Category Archives: Philosophy

· “Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals” by Immanuel Kant (starting on page 146)

Assignments which do not meet these requirements will be graded accordingly:

1. Reading Summaries should be a minimum of 250 words and a maximum of 500 words (approximately 1-2 pages in standard formatting)

2. All reading summaries must follow standard formatting requirements. (That is, standard margins, font size, and paragraph spacing is observed. Students cannot manipulate font size, margins, and paragraph spacing to meet length requirements.)

3. Reading Summaries require that you read a primary source selection from the end of each chapter, then write a short summary that identifies the thesis and outlines the main argument.  Reading summaries are not about your opinion or perspective – they are expository essays that explain the content of….

1- What is knowledge, and is it more valuable than belief? If yes, tell us why you think it is more valuable, and if not, what do you think is responsible for our fascination with knowledge?

2- Does it make sense to say that a statement or belief is true for a particular person? Can a truth be simply subjective? Give some examples, and explain what significance to give to the above expressions “is true for.”

3- If a belief makes a person who believes it happier and more secure, does that make it true in any sense?

4- If there were facts, what would they be?

5- Bertrand Russell once wrote, “Better the world should perish than I or any other human being should believe a lie.”….

  The first paper is a short reflection usually on an experience involving a class activity. Given our current circumstances, the topic for this term’s reflection will be the covid-19 pandemic. I would like you to reflect on how the pandemic has affected your life. You may include any relevant research, but it is not required. I am more interested on your own personal reflections about the pandemic and what it has meant to you. The Reflection Paper must be at least two pages in length, double-spaced, normal 1-inch margins, and 11- or 12-point type in an easy-to-read font (e.g. Calibri, Arial, Cambria or Times New Roman). Papers should demonstrate the student’s ability to write in proper grammatical sentences and use proper paragraph structure. Be sure to include your….

As we learned with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, philosophy has much to do with logic and argumentation to get to the truth about various issues we all face. Asian Philosophy also relies on logical reasoning as for example with the Nyaya school of Hinduism, and in China, The School of Names and the Mohists. But both the Greeks and the Chinese also harbor philosophers who believed that language gets in the way of thinking better. They used humor instead.  The Greek philosopher who is a master of comedy and repartee is Diogenes, the Cynic. He used his quick wit to ridicule the mindless and arrogant, including Alexander the Great. The Asian master of wit and storytelling is the Daoist, Zhuangzi (sometimes spelled Chuang-Tzu).

Zhuangzi is a master storyteller….

As we learned with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, philosophy has much to do with logic and argumentation to get to the truth about various issues we all face. Asian Philosophy also relies on logical reasoning as for example with the Nyaya school of Hinduism, and in China, The School of Names and the Mohists. But both the Greeks and the Chinese also harbor philosophers who believed that language gets in the way of thinking better. They used humor instead.  The Greek philosopher who is a master of comedy and repartee is Diogenes, the Cynic. He used his quick wit to ridicule the mindless and arrogant, including Alexander the Great. The Asian master of wit and storytelling is the Daoist, Zhuangzi (sometimes spelled Chuang-Tzu).

Zhuangzi is a master storyteller….