Word Count – 2000 words maximum
This semester we have examined various theories about how to live well, that fall on one side or the other of the basic distinction between change and stability that we have been examining all semester. They are:
Changing/Relative Stability Unchanging/Absolute Stability
Skeptical Socrates’ questioning everything Plato’s Socrates’ search for Eternal Forms
Epicurus’ right pleasures Stoic Logos
Buddha’s theory of non-attachment Taoist harmony
For the first part of your final paper, you will be evaluating philosophers from the book Words of Wisdom Download Words of Wisdomand where they fall in the categories above. The book has 7 parts. Take one thinker from each part (other than the ones we examined in class) and defend which side of these categories they are on by giving evidence for their positions from the book.
For the second part of the paper you will pick two of the theories of living well from the above list, one from each side, and examine them by applying them to a struggle that you are having in your own life. To provide a context for your paper, read the excerpt from Viktor Frankl about the finding meaning in life and the article by Stephen Law called “The Meaning of Life,” both on Canvas.
When you successfully complete this paper you will have shown that you can:
Explain how several philosophers fall on the change/stability axis
Explain the theory of how to live well for two of the theories we have studied
Understand the relevance of those theories and the concepts of change and stability for struggles in our lives today
Describe clearly a current personal struggle that you have
Analyze how those two theories can be applied to your struggle
Determine how well those theories would work to overcome the struggle
Defend a position about which one is more effective in dealing with the struggle
Make sure that you do the following:
Clearly explain two theories about how to live well, one from each side of the relative/absolute line.
Provide details about how you need to think about how you think is the best way to think about the world and what concepts are important to living well
Clearly describe a personal struggle with which you are currently dealing
Explain all the parts of the struggle that are relevant to finding a solution
Apply each theory to your struggle so you have explained two different ways of dealing with the struggle
Explain how well you think each theory would work to solve the struggle
Explain the limits of these theories – that is, why would they not work completely?
