PHI 205 PROBLEMS AND TYPES OF PHILOSOPHY

THE ESSAY ASSIGNMENT

The eventual goal of this (two part) assignment is for you to write a short essay on a philosophical topic related to one of the areas covered in the course syllabus: Standards of rationality and techniques of rational persuasion, Philosophical Theology, Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind, and Ethics.

One of the hopes every instructor brings to an introductory philosophy course is to give students tools to "apply" philosophy in their other academic pursuits and in everyday life -- to stir up feelings that "the unexamined life is not worth living" and the unexamined belief is not worth imposing on onesself or others. Contrary to the popular misconception, applied philosophy is not an oxymoron (a term that is self-contradictory). Indeed applied philosophy can be more useful, natural, and rewarding than applied math or applied physics or applied chemistry. The reason is not hard to find. Applied philosophy deals with issues of deep significance and emotional force. Many people care passionately that their beliefs are rationally defensible, whether God exists, whether personal survival after bodily death is "unscientific", and whether good and evil are mere matters of opinion lacking any factual or objective basis in reality -- for example.

Part I 5% -- Due Monday, March 17.

The first portion of the essay assignment is to select, collect, and comment upon articles found "in the news." For ease of administration, we will limit ourselves to print media and computer print media such as newspapers, magazines, and web pages that can be printed out or "pasted" into a document. More on sources of clippings will be found down the page.

Details

1. Alternative examples -- 5% each

   Find information that could be used as an alternative to one of the examples mentioned in the text. For instance, my first example from the news was found in a 2/17 article from the News and Observer about the possibility of an asteroid landing on earth and causing significant damage. The story contains estimates of the liklihood of such an event and of the liklihood of death resulting from an asteroid collision. There is also mention of proposals to build an asteroid defense system. From these ingredients we can construct an example illustrating the notion of expected value (an alternative to the lottery and card game and afterlife examples in Lecture 10) and the role that estimates of expected value play in rational decision making. My comments accompanying the news clipping would

   • describe the alternative example in at least as much detail as the examples in the text are described.

2. References to philosophical theories -- 15% each

   Find reference to a philosophical theory or idea that is also discussed in the course materials. Describe the view you find in your clipping and which views in the text it agrees with or disagrees with. Also mention any new contribution that the clipping may make or any arguments that the text may present for or against the view in the clipping.

   For instance, in the 2/16 Parade Magazine that is part of the News & Observer Sunday supplement, there is a column called "Ask Marilyn" that contains a discussion of capital punishment. Capital punishment is an issue that connects well to at least two parts of the syllabus. First there is the discussion of free-will and responsibility for ones actions in L23 and L24. If free-will is an illusion, it might be indefensible to distinguish criminal actions from the actions of mentally ill people. Second there is connection with Ethical theories and especially Utilitarianism as discussed in L31.

   If I were to clip out Marilyn's column to use in this category, I would need to

   • describe the position(s) expressed in the clipping and relate it to one or more portions of the text that it is connected to -- be sure to cite the text by page number references as well as topic names.
   • consider whether the view(s) in the clipping agree with or contradict the view(s) from the text that I had chosen to connect it with.
   • consider any arguments for or against the view(s) under discussion -- from the clipping discussion or the text's discussion
   .

3. Arguments au naturale -- 25% each

   The final and most rewarding category of clipping to look for is one that contains an argument -- premisses and conclusion -- that is supposed to be rationally persuasive according to the source of the argument.

   For instance, in the same "Ask Marilyn" column mentioned above, these statements occur:

        At best, it [capital punishment] is surely a deterrent of the 
        strongest magnitude. ...
        But because I find capital murder far more abhorent that I find capital 
        punishment, I reluctantly support the administration of the death 
        penalty.
   

   This seems to contain an argument.
   • What is the conclusion?
   • What are the premisses?
   • What type of argument is being offered -- deductive, abductive, inductive, or something completely different?
   • Is the argument a rationally persuasive one?
   • If not, can it be improved to accomplish the author's point?

