Philosophy 100
Introduction to Philosophy
Fall 2002
Professor David A. Salomon
Essay #2

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. Good sources for defining terms: Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, both in the reference collection in the BHSU Library.

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

Essays should be typed (double-spaced) and approximately 4-6 pages in length–no shorter than 4 full pages will suffice. This paper is due on Monday, November 25. Papers must be submitted on time. Papers handed in late will receive a one grade deduction for each class late. I will be happy to look at drafts ahead of time; in fact, I encourage it!

Read the questions carefully. Proofread your work.

1) According to the theories of epistemology (as you understand them at the moment), what is the difference between an idea of a horse and the horse itself? How accurate is what we call "reality" in terms of how we think of reality? Are there issues related to objectivity and subjectivity at play here? This question requires some discussion of Plato’s "Allegory of the Cave" and his ideas on Forms. Be sure to apply Descartes and Plato in your response. You might even want to take a look at Descartes’ "Sixth Meditation" (which deals explicitly with materials) beginning on page 279 of your text.

2) Eighty-two year old Margie is in the hospital. Margie has led a very active life–she was a teacher, traveled often, and would go out to movies, art museums, and the like on a constant basis. Although she was married, her husband died when Margie was sixty-five; she has lived alone ever since. Margie has lived a relatively healthy life but has recently had a severe stroke. The stroke has left Margie immobile and incapable of talking, a situation doctors claim will never change. She has conveyed, through clearly-written notes, that she is terribly depressed. She will no longer be able to do things she loved. Although she is incapacitated, the doctors claim she could live another ten years or more. The problem is that, without close family to care for her, she will have to spend her remaining days in a full-care nursing facility. An intelligent woman, as is still evident in what she has written, Margie no longer wants to live. She has asked her doctor to help commit suicide: what we now call "doctor-assisted suicide" (note: this is slightly different from euthanasia–look it up). Should her doctor, Dr. James, help her? Is doctor-assisted suicide ever ethically-acceptable? Consider and apply the philosophers you have read, particularly Peter Singer. You might also decide to use the earlier discussions and materials on the body and soul for support.

3) In a clearly-written essay, explain a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup to a Martian. How can it be both chocolate and peanut butter at the same time, but still remain chocolate and peanut butter on their own? The essay needs to remain an academic essay (with the conventions of such) while also presenting the case to a Martian who has absolutely no idea what a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup is; besides that, he/she/it may have no concept of our reality and materials. Consider all of this in your response. Consulting Plato’s Parmenides will undoubtedly make your argument stronger as might considering the relationship between chocolate and peanut butter in light of the duality of the body and soul.

4) Divine Command Theory (DCT) is one ethical theory which falls under the broader umbrella of "virtue ethics." Douglas Birsch (a scholar of ethics) writes that DCT has it that "If God commands a person to do something, then that thing is good, even if ordinary human beings might be inclined to regard it as bad." The terrorist attacks of September 11 were carried out by Muslim fundamentalists/extremists who believed that even though killing is bad, if God commands it (which they believe he has), then it is acceptable. Write an essay in which you argue, using DCT, from the point of view of the terrorists that what they did was morally/ethically acceptable. You might also use Rosenbaum’s essay as fodder for yours–for example, if Hitler believed he was guided by DCT, then the terrorists can be comfortably compared to Hitler; but is that the case?