Section 3: Essay
• Your answers should be typed, double spaced and in 12 point font. Please number your responses so it is clear which questions you are answering (i.e. which question set you have chosen; do not provide numbers for all of the sub-questions your essay addresses).
• Any semblance of plagiarism and/or academic misconduct of any kind will result in an F for the exam. This includes, but is not limited to, using a source without referencing the source, and submitting someone else’s work as your own. You should not need to use any sources other than our class texts and notes.
ESSAY QUESTIONS (you can find information on writing philosophy papers on the Content page under Course Information)
Answer any of the following question-sets as a complete essay. Note: your arguments and points must be philosophically oriented, i.e. the defense of your answers should rely on rational argument, not religious beliefs. The essay is worth 40 pts. The length of the essay may vary depending on how well you describe and explain the relevant issues. They should, however, be no less than 4 pages each and no more than 5ish pages each (that is, the length of 4 pages typed, double-spaced; at 350 words per page, that is a minimum of 1400 words for each essay). If you turn in less than 4 full pages on your chosen topic, your grade will be significantly affected. It is recommended that you spend more than the minimum page length in order to fully explore your topic.
Here are the essay questions you will be choosing from (you will choose 1 of them):
1. You would need to address both part A and B for question set 1.
Part A. What caused Descartes to begin the process of doubting everything? Explain the objective behind his method of doubt and what the method of doubt involves. In the course of doing this, you should also answer the following questions. Why does he not examine all of his beliefs separately? Why does he doubt his senses (e.g. the dream argument, the sometimes mistaken nature of sense perception)? Why does he posit the idea of an evil genius who always deceives him? Explain whether Descartes thinks we can know anything with certainty.
Part B. Are you convinced by Descartes’ argument? Is the self the most certain of objects? Is Descartes’ argument against trusting the senses a good one? Explain and defend your answer.
2. Stace thinks determinism is compatible with free will. Explain his argument for this. Stace also argues that determinism is compatible with punishment, i.e. that even if our actions are caused to happen, it is still appropriate to punish them. Why does he think this? What does he think the reasons/purposes for punishment are? Do you agree with him on this? Can you think of any other reasons to punish a person? Consider the idea of punishment as a form of retribution/desert, i.e. a response to an action as one that is deserved by the criminal. If this is an important component of punishment, does it square with the determinism of one’s actions? Defend your answer.
3. Compatibilists argue that free actions are ones caused by desires, but this leads to a possible problem about the causes of desires, since on their view, they must also have causes. First, explain why compatibilists must hold that our desires, the causes of free actions, must themselves be caused. Does the origin of ones desires impact whether you think a person acts freely? Explain. Contrast the compatibilist view on this with the Libertarian view. How do Chisholm and Stace differ on this issue of whether free actions can be caused by internal events? Explain the difference by reference to what Chisholm calls the “Hobbist” and the “Kantian” views. Do you agree with the compatibilist or the libertarian? Defend your answer.
4. Explain van Inwagen’s argument for the incompatibility of determinism and free will (also explain what he means by determinism and free will). Why can determinism and free will not both be true? Imagine and explain a response to this argument that WT Stace could make (i.e. a response based on what you know of his position). Do he and van Inwagen have different concepts of what “free will” is? Explain your answer. Which view, incompatibilism or compatibilism, do you think is correct? Defend your answer.
5. What is the position of libertarianism? Describe libertarianism in terms of the Chisholm reading (this is the position he argues for) and contrast it with compatibilism. Defend whether you agree or disagree with libertarianism. If you agree with the view, consider an objection to libertarianism and respond to the objection on the behalf of libertarianism. If you disagree with libertarianism, explain your objection in detail, and then present a possible reply on behalf of libertarianism to your objection. (Note: Chisholm explains one important objection to his view: p.111 that he calls the 2nd objection; the Kane essay also deals with many important objections to Libertarianism having to do with that position’s attempts to avoid making free will arbitrary, accidental or a matter of luck: what Kane describes as the descent problem for libertarianism).
Grading Criteria
The grade of your essay can be affected by many factors. The most important one is demonstrating an understanding of the material and providing solid argumentation for the points you make. Some of the grading criteria are listed below.
Accuracy. The accuracy of factual statements or interpretations of a particular philosopher’s, scientist’s or other author’s writings is always relevant in evaluating written work.
Evidence of Effort. The amount of effort put into preparing the paper, insofar as this can be ascertained from the written work itself, will be considered in grading. Some signs that insufficient effort has been made are (a) work that falls short of the requested length, (b) writing that includes frequent misspellings and/or grammatical errors, (c) sloppy or illegible writing.
Cogency of Thought. Central to philosophy is the task of discovering reasonable beliefs that are based on sound justifying arguments and evidence. Thus one criterion for judging the quality of philosophical writing is how well an author supports his/her views with clearly stated and convincing reasoning.
Insight. A superior paper will display some insight into an issue or the views presented, and goes beyond what is said in class lectures and discussions.
Evaluation Criteria in more detail
The primary criteria for evaluating papers will involve a demonstrated understanding of the arguments/positions relevant to the paper topic, the soundness of arguments for one’s own position regarding the topic and general clarity of expression. That is to say, papers will be graded for philosophical content and writing style. If you have difficulty in expressing your points clearly through writing, I suggest you plan on writing many drafts of your essay and that you seriously consider working with the writing center/tutors in order to strengthen your essays.
I use the following scale in distributing grades for assignments. I have also provided explanations for what each level of paper will be like.
A Superior achievement of assignment/course requirements
An A paper will be well organized and extremely clear such that the author’s flow of thought is very easy to follow. One key for this is that there are very few typos and grammatical errors. The thesis, if there is one for the assignment, should be very clear and the essay should be focused on it. There should be no irrelevant digressions or tangents, and the thesis should be well-supported and explained. The views discussed should be captured correctly, and there should be no inconsistencies in the paper’s argument/discussion. An A paper will also show originality/insight and independent thought. It should be an excellent essay that goes well beyond merely satisfying the questions.
B Better than satisfactory achievement of assignment/course requirements
While an A paper is an excellent one, a B paper is a good one. It does a bit more than just satisfying the assignment. It shows that effort has been put into the essay with a clear thesis and generally solid argumentation and explanation of the key issues/points involved in the assignment. However, there could be improvement in content and writing. There may be grammatical errors, though not many, that detract from the flow of the essay. There may be confusion in argumentation or some small point at issue, but the errors will not generally be very substantial.
