Philosophy 100 
Introduction to Philosophy  
Spring 2000
Professor David A. Salomon
Shorter 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. 

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 Friday, April 7. 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) Descartes seems obsessed with the idea of the idea and its relationship to reality. Write an
essay in which you discuss two different ideas one of the ideas should be something which
already exists in reality (a clock, for example), the other should be something which does not yet
exist in reality but might be possible (an eight-legged dog, for example). In your essay you
should discuss what Descartes means by "idea" and "reality" and the ways in which the ideas you
have chosen to write about fit into a good explanation of Descartes' thought on the subject.

2) Immanuel Kant is one of the most important modern philosophers. His philosophy is yet
another attempt to bring the forces of experience and reason into some sort of cooperative
practice. In fact, Kant refers to his work as a "Copernican Revolution" in philosophy. Write an
essay in which you discuss why Kant's work is a "Copernican Revolution" in philosophy.

3) Many have argued that Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy is "depressing," "morose," and
"beside the point." Late in his life, Nietzsche wrote, "God is dead." His intention was to create
"new values" in a manner "faithful to the earth." He was looking, as are most philosophers, for a
source of meaning and value that transcends "this life" and "this 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 century as a whole and
for the present day in particular?