Please
read the post, "How to Write a Philosophy Essay". Remember that the
essays are to be at least three typed pages, double spaced. The essays
are due the class period after they are assigned, the date that they
appear on the syllabus. You are welcome to email the papers to me at
ericgerlach@gmail.com. You are also welcome to use your life experience
or outside sources as evidence for your argument, but make sure to focus
on your argument.
So
far, we have covered Rationalism (Descartes, Spinoza & Leibniz),
Empiricism (Locke & Hume) and Idealism (Berkeley & Kant). While
you are welcome to write on any topic or issue we have discussed so
far, here are some possible topics you can use for your response essay.
1)
While the Rationalists argue that truth is deductive, proceeding from
certainties to additional certainties, the Empiricists argue that truth
is inductive, acquired through experience and dependent upon additional
experience. Assuming we use both induction and deduction each day, is
there a difference between the two positions? What advantages and
disadvantages do inductive and deductive strategies have?
2)
Locke argues for the distinction between primary objective and
secondary subjective qualities, though he admits that both are
imperfectly known through experience. Is there a discernable difference
between objective and subjective properties, and is this difference
categorical or relative? How should we distinguish the decently
objective from the decently subjective?
3)
Berkeley, Kant and Hegel were all Idealists, but Berkeley, an
immaterialist, believes that the material world does not exist apart
from perceptions, while Kant and Hegel merely believe that the form of
the world is mental and conceptual. Is there any effective difference
between these two positions? If the Idealists are right, and the
distinctions of the world are mental, is there a difference between
materialism, immaterialism, or even solipsism?
