Fall 2011 Philosophy of Human Nature 1st Paper topics

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1st Philosophical Analysis Paper Topics

The first paper in this class is a required 4-6 page, typed, double spaced paper exploring ONE of the two topics below.

Philosophy of Love

This paper invites you to articulate at least a few principles that you would be commmitted to if you were to develop a Philosophy of Love. One good strategy for doing this is to use a selective critical review of Plato's view of love in the Symposium (in the Speech of Diotima) to identify your view. You should also draw on your own personal and background knowledge and beliefs. Make good use of some of the philosophical methods we have been discussing and using in small group work. Be sure to present, develop, and defend your view. (You may want to read this recent New Yorker article for a development of what we called in class the "naturalist" perspective on love.)

Epistemology

What does it mean to know something and what are the sources of knowledge? This paper invites you to answer this question, or at least identify considerations for excluding some answers. One good strategy for doing that involves making a selective critical review of the major positions and problems in epistemology we have been studying. You should also draw on your own personal and background knowledge and beliefs. Make good use of some of the philosophical methods we have been discussing and using in small group work. Be sure to present, develop, and defend your view.

Finding Topics for Additional (Optional) Philosophy papers

Really any topic that comes up in class (or many of your related interests) can be developed into a topic for a Philosophy paper. Obvious and good choices include trying to work our your philosophy of free will, consciousness, personal identity, or topics in the philosophy of religion.