PHIL168g Fall 2016 PAPER ASSIGNMENT 1 Write an essay of 1,200 to 1,500 words answering one of the prompts below. This assignment is due in hard copy during lecture on Tuesday, Sept 20th. On a separate cover sheet, put your name, student ID and TA’s name only, to allow blind grading. To receive a grade, you must also submit an electronic copy through Blackboard (Turnitin) by the end (midnight) of the same day. This assignment is worth 20% of your course grade. 1. Viktor Frankl claims that a human life always has meaning, whatever the circumstances. Describe a possible circumstance in which someone might think their life was meaningless, and explain how Frankl might identify meaning in that circumstance. Evaluate whether or not this attempt successfully shows that such a life would be worth living. 2. Explain how, according to Tolstoy, the inevitability of death means that all human accomplishment is in vain. Do you think Tolstoy is right about this? Explain and defend your reasons for your answer. 3. Why does Schopenhauer think that the overall value of life must always be negative? State one objection to Schopenhauer’s view, and critically discuss whether the objection succeeds. 4. Some philosophers argue that nonexistence, and therefore death, cannot be bad. Explain Thomas Nagel’s account of why your death can be bad for you. Critically discuss whether he’s right. (Consider at most ONE of the arguments he discusses that death cannot be bad). Please ensure you are familiar with USC’s expectations regarding academic integrity, at http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/forms/tio.pdf, and its guide to avoiding plagiarism, at http://www.usc.edu/studentaffairs/SJACS/forms/tig.pdf. Plagiarism will be reported to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and may result in an F for the course. Err on the side of caution, and if in doubt, ask. Remember that late penalties are mild by comparison. Miscellaneous tips on writing good philosophy papers:  What your introduction should do: identify the topic/question, inform the reader what position you will be arguing for, and the outline of your paper.  What your introduction should not do: provide additional information that isn’t relevant for answering the prompt (e.g. biography of the philosopher), start to provide argument or analysis.  Self-reference is fine in philosophy papers (e.g. in saying, “I will argue that…”), even preferable.  Avoid the use of rhetorical questions (asked but unanswered). If you have a point to make, assert it directly. In general, you should raise only one question at a time.  Make sure that you answer the specific prompt you are given, and not something vaguely related to it. Also make sure that you answer every part of the prompt.  Avoid repetition (except for your introduction & conclusion). If you find yourself saying something twice, reconsider the structure of your paper.  When explaining a philosophical theory, argument, example, etc., try to identify the most general or abstract point it is designed to make.  Tips on jargon: in a philosophy paper, “valid” means: follows logically from the premises; it does not mean true or plausible. To “beg the question” is to argue in a circle, or assume your conclusion in your premises. It does not mean to raise the question.  If you make any claims about a philosopher’s views that are not completely obvious, you should provide a page reference in support.  Every philosophy paper (for this course, at least) should contain critical discussion. A good critical discussion must be careful and balanced. That doesn’t mean that you don’t take sides, but it does mean that you should always pause to consider what an intelligent opponent could and should say in reply to your points or arguments, and address this.  When making claims and conclusions, you should write confidently and assertorically; don’t preface everything you say with “I think” or “In my opinion”, etc. If you ever write “I think…”, you should then go on to say “Because…”  Don’t use “man” or “mankind” to refer to humanity; gender-neutral language is now the norm and expectation in academic writing. When referring to humanity in general, use terms like “people” and “humans”. If talking about generic human individuals, you can use gender neutral terms like “they”, or you can alternate between “he” and “she” (while staying consistent within a single example).  Don’t try to do too much. It is better to give a thorough discussion of a few key points than to cover a wide range of points superficially. For excellent advice on how to write a philosophy paper, we recommend that you consult http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/writing.html.
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