Write a philosophical essay that responds to ONE (1) of the prompts below.
Your essay should be a minimum of 1750 words (this is approximately six pages double-spaced, excluding the bibliography page). There is no maximum length limit. Please use standard 12-point font – e.g., Cambria, Helvetica, Palatino, Times New Roman, etc. (Please note: it will be difficult to successfully answer some of these prompts in less than 2000 words.)
To do well, you must demonstrate sustained critical engagement with the relevant course lectures, texts, and approved secondary sources and support your claims with quotes, in-text citations, and/or philosophical arguments.
You must use the specific editions of the texts I have provided you on Canvas. Essays that use other editions/translations will not be accepted.
This is NOT a research paper. The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate deep reflective engagement with the ideas of one (or two) thinkers we have studied together this semester. I want you to explain the topic using the text and my lectures as a guide and to provide your own take on the subject matter at hand. It is fine to disagree with my interpretation. You also don’t need to get every detail “right” to do well. However, if you submit an essay that merely restates what others think, you will not do well. In short, you must think for yourself. You should use the lecture notes I have provided for you, but please do not copy them directly or thoughtlessly repeat what I say.
You may NOT use any outside sources for philosophical content: the use of any outside sources for philosophical content will be considered plagiarism and will result in failure. I have provided you with secondary sources for most of the texts we have studied together. In addition to these, you may also use relevant entries from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. If you make factual claims, you must cite your source. You can use any citation style you are comfortable with as long as page numbers are provided in-text and it is obvious what you are referencing.
If you plagiarize any part of this essay, you will fail the course. We now use plagiarism software that is far superior to anything available online (including AI detection software) and I also check essays for plagiarism the old-fashioned way. In short, I will probably catch you if you plagiarize, and the penalties are severe, so please don’t do it. Just to be clear: You are not permitted to use Chat GPT or other AI software. If you do so, you risk failing the course. (1) In Phaedo, Plato’s Socrates claims: “the one aim of those who practice philosophy in the proper manner is to practice for dying and death” (64a). Explain the relationship between philosophy and death as Socrates describes it in Phaedo (as a whole, but esp. 61b-69a). How does this account of the relationship between philosophy and death relate to Plato’s ontology and epistemology as a whole? What objections might we raise against Socrates’ ascetic understanding of philosophy and its relation to death? Is this account compatible with Plato’s claims concerning the nature of philosophy in the Republic? Is it compatible with Socrates’ account of philosophy in the Symposium?
