Confucius Offers

Confucius Offers: As for practical issues such as length, footnoting, etc., here are some guidelines: Double space using a 12pt font; Each essay should be two (2) pages.  There should not be any need to cite.  The purpose of the essays is to develop your own thought process.  However, if you do refer to the works of others then you must provide both in-text sources and a “works cited” page. Do not write in first person.  Do not copy ideas from any other source or submit papers you have written for other classes.  To do so will defeat the whole purpose of the class and you will gain nothing from it.

Follow formal writing using college level standard English.  If you do not have adequate writing skills, contact the Writing Center and get help immediately, long before you write your first essay.  Take advantage of your spell and grammar checkers!  Write in full sentences with correct grammar, verb agreement, and spelling.  Sentences should follow in logical sequence. For those of you who may be a bit rusty, an essay begins with an introduction, which includes a thesis statement (what you will focus on in the essay), a “body” of paragraphs, and ends with a conclusion that relates back to the thesis and demonstrates how the body of the essay has fulfilled the thesis.  Sometimes, it is helpful to write your conclusion first, then work backward, but do this only for your own benefit, not in the final submission.

The purpose of the essays is to explore the philosophical process of Confucius Offers.  This requires going into the readings and the assignments with an open mind.  There is a Confucian Analect (saying by Confucius) that tells a story about a prospective student who meets with Confucius for tea.  Wanting to impress Confucius with his learning in order to be admitted to the academy, the prospective student tells Confucius that he has read everything Confucius has ever written.  Confucius offers tea and begins to pour it into the student’s cup but, when it is full, he keeps on pouring.

The student, shocked, points out that the tea is pouring everywhere.  Confucius looks at him and says, “If the cup is full, then there is no more room for the tea.”  The same applies to our class.  If you come with the conviction that you already know everything and already have your mind filled (closed to all but your own views), there is little that the class will have to offer you.  Keep the mind open and receptive and this can be a rewarding experience from Confucius Offers.

Note:  Saying something is right or good because it is the law, or because it comes from your religion, or because it is tradition, or because Mom said so, does not constitute a justification.  That only tells us the source, not why it is right.  The same goes for rejecting ideas because they are from another religion, or another country, or said by someone from another race.

Good and Right ethics are determined by their justifiability – not their source.  Giving a source as your justification (for example: “The Bible says…”), will result in a “0” for the essay.  Provide a clear description of a case (e.g., the case of Brittany Maynard on the topic of PAS) that pertains to the issue and clearly define the moral dilemma it poses (finding a relevant case requires a nominal amount of research – the case does not have to be a legal one; it may be a news item, etc.)   Clearly state your position on Confucius Offers (i.e., your thesis statement) regarding the morality of the issue while appealing to your case to argue your point.  Recognize potential criticisms against your view on Confucius Offers.