Philosophy Final Argumentative Essay

Philosophy Final Argumentative Essay

Philosophy Final Argumentative Essay Instructions 

•  There are 6    (specific) requirements which  must be fulfilled.
•  However, you are ultimately responsible for choosing  the topic and direction of your essay. 
• There are obviously general  requirements of any argumentative paper but I will add a rubric outline  for argumentative papers below.     

•  If you muck up one of these, then expects big points off of your paper:   

•  1. Find a movie, short story,  documentary, or complex news item (not a one-page article but only  investigative or in-depth pieces, check with me if you are unsure) to  base your analysis around and focus your thesis.     I have given you a few suggestions: the movie “Her” for philo of mind  or personal identity and “Minority Report” for free will.   

•  2. You must present a philosophy of mind, personal identity, philosophy of religion, or free will topic.  The purpose is to argue/explain, for example, a theory in the  philosophy of mind or personal identity in terms of the movie “Her”.  Examples: Functionalism, Substance Dualism, Memory Theory, etc… In this  case, you would be arguing that the character Sam is a mind or how to  interpret Sam as a person over time as a way to make the case that the  theory you are advancing/argueing for is the best answer to the  mind-body problem.    

• 3. Include an objection to your view. Some possibilities:      Could there be another theory that best explains our intuitions about thought experiments in the movie/show?      Does your theory lead to some absurd consequences whether in real life or via the movie’s world?      Is there a possible way to develop a contrasting view of the OSes from the behavior of one of the characters?    

• 4. Include discussions of the thought experiments, ideas, philosophers found in the textbook and links given to you by the prof.   

•  5. You must include one secondary source and provide a full works-cited page. (This  means citing the articles we used IN CLASS, from the research, the  textbook, and EC work). This also means you SHOULD be using the course  material to help make your case in addition to the secondary source from  the textbook.    

• 6. Word Minimum: Roughly 1500 -1800 words (MINIMUM).  It is permissible to go over the 1800 words if needed (no excuses about  not knowing you could write more to fulfill the tasks).    *Most Importantly! You  SHOULD meet with me to discuss your paper before you start writing it. I  want to lead you towards a successful direction. If you cannot meet  with me during office hours, I can arrange to meet on Adobe Connect. You  don’t have to, but it is highly recommended.    Note: Remember, our  discussions about your first papers! Part of the difficulty of writing  philosophy is planning and organization. If you can organize and plan  your paper correctly, then the hard part is over.    
         

•     Movie/Doc Ideas

•  POM     Ex Machina (2014)    Her (2013)     AI (2001)      Ghost in the Shell (1996)      Terminator Dark Fate (2019)      Replicas (2018)      Chappie (2015)      Westworld (HBO series, Season 1 and 2 should be enough)     

•  PI     Get Out (2017)      Multiplicity (1996)      Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)      Bladerunner (1982, Netflix, Director’s Cut!)      Bladerunner 2049 (2017)      Memento (2000)      Solaris (1972)      Being John Malkovich (1999)      Paprika (2006)       Living with Yourself (Netflix)      (Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood) – Only if you have already seen because it is 56 or so episodes long.      Dark (Netflix)      Dead Man (1995)       Altered Carbon (Netflix)      Fight Club (1999)      Replicas (2018)      

•    Minority Report (2002)      Gattaca (1997)      PI: Faith in Choas (1998)      Dark (Netflix)      Interstellar (2014)      The Thin Red Line (1998)      Twelve Monkeys (1995)      Watchmen (2009) or the recent TV series on HBO      

• POR     The Case for Christ (DOC)      A Brief History of Time (DOC)      Religulous (DOC)      A Question of Faith (2000)      The Man From Earth (2007)      The Tree Of Life (2011)      Mother (2017)       Silence (2016)      Leon Morin, Priest (1961)      No Country for Old Men (2007)      A Serious Man (2009)    

Personal Identity and Free Will 

Content

  Personal Identity Intro Notes and Links (Ships, Animals, and Souls

 “I” Problems (intro)   CHAPPiE – Who am I in this body? (Links to an external site.)    Just how smart are dolphins? | Inside the Animal Mind | BBC (Links to an external site.)    What Are You? (Links to an external site.)    Personal Identity: Crash Course Philosophy #19 (Links to an external site.)    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TFCMK4i2lo (Links to an external site.)      4.1   PHILOSOPHY – Metaphysics: Ship of Theseus [HD] (Links to an external site.)    PHILOSOPHY – History: Locke on Personal Identity #1 (Links to an external site.)      4.2   How We Make Memories: Crash Course Psychology #13 (Links to an external site.)    Remembering and Forgetting: Crash Course Psychology #14 (Links to an external site.)    How reliable is your memory? | Elizabeth Loftus (Links to an external site.)   

The Upside of Forgetting

https://youtu.be/e5zH4N3ohR0 (Links to an external site.)      PCT (4.2/4.3)   Psychological Approach to Personal Identity (Links to an external site.)    How a Man Turned His Dying Father Into AI | WIRED (Links to an external site.)    The Trouble with Transporters (Links to an external site.)      4.3    You Are Two (Links to an external site.)        Video on the Narrative Self (Elaboration on what the book gives us for those of you writing your papers on Personal Identity).    PHILOSOPHY – Mind: Personal Identity (The Narrative Self) [HD] (Links to an external site.)    Klexos: The Art of Dwelling on the Past (Links to an external site.)      More Links:   The Power of Difference (Links to an external site.)    Could We Upload Our Consciousness To A Computer? (Links to an external site.)