Philosophy Wk 10

1. Watch the  “Introduction to Descartes” mini-lecture attached to this lesson module.

2.  Get an overview of Descartes, his broader contributions, and his philosophical thought by watching this three minute "Descartes overview" video. (Warning: some of the language used in it may be offensive to some people.)

3. Read the ‘squashed' version or the 'very squashed' version of Meditations to get a good overview of the arguments being made in each of the 6 Meditations.

http://sqapo.com/descartes.htm

4.  Read Descartes Meditations 1-3 in Cottingham.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHihkRwisbE

5. IF YOU ARE DOING PAPER 2 AS ONE OF YOUR 2 PAPERS FOR THE SEMESTER:Paper 2- Obeying the Government.  Write a  3 to 4 page paper answering the following:  What obligations do we have to the government and its laws?  What grounds those obligations?  Does anything override them?  If it does and we disobey the government, should we be willing like Thoreau to incur a penalty (jailtime, fine, etc) or should we try to avoid penalties?  Does the government have to earn our loyalty? If it does, how does it do so?  What if it fails to do so?  Make sure to respond to at leas t Plato, Thoreau and King's views as you give your own answers to these questions. Submit it by April 11th.