philosophy?final?journal

Description
I?am?in?a?philosophy?class?and?its?introduction?to?philosophy,?some?of?the?philosophers?we?talked?about?was?st.
Aquinas,?st.?anselm,?William?paley,?Aristotle,?immanuel?kant,?john?locke,?Descartes?and?much?more.?in?the?paper
I?have?to?write?about?what?I?learned?and?what?my?thoughts?are?about?what?we?have?talked?about?I?am?going?to
attach?the?description?and?you?can?chose?what?you?want?to?write?about,?what?you?feel?most?comfortable?to?do

Final Journal Project

Instructions:

Reread all your lecture reflections, and write an 8-10 page paper in which you describe your maturation in thinking about two major issues covered in this course. In the final part of your paper, provide a general reflection. Your paper should be divided into three parts.

Part 1: Issue #1
In this part of the journal, you will discuss your first chosen issue. Please do the following (preferably in this order).

1. Briefly introduce the reader to your chosen issue. Then, discuss how this issue is important to you. In what ways is the issue relevant to your fundamental beliefs about the world, your place in it, or who you are? (Think carefully about this.)

2. Describe your view on the issue coming into this class. Then, discuss how you came to this view. Feel free to share personal experiences, influential figures (e.g., parents, teachers, friends, pop culture icons, pastors, authors, intellectuals, etc.) that have shaped your view.

3. Discuss how your view has changed over the quarter/semester. If your view has not changed, discuss how it has evolved ? perhaps it has become more mature, more nuanced, more informed, more detailed, more articulate, more assured, less assured, etc. In your response, give mention to specific readings, lectures, discussions from class, and/or lecture reflections behind this evolution.

4. The 19th century philosopher John Stuart Mill once wrote: ?He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion.?

In the spirit of this quote, describe the greatest challenge or objection to your view on the chosen topic. Then, respond to the challenge or objection to the best of your ability.

Part 2: Issue #2
In this part of the journal, you will discuss your second chosen issue. Please do the following (preferably in this order).

1. Briefly introduce the reader to your chosen issue. Then, discuss how this issue is important to you. In what ways is the issue relevant to your fundamental beliefs about the world, your place in it, or who you are? (Think carefully about this.)

2. Describe your view on the issue coming into this class. Then, discuss how you came to this view. Feel free to share personal experiences, influential figures (e.g., parents, teachers, friends, pop culture icons, pastors, authors, intellectuals, etc.) that have shaped your view.

3. Discuss how your view has changed over the quarter/semester. If your view has not changed, discuss how it has evolved ? perhaps it has become more mature, more nuanced, more informed, more detailed, more articulate, more assured, less assured, etc. In your response, give mention to specific readings, lectures, discussions from class, and/or lecture reflections behind this evolution.

4. The 19th century philosopher John Stuart Mill once wrote: ?He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion.?

In the spirit of this quote, describe the greatest challenge or objection to your view on the chosen topic. Then, respond to the challenge or objection to the best of your ability.

Part 3: General reflection
In this part of the assignment, reflect on and address the following bullet points.

? It is not uncommon for a student to leave a philosophy course with some uncertainties or questions. Perhaps the student has unanswered questions about an issue, feels pulled in different directions on an issue, or notices a tension in his or her beliefs.

Discuss at least two uncertainties or questions that you have about any of the issues addressed in this course. (It is fine if these uncertainties are related to the issues you discussed above.) You may think of these uncertainties or questions as ones you would like to pose to an authority in philosophy, if you had the chance.

? A student in a philosophy course once wrote:

?If there?s one thing I?ve learned in this class, it?s if you can?t talk about what you?re confused about to find a better understanding, then you won?t ever expand your knowledge about [yourself or your view of the world]?

Reflect on this quote. Is it worthwhile to address your uncertainties, or are these uncertainties better off ignored? If you choose to address them, they how will you do so? By what means will you shape your answer to these questions?

Format:

Your paper should take the following format.

I. Introduction
? Summarize the main points you will make in the paper

II. Part 1: Reflections on Issue #1

III. Part 2: Reflections on Issue #2

IV. Part 3: Reflections on your experience

V. Conclusion
? Wrap up discussion

List of Issues on Which You May Write:

? What is the value of philosophy?
? Whether the unexamined life is not worth living
? Whether you would rather live an examined or unexamined life
? Whether God exists
? Whether reason can prove the existence of God
? Whether the existence of evil gives reason to think God does not exist
? Whether the belief in God is rational
? Whether humans are naturally good or naturally evil
? Whether there is reason to be moral outside of the consequences of being caught
? Whether pleasure is the ultimate good
? Whether the rightness/wrongness of an act lies in the consequences or the motive
? Whether humans can have knowledge of anything
? Whether our senses can provide us with knowledge of the world
? Whether human have free will
? Whether the idea of personal identity is coherent
? Whether the humans are more than one substance (material and immaterial)
? Whether causal determinism is true

Grading:

The following rubric will be used to grade this assignment:

Poor
Average

Excels

Thoughtfulness

Responses are superficial

Paper presents itself as a product of little or no self-reflection

Responses may or may not make references to your reading and/or journal reflections

.
Responses may be developed, but more thought and effort is needed.

Paper presents itself as a product of some self-reflection

Responses make references to your reading and/or journal reflections

Responses demonstrate thoughtfulness, effort, and hints of profundity

Paper presents itself as a product of serious, genuine self-reflection

Responses make ample reference to your reading and/or lecture reflections

Completeness

Addresses few to no requirements or questions in the prompt

May or may not meet the page minimum

Addresses most of the requirements and questions in the prompt

May or may not meet the page minimum

Addresses all of the requirements and questions in the prompt

Page minimum is met

Mechanics

Mechanical errors that detract from readability

Assignment may be replete with mechanical errors

Most sentences are well-constructed, though some may be incomplete, unclear, and/or not concise

Rules of grammar usage, spelling, and punctuation are followed for the most part, though there are some errors present

Sentences are complete, clear, concise, and error free

Rules of grammar usage, spelling, and punctuation are followed

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