What is Opportunity Cost (Define and Explain) ? Give an example of an Opportunity Cost. . Define Shift In Demand. Define Caveat Emptor. How is Caveat Emptor related to Economics and Consumer Choice? [explain your answer]
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Opportunity Cost:
Opportunity cost refers to the potential benefit that is foregone when choosing one alternative over another. It is the value of the next best alternative that must be given up in order to pursue a particular choice or decision. In other words, it is the cost of choosing one option in terms of the benefits or opportunities lost from not choosing the next best alternative.
For example, let’s say you have $100 and you can either spend it on a concert ticket or use it to buy a new book. If you choose to buy the concert ticket, the opportunity cost would be the value of the book that you could have purchased with that $100. Similarly, if you choose to buy the book, the opportunity cost would be the experience of attending the concert.
Shift in Demand:
A shift in demand refers to a change in the quantity of a good or service that consumers are willing and able to buy at each price level. It occurs when there is a change in any non-price determinant of demand, such as income, taste and preferences, price of related goods, population size, or consumer expectations.
For instance, if there is an increase in consumers’ income, their ability to purchase goods and services also increases. This leads to a shift in demand to the right, indicating that consumers are now willing to buy more quantity at each price level. Conversely, if there is a decrease in population size, the demand for certain goods and services may decline, resulting in a shift in demand to the left.
Caveat Emptor:
Caveat emptor is a Latin term that translates to “let the buyer beware.” It is a principle in commerce and contract law that places the responsibility on the buyer to exercise caution and diligence before making a purchase. It implies that buyers should be aware of potential risks or defects associated with a product or service and make informed decisions based on their own judgment.
In economics and consumer choice, caveat emptor relates to the idea that consumers should be proactive in gathering information, evaluating options, and being aware of potential risks or drawbacks before making a purchase. It emphasizes the importance of consumer empowerment and individual decision-making. In this context, consumers are encouraged to consider factors such as product quality, price, warranties, and reviews to make informed choices that align with their preferences and needs.
