Plato and Aristotle that Debates the Nature of Soul

PHIL 1211–Introduction to Philosophy Fall 2020 Godzinski TOPICS: SECOND ESSAY (Pick One Only) 1. Consider the scene in the film, The Matrix, where Morpheus gives Neo the opportunity to take a red pill or blue pill (The film-clip is located under the module on Plato.). Knowing the consequences of ingesting each, which do you think is the better pill to ingest, in principle? Explain. [Hint: You may want to see the entire film before responding to this question.]. 2. Think of the person whom struggles with doing the right thing (e.g., a person tempted by drugs or alcohol, a whistle-blower, a soldier that is anxious about traveling overseas to fight in a war, etc.,). Do you think that Aristotle would find this type of person to be more virtuous than the one who never had to struggle with doing the right thing? Assume that both types of individuals hit the mark in the end. Offer a detailed argument that supports your position and that demonstrates a command of Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics. 3. Construct a meaningful dialogue between Plato and Aristotle that debates the nature of the soul (Psyche). Your dialogue should include some references to The Great Conversation supporting each figure’s position on this matter. 4. Anselm’s “Ontological Argument” hinges upon the notion of “necessary” existence. Do you think that this type of existence is better than other types of existence (e.g., contingent, everlasting, etc.,)? Explain and defend your position while making connections with the course materials and text. 5. After reading Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy, do you think that Descartes’ breakthrough in the Second Mediation (i.e., “cogito ergo sum” or “I think, therefore I exist”—page 325 in The Great Conversation, 7th Edition is sufficient to ground his irrefutable argument that he exists? Why or why not? Explain and defend your position. 6. Compare and contrast Aristotle’s notion of the Unmoved Mover with Anselm’s concept of God (The Being than which none greater can be thought–T.B.T.W.N.G.C.B.T.). Do you find one of these accounts to be more appealing, philosophically speaking, than the other? Compose an argument supporting your position. 7. Construct a meaningful dialogue between René Descartes and David Hume that centers on their radically different approaches to personal identity. Your dialogue should include some references to The Great Conversation supporting each figure’s position on this matter. 8. Briefly reflect on the scene from Sophie’s Choice that is posted under the module on Immanuel Kant. Provide a Kantian analysis of Sophie’s (Meryl Streep’s character) decision. Make certain that you analyze her choice against the backdrop of Kant’s categorical imperative. [A film-clip of the scene also can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KczxsvVvqGE] 9. Consider the scene from Sophie’s Choice—as noted above. Provide a strictly Humean analysis of Sophie’s (Meryl Streep’s character) decision. Make certain that you analyze her choice against the backdrop of David Hume’s theory of morality. [A film-clip of the scene also can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KczxsvVvqGE] GUIDELINES FOR ESSAYS: Papers need to be no less than 3 ½ full-pages in length (excluding cover and works cited pages). In addition, they should be typed (using a standard 12 point font), include a name, title, and be doubled-spaced. Proper grammar and mechanics are extremely important, insofar as they add to the clarity of your argument(s)— however, essays that contain an excessive number of grammatical and semantic errors will receive a significant grade reduction. Avoid using online references like blogs, Wikipedia, and heavily-biased sources which generally are not appropriate for college-level work. Essays need to be philosophically-informed, while making concrete connections with the course materials and text. Additionally, plagiarism will not be tolerated (per the course policy), so make certain that your essays conform to a standard like MLA, APA, or The Chicago Manual of Style. In fact, plagiarized papers may be submitted to M State’s Academic Integrity Tracker. That said, multiple drafts may be submitted to the Turnitin Folder (located under the Assessments/Assignments tabs within D2L) to avoid this issue by generating an Originality Report or by using the Match Overview tool. Problematic areas flagged in Match Overview and/or the Originality Report (if any) need to be revised, if not properly cited. Your last submission (via the time stamp) will be evaluated and graded. In a related way, final submissions that score 25% or more in Match Overview or the Originality Report will earn no higher than a grade of “C”. Submissions also need to be uploaded in a standardized and searchable file format (i.e., docx, doc, rtf, etc.,). Furthermore, essays that are not submitted to the AssignmentTurnitin Folder will not be graded. Lastly, since it takes time for Turnitin to process a submission, plan ahead and do not wait until the last minute to upload your essay. Final drafts of essays are due on or before 11:59 p.m. by November 13th in the AssignmentTurnitin Folder. 80 points. …