PHILOSOPHY 100

PHILOSOPHY 100

Fall 2019

3rd Essay Assignment Due: Wednesday, November 27

General Instructions: Upload either a Word or pdf file to Laulima. Use the following format to title your file: lastname #4.

Write a 3-4 page essay on one of the following topics.

Descartes and Modern Philosophy Explain the reasons why Descartes sets out on a quest for certainty in his Meditations on First Philosophy. Explain the demolition phase of Descartes' project that is his First Meditation. What is the starting point of modern philosophy that Descartes arrives at in the Second Meditation. What is then the epistemological problem that results from this starting point? How did Descartes try to solve this problem? What is the problem with his solution?

Dualism vs Materialism Explain what is meant by the dualism that Descartes argues for in his sixth Meditation. What is the argument Descartes makes for this dualism? What are the three main motivations for this position? What are the problems with this position? Explain Hobbes' materialism and how it challenges Descartes' view.

Political Philosophy What is meant by ideas of the "state of nature" and the "social contract"? Explain the basic differences between the conceptions of the "state of nature" and the "social contract" in the philosophies of Hobbes and Locke. How are their views relevant today? Should our government protect merely private interests, private property, or should it also be concerned with the public good?

Empiricism Explain how John Locke established the starting point of empiricism and then how he tried to solve the epistemological problem. What was the problem with Locke's solution? Finally, How did Hume come to skeptical conclusions that threatened to undermine the optimism of the Enlightenment?

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