This mandatory post should be about 300 – 400 words like the last one. You should write either on Descartes or on Nagel/free will. You don’t need to be confined to my questions but you should address some of them. Please keep in mind my comments and/or criticisms on your last post when writing this post. You should aim for focus, clarity and precision and keep in mind the significance of the primary philosophical topics, concepts and arguments that we learned as they pertain to the post you are composing. Keep in mind that being grounded in the actual readings themselves is a good thing.
1. Descartes: In what way did Descartes usher in Modern Philosophy in his Meditations? Is the problem of the Evil Genius a real concern? Is there a necessary for God to exist to assuage the problem? Explain. What is the significance of the cogito in terms of subjectivity, which is often deemed the “subjective turn”? Does this create any unforeseen problems especially regarding knowledge? How does Descartes’s notion of innate ideas juxtapose to Plato’s theory of forms or to Aristotle’s universals?
2. Nagel: Do you have an opinion about the free will problem? Is it a problem at all? Is it worth reflecting on it or is it not a concern? Is it more or less of a problem than the Evil Genius? Explain. If you’ve chosen this question then you’ve chosen to reflect on it. Was your choice free? Which side of the debate do you come down on? Determinist? Libertarian? Compatibilist? Does it remain an unresolved aporia? Explain your view.
