What is due?Please choose one of the prompts and write a short paper, 600 to 800 words long. Write it as a text entry: do not attach files. Write the prompt number at the top. There is no need to include the text of the prompt in your submission (if you do, please keep in mind that it won’t count towards the word count). The prompts are below.
PromptsGiven what you have read of the Apology, why do you think Socrates was accused of corruption of the youth? In what sense “corruption”? Was the accusation justified, and why?
In front of an unjust verdict, like in the case of Socrates, is it right to obey the law and accept it, even if it means facing death? Why?
What is the most important lesson of theAllegory of the Cave in your view? Why is it important?
Should the hypothesis that we are constantly dreaming make us doubt the possibility of attaining knowledge? Why?
Explain how Descartes passes from radical skepticism to the foundation of the “cogito”. Identify a weak point in his reasoning and argue against him.
Propose and defend an argument for or against skepticism about other minds.
Do you think that Elisabeth of Bohemia’s criticism of Descartes is convincing? Why?
Do you think that Ryle’s criticism of Descartes is convincing? Why?
Why?This assignment is meant to assess your critical understanding of the contents of the class, your capacity to reflect autonomously on them, and your capacity to formulate and defend a philosophical argument in a written text.
How?In a philosophy paper, you are expected to propose and defend a thesis (a major claim), offering good objective reasons in support of it. Address the prompt completely. Write a text that demonstrates you studied and understood the contents and formed your independent opinion on them. Explain key concepts with your own words. Engage with the class materials, referring directly to them and/or quoting from them. Use short sentences and a clear argumentative strategy. Always credit your sources and avoid plagiarism, including the use of ChatGPT and similar AI text generators. Don’t forget to check out the rubric!
How not?This is not like the written version of a video-journal. You are not supposed to express your subjective opinion or to write about your own experience or feelings. You will defend your view, but this must be a philosophical thesis supported by an argument, not a subjective thought inspired by the readings or class materials.
TipsAddress the prompt completely. If the prompt includes more than one question or aspect, your paper should address all of them.
State your thesis at the very beginning of your paper.
Make your argumentative steps explicit: announce them in the first paragraph, and then follow them thoroughly.
Use short sentences and a straightforward style.
Do not take it for granted that your reader already knows the topics that you are dealing with. You are expected to define explicitly the main concepts that you are using.
Make sure your paper shows that you studied and understood the materials.
Use your own words and possibly your own examples. This demonstrates autonomy and capacity for reflection, and helps the reader better understand what you have in mind.
Connect the conclusion of the paper to the thesis that you stated at the beginning.
Plagiarism (passing off as your own the ideas or words of someone else) is not allowed in any form. Always credit your sources. Remember that papers are automatically checked for plagiarism.
QuestionsWhat exactly are references and quotes? How should I format them? Are they required?
At least one reference to, or quote from, one of the required readings, and/or video-lectures, and/or slides, is mandatory.
You are referring to (for instance) an article when you mention it, for instance when you say: According to Fricker (2023: 5), epistemic injustice is the consequence of prejudice. You are quoting from an article when you cite a passage from it, for instance: As Fricker (2023: 5) argues, “epistemic injustice is the consequence of prejudice”. In both cases, you need to mention the author’s name and possibly the date of publication and page number in parenthesis. If you omit the year or the page, it is less precise, although still acceptable in the short paper. When you refer to or quote text from a slide or a passage from a video-lecture, you can refer to them as (for instance) “minilecture 2.1”, or “week 2 slides”.
References or quotes to additional resources or external sources are also welcome, but not required. If you use external sources, you should NOT focus PRIMARILY on them.
If you use quotes, remember to avoid long quotes. Your paper must show your own work, not that of others. So, quotes and references may only be used to support your paper’s main points, not to replace your own explanations.
Are footnotes allowed?
Yes, but keep in mind that footnotes are secondary additions. If you use them, do not use them to explain major points.
Does the word count include the prompt and the bibliography (if any)?
No. It includes quotes and footnotes.
Samples of good papersThese are two A+ papers submitted in another class (added here with the students’ permission): I uploaded below.Please note that they are slightly longer than allowed here because the length requirements were different.
Please do not use AI, there is a no AI policy!! Thank you so much!