How to proceed

Get in the habit, if you are not already, of reading some news each day and collecting clippings. It is better to have a good selection of clippings that you can choose from when the time comes, than to leave that portion of the task till the very end. As early as you can, pick a clipping and begin documenting it according to the category you intend to use that clipping in. If in doubt about what to say, brainstorm, talk to others, or consult me.

Places to look

• Any newspaper, including the Technician, the Spectator, and the Independant. Opinion and editorial pages are especially likely to yield useful clippings.
• Any magazine with news or opinion or general information, including Time, Newsweek, the Scientific American, the New England Journal of Medicine, Vogue, TV Guide, etc.
• For philosophical topics and argument one good source is The New York Review of Books.

Part II 10% -- Due Friday, April 25.

The topics and arguments you present should be found in current publications that are not specifically devoted to philosophy such as newspapers and magazines.

The essay itself can be organized on one of several patterns.

• Single View
  • The Idea. Describe explicitly and clearly one philosophical view found "in current events." This is not meant to be a report of what someone wrote or said, but a description of a "live" view and an argument in support of the view.
  • The Outline.
    1. Background -- Context in which view is found. Concepts needed to explain the view.
    2. Explicit and clear statement of the view. Qualifications and restrictions if needed.
    3. Main argument for the view. List and discuss premisses.
    4. Objections and counterarguments. Additional arguments for the view.
    5. Evaluation and Conclusion
  • Example -- From discussion of Doctor-assisted suicide.

    The View: There is no morally significant difference between "letting a patient die" by withdrawing life-sustaining treatment and "helping a patient kill himself" by supplying the means to suicide.

• Compare and Contrast
  • The Idea. Describe explicitly and clearly one philosophical view found in current events and also describe one pair of arguments on opposite sides of the issue. At least one of the arguments should explicitly address an argument on the other side of the issue, usually by attacking the rational persuasiveness of the opposing argument.
  • The Outline
    1. Background -- Context in which view is found. Concepts needed to explain the view.
    2. Explicit and clear statement of the view. Qualifications and restrictions if needed.
    3. Main argument for or against the view. List and discuss premisses.
    4. Main opposing argument. Describe how the first argument is attacked.
    5. Evaluation and Conclusion
  • Example -- From controversy about Doctor-assisted suicide.

    The View: We don't yet know enough about treatment of terminally ill patients to conclude that or when assistance with suicide is the best medical care to be provided. So it is premature at best to create laws that give special status to doctor-assisted suicide of terminally ill patients in contrast to one person helping another kill herself.

• Application of Theory
  • The Idea -- Philosophical theories can be connected to observations and intuitions in several ways. One connection is when the theory has consequences which apply to the particular case. Another connection is when the particular case provides evidence for or against the theory. The difference here is one of perspective. We can use the particular case to illuminate the theory or we can use the theory to understand the particular case. Sometimes we do one, sometimes the other.
  • The Outline
    1. Background -- Context in which observation/intuition is found. Concepts needed to explain the theory.
    2. Explicit and clear statement of the theory.
    3. Description of the observation/intuition.
    4. Connect the theory and data.
    5. Evaluation and Conclusion
  • Example -- From discussion of doctor-assisted suicide.

    The Theory: Utilitarian ethical theory.
    The Intuition: One of the most important ethical principles in medicine is respect for each patient's autonomy, and when this principle conflicts with others, it should almost always take precedence.
    The Connection: Does the intuition conflict with Utilitarian ethical theory on the issue of what is the morally correct thing for a doctor to do in treating a terminally ill patient? How can Utilitarian theory account for special ethical obligations that arise from a special relationship such as that of doctor to patient?

Part of Web site for Harold D. Levin, Department of Philosophy, North Carolina State University e-mail address: Harold_Levin@ncsu.edu Last Updated: Spring 1997