Final Project Stage 1:
Choosing a Philosophical Question
The Final Project gives you a chance to write about one of our discussion questions in greater depth and detail than in the forums. In Stage 1, due in Week 4, you are asked to pick a question and submit a brief topic proposal. In Stage 2, due in Week 6, you are asked to submit an outline of your final essay that lists and analyzes arguments on both sides of your question. In Stage 3, due in Week 8, you are asked to compose and submit an essay that uses philosophic techniques to argue for a specific answer to your question.
Begin Stage 1 by selecting a question from the list below; you may pick one you have already worked on in the forums, or you may instead decide to work on a fresh one; either way is fine. Your proposal should state clearly which question you have picked and in at least 100 but no more than 200 words explain why the question, text, and philosopher interest you and how you plan to answer the question. Include at the end a list of two or three sources you plan to use in preparing your essay. Save your proposal as a docx file and upload it to the designated folder by the end of the fourth week of class on Tuesday at 11:59 pm ET.
Week One
Philosopher: Plato
Text: Republic, Book 7
1. What is the difference between truth and opinion? How far should I be allowed to go in trying to get others to agree with my beliefs?
2. Is it right to try to convince someone of something you believe is true even if it harms them? Why or why not?
Week Two
Philosopher: Plato
Text: The Apology
1. According to the example set by Socrates, what does it mean to lead a good life?
2. Was it just or unjust for the Athenians to sentence Socrates to death?
Week Three
Philosopher: Aristotle
Text: The Nicomachean Ethics
1. Is it more important for a person to be courageous or truthful?
2. Is it more important for society to be lawful or fair?
3. What is the most important virtue to practice in a good life?
Week Four
Philosopher: Thomas Aquinas
Text: Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 2, Articles 1-3
1. Does God really exist?
2. Which of Aquinas’s five ways best aligns with your own religious faith or best confirms your doubts?
3. Does the reality of evil in the world disprove God’s existence?
Week Five
Philosopher: Rene Descartes
Text: Meditations 1 and 2
1. Are you a rationalist or empiricist regarding mathematical knowledge? How can you be sure two plus two equals four?
2. Are you a rationalist or empiricist regarding ethical knowledge? How did you learn right from wrong?
3. Can we ever be fully certain that reality isn’t just a dream?
Week Six
Philosopher: John Locke
Text: The Second Treatise on Government
1. Should mercy temper strict adherence to a code of justice? Would you ever permit the execution of a convicted killer despite lingering questions regarding his guilt, motives, or the like?
2. Should governments have power to mandate religious tolerance? Are laws criminalizing intolerance desirable?
3. Should people be allowed to do whatever they want whenever they feel like it, or should a strong central government have extensive powers to regulate personal behavior for the sake of the common good?
Week Seven
Philosopher: Immanuel Kant
Text: Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals
1. Is it better to treat others well in the expectation that they will return the favor or to do it from a sense of duty without considering reciprocity?
2. Is the principle “never lie or be dishonest” just an optional personal belief or is it a universally binding absolute moral law?
3. Is there really such a thing as free will given the constraints of morality?
