Philosophy 100 
Introduction to Philosophy  
Fall 2000
Professor David A. Salomon
Shorter Essay #2 (Optional)

This is an optional essay assignment. If you choose to write this essay, it can only help your final grade, regardless of what grade the essay itself earns. Choose ONE and only one of the following questions. Answer it in a complete and thoughtful essay. Your essay should be a well-developed, clear, logical and complete idea developed from a definite thesis statement. Use the text where appropriate to support your answer. You need not consult secondary sources for this paper, but if you do, give credit for the information you use. Do not forget to cite any Internet information you use as well. 

Use specifics from the texts to support your answers, but do not merely summarize the text. 

Essays should be typed (double-spaced) and approximately 4-6 pages in length. This paper is due on Monday, November 20. Papers must be submitted on time. Absolutely no late papers will be accepted for this assignment. I will be happy to look at drafts ahead of time; in fact, I encourage it! 

Read the questions carefully. Proofread your work.

1) Considering what you know about the soul from the philosophers we have already studied, discuss the nature of the soul and immortality as portrayed in AThe Sixth Sense.@ Does the Atheory of the soul@ depicted in the film conform with a philosopher or philosophy with which you are familiar? You can see the complete cast list (including character and actor names) at http://us.imdb.com/Title?0167404. Some interesting aspects to consider:
AThey don=t know that they are dead,@ Cole (Descartes?)
AThey see what they want to see,@ Cole (Plato: Allegory of the Cave?)
The deceased can interact with physical objects, though they only Aappear@ to have a physical body.
The deceased whom Cole sees have some unresolved conflicts. They seek out the living who can help them. When resolved, do they move to another realm? (Socrates, Aristotle?)
The dead people who appear to Cole do not see each other.
Most of the dead people who appear to Cole have a physical Aappearance@ similar to the condition they were in at the moment of their physical death.



over ?




2) If Pascal is right, then it makes more sense (it is more Aprudent@) to bet on God=s existence rather than his nonexistence. If, as most Christian believers do, you accept Pascal=s Wager, how do you respond to those atheists (including many philosophers) who ask, Aif God exists and I should believe in him, then why do evil and suffering occur in the world?@ In your essay, you should not only briefly outline Pascal=s Wager, but you should construct a logical and convincing argument to respond to the opposition. We are basically assuming that the atheists do not believe in the Judeo-Christian God, so you cannot use the Bible as Aevidence@ in your response.  

3) Many have argued that Friedrich Nietzsche=s philosophy is Adepressing,@ Amorose,@ and Abeside the point.@ Late in his life, Nietzsche wrote, AGod is dead.@ His intention was to create Anew values@ in a manner Afaithful to the earth.@ He was looking, as are most philosophers, for a source of meaning and value that transcends Athis life@ and Athis world.@ However, his statement signaled the advent of nihilism. If, as Nietzsche sometimes argues, there is no truth, no morality, and no God, what are the implications and ramifications for the twentieth-first century as a whole and for the present day in particular? In other words, what would the world, the universe, and (more importantly) individual lives be like if in fact God were dead?