Assignment

Introduction to Philosophy Term Paper Topics:

Write a short paper (800-1000 words, about three pages typed and double spaced). The point of these papers will be to focus on one particular argument or theory. The goal is not to do research (looking up stuff in the library) but to focus your thoughts on one argument or one position and dig deep. Your grade on these essays will be primarily based on the clarity of your writing (that means grammar is important), the command of the material and the "depth" of your explanations. Which side of the issue you are on is completely irrelevant, what matters is how well you state your case.

Choose one of the following topics:

1. Is the human being purely material, or is there an immaterial component? If the human being is purely material, what does that imply about free will? If there is an immaterial component, what does that imply about free will? In other words: address the question "are human beings just complicated machines, or is there something more to us"? and explain what is implied on both sides of the argument. Don't just give the argument you happen to agree with; consider objections to it and respond to those objections.

Note: students often write essays relying on emotion or sentiment in response to the topic above ("How bleak the world would be if we didn't have souls" and the like). That is not what you are supposed to be doing: rather, you should write an essay that argues for a specific position and responds to counterarguments.

2. Is there a basis in nature for morality? Is there such a thing as a natural right, natural law, or natural justice? Can human beings know something about right and wrong through the use of unaided reason (i.e., without the help of revealed religion)? Is morality relative to culture, or does morality transcend culture? Explain.

3. Explain, what Socrates might have meant when he said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Do you agree with this position? Why or why not?

4. When we say that pursuing knowledge or wisdom for its own sake has intrinsic value, what does that statement mean? If you disagree, explain the grounds for your disagreement.

5. Explain the cosmological argument for the existence of God. What objections might be raised to it? How might a proponent of the cosmological argument respond to those objections?