Pages:
3 pages (825 words) Double spaced
Type of paper:
Research paper Undergraduate (yrs. 1-2)
Discipline:
Philosophy
Title:
Topic #4: “Do You Have Free Will? Yes, It’s the Only Choice”
Sources to be cited:
5
Paper format:
MLA
Paper instructions:
Essay 2: Assignment Topics and Instructions
NB: Before starting your essay, you should read this entire document as
well as the information in the ‘Essay Assignments: Grading Criteria and
Helpful Information’ folder located in Unit 3. Among other information, it
contains a sample of an ‘A’ paper to use as a model for your essay.
For this assignment, you will choose one of the three topics below and write an
essay of at least 3 pages, double-spaced, in Times New Roman 12 point font;
your paper should be written in Standard English and done in MLA format. You
must include a MLA works cited page that includes all sources used in your
essay, including the article related to the topic you choose.
To submit your paper, click on ‘Essay 2.’ You should attach a file that can be
opened with Microsoft Word (doc or docx); do not submit a pdf or type in the
submission box.
Any instance of plagiarism will be punished by a minimum of an F on the
assignment and a report to the associate dean of the humanities division.
Further punishment could include failure in the course, suspension, or
expulsion.
The articles given below as topics are all from The New York Times. Nonsubscribers are limited to the number of articles they can read, but the Richland
Library has full access to The New York Times. You can access The New York
Times via this DCCCD Library web page.
Topic #1: “Dear God, Are You There?”
This article/letter speaks to the some of the most troubling and painful aspects
of human life.
Topic #2: “Deepfakes Are Coming. We Can No Longer Believe What We See”
This article deals with current and forthcoming technology that will possibly
forever change the way we think of truth and knowledge, as well as the
terrifying consequences of that technology.
Topic #3: “Being There: Heidegger on Why Our Presence Matters”
This article deals with how we relate to self, others, and the world, as well as
how we find meaning (or don’t) in these relationships.
Topic #4: “Do You Have Free Will? Yes, It’s the Only Choice”
This article deals with the question of free will. If you choose this topic, your
essay should NOT be arguing whether we have free will; rather, it should
analyze a philosophical question related to free will.
After choosing an article/topic to write about, you should choose one of the
philosophical questions from the list of questions included with the assignment
handouts. The question should be one that you think relates to the article/topic
you choose. The focus of your essay will be an analysis of the philosophical
question you choose from the list. Please note! Do not simply choose any
question on the list; you should choose a question that you think relates to
the article/topic you choose. In your essay, you will need to explain how
the question relates to the article/topic.
NB: Very often, I read essays for this assignment that do not even mention,
let alone discuss, any philosophers or philosophical concepts/theories. Just
as you cannot write an essay about, say, the American Civil War without
ever mentioning the war, you cannot write a philosophy essay without
discussing philosophers and philosophical concepts/theories. Your essay
should be explicitly about philosophy, specifically the question you are
analyzing, from beginning to end.
Your essay should follow the below outline and should include the
following:
A heading done according to MLA
An original title (hint: ‘Essay 1’ is not an original title; nor is the title of the
article you choose to write on)
First Paragraph: Introduction
In the introduction, you should set up the topic of your essay in a way that
engages your reader. Since the essay is an analysis of a philosophical question,
your introduction should convey this; your introduction should contain your
thesis (if you are unsure of how to write a thesis, read this advice on developing
a thesis), should let the reader know the philosophical question you intend to
analyze, and should mention the article you are writing about (the article
related to the topic you choose).
See this VERY helpful advice on how to write your intro/begin your essay.
Second Paragraph: Summary of the article given with the topic you chose
When you refer to an article, you should give the title, author, and publication.
A summary should be a brief, objective overview (meaning no opinionated or
evaluative comments) of the main ideas of the original. In the summary
paragraph, you should periodically use author tags to indicate that you are
summarizing, that you are conveying someone else’s views. So you should say
things such as, “According to Jane Doe…” or “The author points out that…”
Also, in a summary, use transitions to convey to the reader the order of ideas
presented in the original, to connect the summary’s ideas and make it coherent,
things like, “First, the author discusses the problem of….”, “Furthermore, he
addresses the issue of….” “Doe concludes by pointing out that…”
The summary should be written as such, meaning you are continuously
referring to the text and the author.
A few more things about a summary: it should not contain quotations, it should
be only one paragraph, and it should accurately and succinctly give the main
ideas of the original.
Read this helpful advice on how to correctly summarize a text.
Third Paragraph: A thorough discussion/explanation of the philosophical
question to be analyzed in the essay
Here are some points you should address in this paragraph:
• How does the topic of the article you chose relate to this question?
• Why is this question of concern philosophically; in other words, what
about this question makes it a philosophical question?
