Philosophy Paper
Please answer one of the following questions in approximately four to five typed, double-spaced pages. Careful, close engagement with your assigned reading is an absolute requirement for this assignment. While you are not absolutely required to consult library materials, if you elect not to, your maximum score will be 27 (see below). Under no circumstances should you consult any Internet materials. In avoiding even the appearance of plagiarism, err on the side of caution. Be sure to credit every source you use, and to provide specific page references for every quotation or paraphrase. Extended quotations are discouraged.
Your paper will be evaluated primarily on the clarity of your reasoning. Regardless of the topic you select, you must show substantive engagement with your assigned reading. Papers are worth up to 30 points, but will not be scored above a 27 unless you engage with sources outside assigned reading.
Are events in the real world really sequenced into causes and their effects, or are cause and effect rather aspects of the ways in which we cope with that world?
Is being a person the same thing as being a human being? Why or why not? Does the distinction matter?
After explaining what W.E.B. DuBois means by “double consciousness,” consider the following question: is double consciousness, in this sense, a widespread or even universal phenomenon, or is it particular to a given group of people?
Is a just person always a happy person, and vice versa? Once again, don’t try to answer this one without careful engagement with your reading, including Plato’s Republic.
