Weekly Wisdom Quiz

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader,

It really challenges the way we think about things.

We have a tendency to understand the world of machinery and the technical as distinctly modern, even futuristic. Hardly the stuff of the ancient past…

Yet whether it’s the mythical automatons of Hephaestus, or the astonishing complexity of the Antikythera mechanism, the ancients were no strangers to technology.

So this week we focused in on some of the ancient world’s mechanical wonders… With a little bit of fate, free will, and philosophy thrown in as well, just for fun!

So now it’s time to see what you’ve learned about everything from destiny to death-rays with the Weekly Wisdom Quiz.

All questions are based on articles and resources published this week on Classical Wisdom, with a full roundup available just after the quiz, alongside the answers.

See you on the other side!

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1. What type of determinism did the Stoic philosopher Chrysippus endorse?
A. Causal or soft determinism
B. Existential fatalism
C. Strict theological determinism
D. Random chance determinism

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2. What was the purpose of the Hysplex mechanism in ancient Greek sports?
A. To provide fair race starts
B. To judge finishing times
C. To calculate discus angles
D. To time long jumps

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3. What engineering innovation allowed the Greeks to construct temples and amphitheaters more efficiently?
A. Stone-throwing cranes
B. Rotating masonry belts
C. Mobile cranes with capstan winches
D. Hydraulic counterweights

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4. How did Chrysippus refute the idea that fate makes action meaningless?
A. Through the concept of co-fated events
B. By invoking divine punishment
C. By denying fate entirely
D. With Platonic ideal forms

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5. What was the function of Archimedes’ so-called “death ray”?
A. Reflect coded messages
B. Focus solar heat to ignite enemy ships
C. Blind incoming soldiers
D. Signal Roman allies

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6. What was a ‘scorpion’ in the context of Archimedes’ defense of Syracuse?
A. A long-range siege tower
B. A chemical weapon
C. A spike-covered chariot
D. A small catapult for firing iron darts

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7. Which device was designed by the Greeks as a long-distance communication system using water?
A. Ionic semaphore
B. Hydraulic telegraph
C. Waterphone
D. Archimedean beacon

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8. What metaphor did Chrysippus use to explain how different people respond differently to the same external cause?
A. A cylinder and a cone
B. The spinning top and the string
C. An arrow and a target
D. A flame and a shadow

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Answers

1. A – Causal or soft determinism (Fate, Free Will, and Stoicism)

2. A – To provide fair race starts (Technological Miracles of Ancient Greece)

3. C – Mobile cranes with capstan winches (Technological Miracles of Ancient Greece)

4. A – Through the concept of co-fated events (Fate, Free Will, and Stoicism)

5. B – Focus solar heat to ignite enemy ships (Archimedes the Super Villain)

6. D – A small catapult for firing iron darts (Archimedes the Super Villain)

7. B – Hydraulic telegraph (Technological Miracles of Ancient Greece)

8. A – A cylinder and a cone (Fate, Free Will, and Stoicism)

🏛️ The Wisdom Scale

0-2 correct: ⚙️ Mechanic-in-Training
The questions spark recognition, but the answers elude like shadows in Plato’s cave. Yet even Plato himself had to start somewhere…

3-4 correct: 🔱 Scholar of the Polis
You’ve got a grip on gears and fate. You might not wield a death ray, but you’d hold your own in a symposium. Good work!

5-6 correct: ⚡ Strategos of the Soul
You’ve mastered the minds and machines of antiquity. Whether you're facing Roman siege or metaphysical dilemmas, you answer with clarity, precision, and grace.

7-8 correct: 🧠 Ancient Oracle
Eureka! You've achieved full enlightenment. Now go reshape the world, preferably without burning any fleets.

How did it go this week? As always, feel free to let us know in the comments.

See you again next week. In the meantime, just don’t get TOO inspired by Archimedes’ inventions!

All the best,

Sean Kelly

Managing Editor

Classical Wisdom

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