a paper about Philosophy(introduction)

Introduction to Philosophy Philosophy 110

Fall Term 2015 – Purdue University Instructor: Daniel Kelly

Teaching Assistants: Vincent Jacobson and Brandon Rdzak Paper Assignment #2

• The assignment is to choose one of the following topics and write a 4 - 5 page paper on that topic. If you have questions about the particular topics, or about the paper in general, please bring them up in class or office hours, or send me an email.

• Papers are due by the end of lecture on Tuesday, November 10th. Any papers not given, in person, to the instructor by that time will be considered late. Electronic submissions will be considered late. As stated in the syllabus, there is a 7-point per day late penalty on all papers – no excuses will be accepted.

• Be sure to write your name, section, and the topic you have chosen on the first page of your paper. Your paper should be double spaced, and have reasonable margins on the top, bottom, and sides of each page (1 inch max) and in a reasonable font (12 pt Times New Roman or Garamond is standard). Be sure to staple the pages of your paper together.

• Reminder: Cite your sources, and make sure those sources do not include Wikipedia. Drawing on the posted lecture notes or outside source material is fine, just be sure to properly cite them. Materials and ideas borrowed or paraphrased from a source that is not cited are plagiarized. Plagiarism will result in an automatic F for the course, and the plagiarizer’s name will be given to the Purdue administration.

• If in doubt, use APA Style Citation Format (http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~drkelly/APAStyleGuide2004.pdf).

Topics:

1. Explain the significance of Descartes’ Cogito: “I think, therefore I am.” Your essay should include discussions of

a. The large epistemological project in which Descartes was engaged, and why, in the context of that project he thought the Cogito was so important

b. The significance of certainty and doubt in that project, and its relationship to how and when beliefs are justified

c. The three arguments that Descartes gives before he arrives at the Cogito, and what they were designed to show

d. An assessment of those arguments, with consideration given to whether or not you agree with Descartes about, for instance

i. Whether you can tell or rule out the possibility that you are dreaming ii. Whether you can tell or rule out the possibility that you are currently

in the Matrix or some other computer simulation iii. Why the Cogito is relevant to these possibilities

2. George Berkeley defends the view that, very roughly, what we call the external world is really just so many ideas, many of which are ideas in the mind of God. Though the view seems incredible, Berkeley’s view appears internally consistent and difficult to refute. He offers many arguments against the existence of “matter” or “material substance.” Berkeley also insists that his view is much more commonsensical than the view of philosophers (like Locke) who thinks that physical objects are made up of matter. Indeed, he argues that the theory that physical objects are made up of matter leads to skepticism. If you select this topic your paper should explain how Berkeley reaches and defends his view. Specifically, it should do the following:

a. Explain what Berkeley means by “ideas”, “matter” and “physical objects” b. Explain clearly and in detail why Berkeley thinks the theory that physical

objects are made up of matter leads to skepticism c. Explain what you take to be the best objection to Berkeley’s theory d. Explain how Berkeley (or a defender of his view) responds to this objection e. Say which side you think has the stronger case in this debate, and why.

3. Many philosophers think that there are objective answers to moral questions, and

thus that moral claims are true or false in much the same way that mathematical, scientific, historical and other factual claims are. Other philosophers reject the view that moral questions have objective answers. Debates about the objectivity of ethics are closely connected to debates about what moral claims mean, and philosophers have offered a number of different accounts of the meaning of moral claims. If you choose to write about this topic, your paper should:

a. Carefully explain what it means for a statement to be objective, as was discussed in lecture

b. Explain clearly and carefully the (one) theory about the meaning of moral terms you think is correct, and walk through at least one concrete example illustrate how it works

c. Consider the best objections to your favored account of the meaning of moral terms

d. Explain how you would respond to those objections e. Finally, you should explain clearly and carefully what implications your

account of the meaning of moral claims has for the debate over the objectivity of ethics