essay on podcast

Listen to this episode of Sam Harris’ podcast Making Sense in which he argues that we do not have free will. •

Write an essay that summarizes the podcast episode, particularly the main points of Harris’ argument. In addition to summarizing his argument, at least one reference to/discussion of an article/entry (also related to the free will debate) in either The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy or The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, through quotation and/or paraphrase.

•Your objective for this essay is to inform your reader about Sam Harris’ argument about free will as well as other philosophers’ positions on free will. In this essay you should NOT be making your own argument with regard to free will, though you may of course include your own position on the debate.

In other words, the purpose of your essay is not to make an argument about whether we have free will but to inform you reader of various philosophers’ positions on whether we do. Regardless of the topic you choose, your essay must include the following:

1. A heading done according to MLA

2. An original title

3. An introductory paragraph that contains your thesis (see this VERY helpful advice on how to write your intro/begin your essay, and if you are unsure of how to write a thesis, read this advice on developing a thesis)

4. Body paragraphs that develop and support your thesis (here is some excellent advice on how to structure body paragraphs)

5. A minimum of 3 full pages (your works cited page doesn’t count as a page)

6. A conclusion (see this VERY helpful advice on how to conclude your essay)

7. A MLA works cited page that includes all sources referenced in your essay. Your essay should be double-spaced, in Times New Roman 12-point font; your paper should be written in Standard English and done in MLA format. To submit your paper, 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.