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Instructions
Goal: A deeper understanding of the chosen topic.
Course Objective(s):
CO1: Identify historical beginnings of philosophy and contemporary positions concerning the nature of knowledge and reality
CO3: Distinguish the basic concepts of moral and political philosophy
CO4: Evaluate arguments for and against the existence of God
CO5: Evaluate various approaches to the mind-body problem
Task:
While some assignments can be a bit more creative, learning how to improve your skills with written communication is also a good thing. Toward that end, the goal here is to write a paper of between 500-750 words on one of the three options below:
Use one or more moral theories from weeks 6 and 7 to justify what you believe is the right thing to do concerning some contemporary situation.
Define and describe the theories you use.
Describe the contemporary moral situation and why it is a moral situation.
Describe how the theory provides the reasoning/justification to demonstrate your proposed solution is the best one.
You have encountered various theories of knowledge and theories of being in this course, beginning with Plato/Socrates (as well as pre-Socratics like Parmenides), Descartes and the rationalists, empiricism, and Kantian constructivism. The phenomenological method as described in Week 7 can also give us tools for a theory of knowledge. Use one or more theories from epistemology and/or metaphysics to discuss what kinds of things you can know and how you can claim to know what you know.
Define and describe the theory or theories that you use to make your claim.
Say something about the range of possible knowledge that you can legitimately claim as knowledge. That is, does it include only knowledge of what can be sensed and whatever is physical? Or can we know abstract objects like universals? Can we have knowledge of more spiritual or esoteric realities, like the soul, God, religious doctrines, etc.?
Explain the reasons that support your viewpoint by providing arguments that are in dialogue with relevant thinkers discussed in our course.
Use one or more theories from weeks 3-5 and 8 to demonstrate humans have a purpose.
Define and describe the theory or theories you use to make your claim.
Keep in mind that the goal is to argue humans have a purpose. If you do not think we have one, consider another option.
Be sure your argument includes like-minded philosophers on the type of purpose you claim humans have.
Your paper will be written at a college level with an introduction (one that states an argumentative/interpretive thesis and that indicates what would be covered and in what order), body paragraphs, a conclusion, along with in-text citations/Works Cited page in MLA, Turabian, Chicago, or APA formatting. Remember—any resource that is listed on the Works Cited page must have an in-text citation in the paper to match or this is considered plagiarism. [Note, MLA style is preferred, but depending on your degree area, you may be more familiar with APA or one of the other styles. You can use any approved style, just be consistent.]
You may only submit files compatible with the Turnitin system. Please do not try to submit a PDF. Please do use MS Word.
Resources:
Word is free to students – if you encounter an issue please write for guidance
Tutor.com – information available in the syllabus
APUS Library
Citation and Reference Style: You will follow the citation style that is common to your discipline/program (APA, Turabian, Chicago, or MLA). If you do not have a citation style, please use MLA style. OWL Purdue is a great resource for the formatting of citations and resources.
Due on May 19, 2024 11:55 PM
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