Western Philosophy
Research Paper. At the heart of philosophical thinking rests a two-fold skill: the ability to listen well to what others have said, and the ability to construct ones own arguments on big issues. Listen well, and communicate effectively. In your research paper, you will demonstrate your ability to do both. In this assignment, you will research one of the philosophers we have discussed in the course (either in your textbook readings or in our discussion boards). Consider a major idea proposed by this philosopher, and conduct research on this idea. For instance, if you select Aristotle as your philosopher, then you could select a major idea like his virtue ethics, or perhaps his view of causation, or perhaps And the list could go on. The main points of this assignment are to listen well to a major philosopher and to demonstrate your own ability to think through big ideas. However, there is one final step in this paper: solve a problem. Not only will you investigate a philosopher and wrestle with one of his/her big ideas, but you will also use this philosophical idea to address a problem in the world today. This could be a problem in your personal life, in the workplace, in your field of study, or in the world at large. (So, if you discuss Aristotles virtue ethics, then you might be able to apply his ideas to the world of business management. Or some entirely different application: the applications are almost endless.) The point here is to demonstrate how philosophical ideas can have a real-world impact in the world today.So here in summary, your research paper will contain the following parts:Discuss a philosopher and one big idea from his/her philosophical system. Provide your own understanding and evaluation of this idea. Demonstrate how this idea can help solve a problem or fill a need in the world today. Your research paper must be 4-to-5 pages in length, double-spaced, set in 12-point Times New Roman font. In addition to these 4-to-5 pages, also include a title page and a references page. You should conduct research. You can use your textbook as a resource, but in addition to the textbook, you should include a minimum of three (3) additional academic sources. Please consult the online library as a resource as you conduct your research.
