Philosophy of Human Nature
Paper instructions:
Note to bidders: Answer ONE of the following questions. Please be sure to include which question you would like to answer in your bid notes. You MUST be familiar with the listed philosophers. If you have not read and understood the material, please do not bid.
Directions: Answer ONE of the following questions in a 4-5 page, double spaced, argumentative essay. Be sure to consider objections to your position. The essay must be done in APA format.
1. Must an account of goodness attempt to demonstrate a convergence between happiness and justice? Answer this question with reference to Plato, St. Thomas, Marx, and Kant.
2. Can morality be construed as anything other than a categorical imperative? Discuss Aristotle, Marx, Sartre, and Kant in your answer.
3. Rousseau argues that man in his natural state is superior to man in his civilized state, while Aristotle and Locke disagree. Addressing these thinkers, determine what role society plays in moral formation and whether that role is good.
4. What role should reason, freedom, and the passions play in our understanding of the just life? Compare Kant, Epictetus, Sartre, and Rousseau.
5. What is the moral value of equality? Answer this question with reference to Locke, Plato, and Marx.
6. One of Dostoevsky’s characters suggests, “Without God, everything is permissible.” Is this true? Answer the question by considering whether an account of human nature divorced from any conception of the divine could offer morally binding principles of conduct. Refer to at least three of the philosophers we’ve studied in your answer.
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