Describe the functions of ancient myths, using examples from two different Neolithic cultures, and comment on whether myth is inherently fictional. Using modern examples, discuss ways modern belief systems, secular or religious, function for modern cultures in a similar fashion.
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Immanuel Kant’s Epistemology
Discuss the extremely challenging excerpt on pp. 198-202 from Kant’s philosophical masterpiece, the Critique of Pure Reason. Please begin by exploring specific questions that you have about Kant’s text and then discuss those questions to help you to gain the clarity and insight that is needed to answer the following questions: •What, according to Kant, […]
Descartes’ argumentation to the “pinch test”
Descartes’ argumentation to the “pinch test,” according to which if you pinch yourself hard right now and feel a sharp stab of pain then you know that you are awake. Please be sure that your essay addresses the following: 1.What would what would Descartes conclude about the reliability of the pinch test? 2.Exactly why would […]
Aristotle’s Conception of Virtue
Aristotle argues that the most important form of happiness consists neither in momentary episodes of pleasure nor in long series of such moments,but rather in the happiness one can take in old age in reflecting back on a life well-lived. Please answer the following question: •What, according to Aristotle, constitutes a life well-lived, and how […]
Mill’s Principle of Utility
Please work with your classmates to construct a high-quality, extended academic discussion of the following questions. As always in our class, please work together to clarify concepts, explore questions, and analyze specific passages from our excerpt of Mill’s Utilitarianism. •What, according to Mill, is greatest happiness principle? Exactly how does he think that principle can […]
Kant: some knowledge is “synthetic a priori.”
Kant famously–and controversially–argued that some knowledge is “synthetic a priori.” Can you explain in your own words what Kant might have meant by this, and can you give an example of the sort of knowledge that Kant believed possessed this strange status? HINT: To answer this question in a clear and well-organized manner, you might […]
Locke on the Relationship Between Government and Religion
Please construct an extended academic discussion of the following questions. Please ensure that your discussion makes excellent use of textual evidence from our excerpt from Locke’s Letter Concerning Toleration. •What, according to Locke, is the proper relationship between religion and government? What are Locke’s strongest reasons for defending that relationship? •As you assess Locke’s argument […]
Human Rights.
Our class’s final essay assignment requires you to reflect on the contemporary relevance of ancient codes, documents, and artifacts that contributed to the evolution of our modern conception of human rights. Your essay should answer these questions: 1.What, according to H. Gene Blocker, are the most important historical sources for our contemporary conception of human […]