• Why does it matter how this question is answered? In other words, what is
at stake in this question? Why do we care about it? Why is it important for
everyone, not only philosophers?
• What other philosophers have addressed the question? (only mention
those you intend to discuss in your essay) What philosophical theories or
positions might help us discuss this question? (also, only mention those
you intend to discuss in your essay)
Body Paragraphs
The number of body paragraphs is your decision as the author, but each
paragraph should thoroughly discuss the philosophical question you are
analyzing. Possible ways to go about this: one or more paragraphs about how
another/other philosophers have answered/written about the topic your
question relates to; one or more paragraphs about a philosophical concept,
problem, or theory that relates to this question and perhaps helps us look at
this question. Helpful tip: often, the articles given above as topics refer to
philosophers and/or philosophical theories or concepts. These might be good
places to start your research. Similarly, our text refers to philosophers and
theories that deal with many of the topics related to the questions on the list.
You may also include a paragraph on your response to the philosophical
question you are analyzing, but the majority of content in your body
paragraphs should be from your research.
You must include research (incorporated through quotation, paraphrase, or
both) from at least 3 sources. One of these must be a philosophical journal in
the DCCCD databases) if you are not sure whether the journal you want to use
IS a philosophical journal, google the title and you will be able to find a
description of the journal’s focus. Typically, you can tell by the title of the
journal, e.g., The Journal of Philosophy, Journal of the History of Philosophy,
The Review of Metaphysics.
Other allowed sources are below (any sources not listed here will not count):
• Our textbook for the course, Problems from Philosophy
• The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
If you need help using the databases, you can get help in person in the library
or online using the ‘Ask a Librarian’ tool. When incorporating sources into your
work, they must be present so as to serve your position/argument/discussion.
In other words, they should not be there just to be there; they should be
incorporated AS part of the discussion/argument, in a meaningful, substantial
way.
Conclusion
Since your essay is an analysis of a philosophical question, your conclusion
should effectively bring that discussion to a close. Avoid simply repeating
yourself in the conclusion.
See this VERY helpful advice on how to conclude your essay.
PART 2 INSTRUCTION
Please note! The below questions are NOT the topic for the essays. The
topics are found in the assignment instructions. From the list below, you
will choose a question that relates to the article/topic you choose from the
assignment instructions/topics.
Is there a meaning to life?
Is the meaning of life the same for animals and humans?
What does it mean to live a good life?
What should be the goal of humanity?
Do humans have free will?
Will religion ever become obsolete?
Is suffering a necessary part of the human condition?
What benefits does art provide society? Does art hurt society in any way?
Is humanity headed in the right or wrong direction?
What is the best way for a person to attain happiness?
Are any beliefs not justified? In other words, are there any beliefs one cannot
justifiably hold?
Is it more important to help yourself, help your family, help your society, or
help the world?
What is the most important goal every person should have?
Can human nature be changed? Should it be changed?
Does knowledge have intrinsic value, or does it need to have a practical use to
have value?
Is a life that focuses on avoiding pain and seeking out pleasure a good and
worthwhile life?
What are the most important things to learn about one’s self?
What is the best path to find truth: science, math, art, philosophy, or something
else?
Can we define consciousness?
Is it possible to prove that other people besides yourself have consciousness?
Is the concept of “you” continuous or does past “you” continually fade into
present and future “you”? In other words, what part of “you” sticks around over
time considering that the atoms that make up your body are constantly being
replaced and your memories are always changing?
When, if ever, is taking a human life justified?
How important is religion to morality?
Should animals have rights, and should those rights extend to all animals or
should those rights change based on the complexity of the animal?
If it were discovered that personality traits were partly genetic and could be
removed with gene therapy, would it be ethical to edit out negative character
traits that harm others like extreme aggression, compulsive lying, or cruelty?
Can morality ever be objective or is it always subjective? If it can be objective, in
what instances? If it’s always subjective, how do we decide whose concept of
morality is correct?
Are intentions or outcomes more important when judging whether actions are
moral?
Should there be limitations on the right to free speech?
Are we obligated to help all people, if we are able, or only those near us?
How much effort should an individual put into not offending others?
How far should governments go to prevent its citizens from causing harm to
themselves?
Do people in wealthier countries have a moral obligation to help those in poorer
countries?
What boundaries and limitations should be placed on governments?
Are we morally obligated to spend less time looking at screens? On social
media?
Is social media positive or negative for our society? Why?
Is some degree of censorship necessary?
What is a fair society?
Have we become less happy in this age of technology?
Are humans obligated to better themselves, and will doing so make them
happier?
Is the most important purpose in life to find happiness?
Does life require a purpose and a goal?
What is happiness?
Are we the biggest threat to humanity?
Do we control technology or is technology controlling us?
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