Term Paper Topics

Pick one of the following topics and write your term paper on it. Indicate which topic you have selected in your paper’s title.

Socrates and Plato

Topic A:

Suppose Meletus overheard the discussion in the Crito and went to Plato’s Socrates saying “In your discussion with Crito you indicated you were able to propose and defend substantive theses–you claimed to know whether escape would be just, that it is never right to return a wrong for a wrong, and you claimed to know what sort of life is worth living. In making such claims you show you do not really believe that human wisdom amounts to little. That is, you lied during the trial when you professed ignorance. It seems to me your sentence is just!”

How would you respond to this charge? Is Plato’s Socrates inconsistent or contradictory? Can Plato’s Socrates both claim to be ignorant and to know moral truths?

Topic B:

Suppose you encountered someone who maintained:

much of what Socrates went through at the end of his life could have been easily avoided if he had only taken his own advice and lived a private life (Apology, 32a). He would not have offended the rich and powerful, he would not have been put on trial, and he would not have had to reason with Crito about the appropriateness of escaping.

How would you reply? Would “being private” in this sense mean giving up anything that he holds to be important? If so, clarify what would have to be forsaken, and why you think he would not be willing to do so.

Descartes

Topic C:

Consider the Problem of Error: if God exists, and he is not a deceiver, then why is it so often the case that he allows humans to form false beliefs? What is Descartes’ reply to the Problem of Error? Is his reply successful? You may find it worthwhile to critique Descartes’ model of how error arises in Meditation IV. Are there cases of error which can’t be covered on the model? Does the model succeed in solving the Problem of Error?

Topic D:

Descartes famously argues “I think, therefore I am” (though he doesn’t say this in Meditation II). What is Descartes’ basis for the conclusion that he exists? Is his argument compelling? What does he take himself to be? Consider one of your own objections to Descartes’ proof that he exists. How would Descartes respond, and would that response be adequate?

Hume

Topic E:

Sometimes, Hume seems to have meant to suggest that we revise our beliefs about causal relations: instead of thinking there is a necessary connection between cause and effect we should just think in terms of constant conjunctions. In other places in the text, he seems to have held that we will inevitably believe in necessary connections between cause and effect. Explain each option, listing what you see as its most important advantages and disadvantages. Which way of thinking about causal relations do you think we should adopt?

Topic F:

How are impressions and ideas related to the psychological laws of association? What role do matters of fact and relations of ideas have in Hume’s philosophy? Show how all of these concepts work together to form a picture of the human mind. Do you think Hume’s picture is complete? Why or why not?

Hegel

Topic G:

What is the role of Reason in history, according to Hegel? How is Reason related to the development of Spirit in Hegel’s philosophy? Focus your paper by defining what Hegel means by Reason and Spirit before attempting to explain their relationship. Does this analysis of history seem plausible? Why or why not?

Topic H:

Hegel writes that with philosophic history, one considers history’s raw materials according to “thoughts, a priori.” Explain this statement and show how the rest of his Introduction to the Philosophy of History reflects Hegel’s definition. Use examples drawn from the text and be sure to cite any quotations you pull to illustrate them.

Marx

Topic I:

Describe Marx and Engels’ views on the development of capitalism found in the Communist Manifesto and compare it to this definition standard of capitalism: “Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Characteristics central to capitalism include private property, capital accumulation, wage labor, voluntary exchange, a price system, and competitive markets.” How would Marx and Engels add to the definition? Formulate a new definition based on your understanding of their work.

Topic J:

Outline the various types of socialism mentioned in the Communist Manifesto. How is socialism distinct from communism, according to Marx and Engels? How is each type of socialism related to the development of capitalism? Try to find examples of each type of socialism in current-day politics to illustrate Marx and Engels’ categories.

Sartre

Topic K:

What does Sartre mean by the claim that existence precedes essence? According to Sartre, what follows from this? That is, what does it tell us about human beings and the nature of free choices? What does this tell us about human freedom? Do you agree? Disagree? Why or why not?

Topic L:

How does Sartre establish atheistic existentialism? How are anguish and despair related to atheistic existentialism? Does Sartre succeed in explicating a “coherent atheistic position”? Why or why not.