Philosophical Essay

Assignment Instructions

Objective: Students will write a Philosophical Essay for week 7 based on the course concepts.

Course Objectives: 2, 3, & 4

Task: 

This 4 – 5 full page (not to exceed 6 pages) Philosophical Essay you will be writing due Week 7 is designed to be a thoughtful, reflective work. The 4 – 5 full pages does not include a cover page or a works cited page. It will be your premier writing assignment focused on the integration and assessment relating to the course concepts. Your paper should be written based on the outline you submitted during week 4 combined with your additional thoughts and instructor feedback.  You will use at least three scholarly/reliable resources with matching in-text citations and a Works Cited page.  All essays are double spaced, 12 New Times Roman font, paper title, along with all paragraphs indented five spaces. 

Details:

You will pick one of the following topics only to do your paper on:

• According to Socrates, must one heed popular opinion about moral matters?  Does Socrates accept the fairness of the laws under which he was tried and convicted?  Would Socrates have been wrong to escape?
• Consider the following philosophical puzzle: “If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?” (1) How is this philosophical puzzle an epistemological problem? And (2) how would John Locke answer it?
• Evaluate the movie, The Matrix, in terms of the philosophical issues raised with (1) skepticism and (2) the mind-body problem. Explain how the movie raises questions similar to those found in Plato’s and Descartes’ philosophy. Do not give a plot summary of the movie – focus on the philosophical issues raised in the movie as they relate to Plato and Descartes.
• Socrates asks Euthyphro, “Are morally good acts willed by God because they are morally good, or are they morally good because they are willed by God?” (1) How does this question relate to the Divine Command Theory of morality? (2) What are the philosophical implications associated with each option here?
• Explain (1) the process by which Descartes uses skepticism to refute skepticism, and (2) what first principle does this lead him to? (3) Explain why this project was important for Descartes to accomplish.    

Your paper will be written at a college level with an introduction, body paragraphs, a conclusion, along with in-text citations/Works Cited page in MLA formatting.  Students will follow MLA format as the sole citation and formatting style used in written assignments submitted as part of coursework to the Humanities Department.  Remember – any resource that is listed on the Works Cited page must have an in-text citation in the paper to match or this is considered plagiarism.