Create a unique thesis in response to one of the following essays: ″The Ontological Argument″ by Anselm and Gaunilo (pp.284-288) “The Problem of Hell” by Marilyn McCord Adams (pp. pp.275-277) ″Meditations on First Philosophy″ by Descartes (pp.94-98 and 173-180) ″The Ghost in the Machine″ by Gilbert Ryle (pp.133-137) “What Is It Like to Be a Bat?” by Thomas Nagel (p.153-156) ″What Can I Know?″ by D.Z. Phillips (pp.82-87) ″An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding″ by David Hume (pp.115-124) Use your thesis to develop a standard five-paragraph essay. It should be between 500-1000 words and use MLA format (2-4 pages double-spaced). Consult the rubric used to grade before you complete the assignment. Submit to CANVAS by the deadline. No Late Papers! Remember, you will be allowed to rewrite your essay if your grade is below 80%. Submit something. Instructions: Read through advice for writing philosophy papers from Harvard Writing Center. Read through information from Jim Pryor on writing philosophy papers (Links to an external site.). Choose one of the selected readings from Greek philosophy. Brainstorm the big ideas from your chosen reading selection. Why is this reading important? What does it tell you about the nature of reality? (Metaphysics) What does it say about how we know? (Epistemology) What does it say about how we think? (Epistemology) What does it say about belief in God? What is the nature of God? (Metaphysics) What does it say about the mind/body debate? (Metaphysics) Take a position about one of these big ideas and craft a draft of your unique thesis. A thesis must contain a philosophical argument, that includes a conclusion, and premise(s) that support this conclusion. You can agree or disagree with any of the ideas presented by your chosen philosopher. You can critique their argument and suggest an alternative to what they propose. You can argue that this position for human beings for any number of reasons. Why is this idea important? Why should your reader care about this idea? A philosophy paper is NOT a book report on the given philosopher! It is not simply a retelling of what they said, it is you taking a position on something they wrote. Submit Thesis Prep – Essay 2 by the deadline this will give you an opportunity to get feedback on your ideas before you finish the paper. Thinking ahead is the key to succes. Create a five paragraph essay that includes the following: Paragraph One: Introduction that identifies your unique thesis and provides the reader a brief context for why this is relevant. The philosophical argument should be fully explained in the introduction. Paragraphs Two-Three: Your next paragraphs should be supporting your thesis with examples from the text and from your own observations of the world. (You do not need to do research.) Paragraph Four: An excellent philosophy paper will address any opposition to the thesis/argument. (Remember you are a defense attorney that needs to defend your argument against the “prosecution”.) Paragraph Five: A concluding paragraph should re-state your thesis in a new way and summarize why the thesis is important and what are the implications of your argument moving forward.
