Philosophy 1301, essay 2
Essay 2
NB: Before starting your essay, you should read this entire document.
For this assignment, you will choose one of the three topics below and write an
essay of at least 4 pages, double-spaced, in Times New Roman 12 point font;
your paper should be written in Standard English and done in MLA format. You
must include a MLA works cited page that includes all sources used in your
essay, including the article related to the topic you choose.
To submit your paper, click on ‘Essay 2.’ You should attach a file that can be
opened with Microsoft Word (doc or docx); do not submit a pdf or type in the
submission box.
Any instance of plagiarism will be punished by a minimum of an F on the
assignment and a report to the associate dean of the humanities division.
Further punishment could include failure in the course, suspension, or
expulsion.
The articles given below as topics are all from The New York Times. Non-
subscribers are limited to the number of articles they can read, but the Richland
Library has full access to The New York Times. You can access The New York
Times via this DCCCD Library web page.
Topic #1: “Would Human Extinction Be a Tragedy?”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/06/opinion/athens-plato-
academy.html?login=email&auth=login-email
Topic #2: “Why Mortality Makes Us Free”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/11/opinion/why-mortality-makes-us-
free.html
Topic #3: “Would Human Extinction Be a Tragedy?”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/06/opinion/athens-plato-
academy.html?login=email&auth=login-email
After choosing an article/topic to write about, you should choose one of the
philosophical questions from the list of questions included with the assignment
handouts. The question should be one that you think relates to the article/topic
you choose. The focus of your essay will be an analysis of the philosophical
question you choose from the list. Please note! Do not simply choose any
question on the list; you should choose a question that you think relates to
the article/topic you choose. In your essay, you will need to explain how
the question relates to the article/topic.
Your essay should follow the below outline and should include the
following:
A heading done according to MLA
An original title (hint: ‘Essay 1’ is not an original title; nor is the title of the
article you choose to write on)
First Paragraph: Introduction
In the introduction, you should set up the topic of your essay in a way that
engages your reader. Since the essay is an analysis of a philosophical question,
your introduction should convey this; your introduction should contain your
thesis (if you are unsure of how to write a thesis, read this advice on developing
a thesis), should let the reader know the philosophical question you intend to
analyze, and should mention the article you are writing about (the article
related to the topic you choose).
Here is some VERY helpful advice on how to write your intro/begin your essay:
https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/beginning-academic-essay
Second Paragraph: Summary of the article given with the topic you chose
When you refer to an article, you should give the title, author, and publication.
A summary should be a brief, objective overview (meaning no opinionated or
evaluative comments) of the main ideas of the original. In the summary
paragraph, you should periodically use author tags to indicate that you are
summarizing, that you are conveying someone else’s views. So you should say
things such as, “According to Jane Doe…” or “The author points out that…”
Also, in a summary, use transitions to convey to the reader the order of ideas
presented in the original, to connect the summary’s ideas and make it coherent,
things like, “First, the author discusses the problem of….”, “Furthermore, he
addresses the issue of….” “Doe concludes by pointing out that…”
The summary should be written as such, meaning you are continuously
referring to the text and the author.
A few more things about a summary: it should not contain quotations, it should
be only one paragraph, and it should accurately give the main ideas of the
original.
Read this helpful advice on how to correctly summarize a text.
Third Paragraph: A thorough discussion/explanation of the philosophical
question and how it relates to the article you chose
Here are some points you should address in this paragraph; they do not all have
to be addressed, but most should be:
How does the topic of the article you chose relate to this question?
Why is this question of concern philosophically?
Why does it matter how this question is answered? In other words, what is
at stake in this question? Why do we care about it? Why is it important for
everyone, not only philosophers?
What other philosophers have addressed the question? (only mention
those you intend to discuss in your essay) What philosophical theories or
positions might help us discuss this question? (also, only mention those
you intend to discuss in your essay)
Body Paragraphs
The number of body paragraphs is your decision as the author, but each
paragraph should thoroughly discuss the philosophical question you are
analyzing. Possible ways to go about this: one or more paragraphs about how
another/other philosophers have answered/written about this question; one or
more paragraphs about a philosophical concept, problem, or theory that relates
to this question and perhaps helps us look at this question.
You may also include a paragraph on your response to the philosophical
question you are analyzing, but the majority of content in your body
paragraphs should be from your research.
You must include research (incorporated through quotation, paraphrase, or
both) from at least 2 philosophical journals found in the DCCCD Library
databases; Internet/other sources will not count. You may also use our text as a
source, but you must still have at least 2 sources from philosophical journals in
the DCCCD databases; all research must be cited according to MLA.
If you need help using the databases, you can get help in person in the library
or online using the ‘Ask a Librarian’ tool. When incorporating sources into your
work, they must be present so as to serve your position/argument/discussion.
In other words, they should not be there just to be there; they should be
incorporated AS part of the discussion/argument, in a meaningful, substantial
way.
Conclusion
Since your essay is an analysis of a philosophical question, your conclusion
should effectively bring that discussion to a close. Avoid simply repeating
yourself in the conclusion.
Here is some VERY helpful advice on how to conclude your essay:
https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/ending-essay-conclusions