II. What are the Required Tasks?
You are required to perform FIVE primary tasks.
A. Philosophy of Mind – THIS IS MY TOPIC OF THE ESSAY!!!!
B. Demonstrate an understanding of the problems and complexities of the particular issue/inquiry you have chosen.
C. Identify and explain the structure and substance of the arguments presented in your primary article. In other words, you are to illustrate how the thinker(s) arrived at their conclusions. Ultimately, you are to do this by showing that you have mastered their ideas.
D. Identify and assess the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments and ideas asserted in your articles by referring to the philosophical theories discussed throughout the course.
E. When exploring and answering your chosen topic, it is NECESSARY to keep in mind of the following:
Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments and ideas asserted in the reading material.
Offer your insights on the issues by presenting clear and systematic arguments by referring to course material and your two permitted secondary sources.
Explain why you are, or are not, convinced by the thinker using your own supporting evidence/arguments or internal evidence from the article itself.
Explain why the thinker’s or thinkers’ idea(s) might provoke controversy.
Explore the significance and implications of the thinker’s or thinkers’ idea(s), and discuss what can be learned by these idea(s).
III. What Is the Expected Format?
The paper is expected to be presented in the following fashion:
5 pages in length
12-size ‘Times New Roman’ font
double-spaced
margins are to be no longer than 1 ¼ inches
Citation: ‘Chicago Style’
IV. Who is Your Audience?
As you work on this assignment, it is very important for you to always keep in mind the person for whom you are writing this paper. (Needless to say, you are ultimately doing this for you! Expanding your intellectual horizons is the primary goal of pursuing an education.) When thinking about and writing your essay, you ought to imagine that you are completing this assignment for:
An intelligent person who is unfamiliar with the subject and history of philosophy and ethics.
Therefore, your final product is more than a simple synopsis of the philosophical problem and the arguments that constitute it. Rather, your essay ought to illustrate that you understand the material in such a way that you are capable of explaining it to, say, a friend, roommate, or family member.
The essay will be evidence that you have mastered the material, not merely memorized it!!
V. Clarity and Efficacy of Your Presentation
Now that you understand (i) the goals of the assignment, (ii) what are you required to do, and (iii) who your audience is, it is important that you realize that much of your success will depend upon your ability to write in a clear and sophisticated fashion.
Here are some things to consider when you are ready to put your ideas down on paper:
Concept clarification
when employing technical terms, it is crucial for you to explain them by employing appropriate examples and giving clear definitions
when introducing ordinary terms, make sure you are informing your reader how exactly you are using them. For it is not uncommon for philosophers to use everyday words with a certain amount of specificity.
for instance, take the following examples:
‘human being’, ‘person’, ‘mind,’ ‘ontological,’ ‘good/right,’ ‘happiness,’ ‘free will’
Clarity
It is common for students to assume that being philosophical is a matter of being verbally lofty, intentionally complex, and/or obscure.
While philosophical thinking and writing is inherently perplex and challenging, the effacious and successful philosopher will always aspire for clarity.
Write with sophistication & rigour
Whether you are writing a paper for philosophy class or history class, be sure you refrain from using colloquialisms and everyday slang. Sophisticated ideas warrant sophisticated language. Having said that, as stated above, be sure your prose is presented in a clear and simple fashion.
Write with logical/analytical precision
It should be abundantly clear that philosophers present their thoughts with a degree of precision that is uncommon in everyday conversation.
You are expected to aspire to a similar level of precision.
Do not use colourful language.
Refrain from using rhetorical comments and over-used and ineffective metaphorical illustrations.
Stay away from colloquialisms and emotional fluff.
Present the arguments
You are expected to do more than merely identify and regurgitate conclusions; rather, you are to illustrate how the conclusions are made.
That is to say, you are expected to identify and explain the premises as well as the concluding statements.
As mentioned time and time again in class, you are, as your math teacher perpetually reminded you in algebra class, to “show your work!”
In other words, you are required to clearly and meticulously explain how the thinkers (and you) have arrived at their (your) conclusions.
Ditch the irrelevant
Comments or remarks that do not support your arguments or fail to establish necessary background information are considered irrelevant and, thus, useless.
Your essay is to be comprised of only relevant material!!!
VI. How Important is Grammar & Spelling?
Although your grade is not directly affected by grammar or spelling, prudence demands that you avoid as many grammatical and spelling errors as possible. For, in the end, a paper that is consumed by bad writing will always wear away at its reader, psychologically.
What is more, the better your prose is the better organized your thoughts will be! And, finally, minding your spelling and grammar is simply a good scholarly habit to get into.
VII. Philosophical Issues & Articles
The Nature & Significance of Philosophic Inquiry: Bertrand Russell – “Value of Philosophy”
Personhood: I.A. Menkiti – “Person & Community in African Tradition Thought”
Philosophy of Mind: Brian Garrett – “Skinner’s Philosophy of Mind”
Ethics: James Rachels – “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism”
The Nature & Significance of Death: Thomas Nagel – “Death”
