philosophy reading book and write essay about chapter

Essay 1: How do we work with limited knowledge?

David Hume is famous for showing philosophers that we rely on induction (or the generalization of something from specific instances).  For instance, Hume showed us that just because the sun has been rising every day for as long as humans can remember, that that alone provides no proof that the sun will rise again tomorrow.  Even physics, which now can describe the motion of the universe in pretty astonishing detail, has to admit that it can't prove that the sun will rise tomorrow.  It is just physics' "best guess".

This pandemic is a great example of how the world gets turned upside down when something knew (the Coronavirus) makes us rethink a lot of things that we held as "givens".  And, as we struggle to learn about the virus, we also struggle with the fact that there are so many "unknowns" surrounding it. 

I don't want to get into a political discussion here. The question is simply: How do we live in a world that we have limited knowledge about? How do we combat the skeptic that just throws their hands up and says "It is all a big pile of BS, you don't know anything, so don't try to tell me anything".  How do we deal with the fact that we, in fact, do often have limited knowledge, but have to make decisions?

Again, this is not a political science class, so your response/argument should be supported by passages from the text (or other philosophical sources).  And, as always, be respectful to your peers.

Your initial post should be at least 3 solid paragraphs.  Remember to reference material from the text (properly) to support your post  - e.g. "as Hume said in the text concerning _____, The case is that ____ is true" 

After completing your initial post, take the time to respond to at least two of your classmates.  Please pick at least one response from a peer that argues against your own position.  In that reply explain what about their position you think is the most compelling (interesting)?  Each reply should be at, a minimum, a solid and substantial paragraph, or a minimum of 4 solid sentences; however, your focus should be on relating to your peers and not on meeting the minimum requirements to complete the assignment.

What ethical theory do you most relate to?

Choose the major ethical theory discussed in chapter 7 that you think is the strongest theory.  Then create your post incorporating the answers to the following questions: Why is it the strongest theory?  Why is it better than the others?  What is the theory's most glaring weakness?  How would you respond to that weakness?

Your initial post should be at least 3 solid paragraphs.  Remember to reference material from the text (properly) to support your post  - e.g. "as Hume said in the text concerning _____, The case is that ____ is true".  You will not be able to see your peers' responses until you submit your own.

After completing your initial post, take the time to respond to at least two of your classmates.  Please pick at least one response from a peer that argues against your own position.  In that reply explain what about their position you think is the most compelling (interesting)?  Each reply should be at, a minimum, a solid and substantial paragraph, or a minimum of 4 solid sentences; however, your focus should be on relating to your peers and not on meeting the minimum requirements to complete the assignment.

Discussion - Rawls

John Rawls remains one of the most respected American philosophers in history.  His arguments for social justice are still being heard today as people protest the vast inequalities in American society.  So, for this discussion, I want you to read Rawls closely and then pick out something he said that "speaks to you" - in either a positive or negative way.  Then write about it, giving your take on what it means to you.

Your initial post should be at least 3 solid paragraphs.  Remember to reference material from the text (properly) to support your post  - e.g. "as Hume said in the text concerning _____, The case is that ____ is true"  Note: You will not be able to see other student's posts until you post your own.

After completing your initial post, take the time to respond to at least two of your classmates.  Please pick at least one response from a peer that argues against your own position.  In that reply explain what about their position you think is the most compelling (interesting)?  Each reply should be at, a minimum, a solid and substantial paragraph, or a minimum of 4 solid sentences; however, your focus should be on relating to your peers and not on meeting the minimum requirements to complete the assignment.