normale Superieure, where he wrote a dissertation on Montesquieu.
6. Which pessimistic German historian and philosopher, author of such influential works as "The Decline of the West", argued that civilizations rise and then invariably decline?

Answer: Oswald Spengler

Though noted as a philosopher of history, Spengler (1880-1936) also theorized about mathematics, science, and art.
7. Which 20th century French philosopher, greatly influenced by Nietzsche's "geneaology of morals" and author of such works as "Madness and Civilization", argued, for example, that laws are instruments not of justice but of power?

Answer: Michel Foucault

Foucault (1926-1984), an early victim of the AIDS epidemic, was enormously influential in helping develop modern literary theory.
8. Which cultural anthropologist played an influential academic role in championing a broader sexual morality in the 1960s, following her studies in Samoa?

Answer: Margaret Mead

Mead (1901-1978), author of such works as "Coming of Age in Samoa" (much of which has subsequently been shown to be less than factual), participated in writing the 1979 version of the "Book of Common Prayer" for the American Episcopalian Church.
9. Which American anthropologist, author of "The Interpretation of Cultures", argued that it is impossible for an observer to detach themselves from the cultures they are observing, thus undermining scientific objectivity in the social sciences?

Answer: Clifford Geertz

The influence of Geertz's (1926-2006) work extends beyond anthropology into political science and ecology, and remains important in academia.
10. Which American economist, an adviser to President Ronald Reagan, became known as a champion of laissez-faire economics, proposing an economic policy known as "monetarism?"

Answer: Milton Friedman

Friedman (1912-2006) established himself as the main opponent of Keynesian economics, which argued for extensive government intervention in economic policy.
Source: Author lola0177

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