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Essay Instructions: course name: freedom, determinism and responsibility, department of philosophy
assigment: Final Essay Assigment

READINGS: pick at least 6 of the readings below and reference them in the essasy"

1. Roderick Chisholm "Human Freedom and the Self"
2. Peter Van Inwagen "An Argument for Incompatibilism"
3. A.J Ayer "Freedom and Necessity"
4. David Lewis "Are We Free to Break the Laws?"
5. Harry Frankfurt "Freedom of the Will and the Concept of a Person"
6. Susan Wolf "Sanity and the Metaphysics of Responsibility"
7. Harry Frankfurt "Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility"
8. David Wideker "Libertarianism and Frankfurt's Attack on the Principle of Alternative Possibilities" (related to the above reading)
9. John Martin Fischer "Frankfurt- Style Compatibilism" (also related to #7)

TASK: Based on the readings listed above, adopt and defend one of the three classical positions on the problem of free will and determinism. (compatibilism, libertarianims or hard determinism)

Your essay should demonstrate an understanding of the underlying conflict between freedom and determinism and the various options for resolving that conflict. In addition, your essay must demonstrate progress in your own thinking about the problem. In other words, in addition to EXPLAINING arguments in support of your position, and in addition to subjecting those arguments to CRITICAL EVALUATION, you must present and respond the MAIN OBJECTIONS which would be raised by those holding the other 2 positions.

Therefore the following specific tasks are central:
A. clearly formulate and explain the position you hold
B. give the MAIN argument or arguments in its defense(the ones from the readings)
C. state as clearly and forcefully as you can the MAIN objections which would be raised by those holding the other 2 positions(from the readings)
D. try to answer(rebut) those objections

IN DOING A-D , YOU ARE EXPECTED TO DRAW SPECIFIC ARGUMENTS FROM THE READINGS, EXPLAIN THOSE ARGUMENTS IN YOUR OWN WORDS, CRITICALLY ASSESS THE ARGUMENTS AND MAKE CLEAR WHY YOU ACCEPT OR REJECT THOSE ARGUMENTS.

You are NOT expected to provide a definitive or unassailable defence, but you are required to make some contribution of your own to the debate. This entails that it is NOT SUFFICIENT to merely repeat material from the readings. Your essay should testify to the fact that YOU have made a determined effort to grapple with the problem. You should design your essay for an audience of peple who are of roughly your own degree of education and intellectual development BUT WHO HAVE NOT DONE THE READINGS OF ATTENDED THE COURSE. In other words write for a cold audience. Begin with a clear, concise and well-organized introductory paragraph which outlines the main points and objectives of your paper. You should strive for a clear and simple writing style throughout your paper. Make sure that you explain your use of philosophical terminology. Try to organize your essay so that each part of it builds up a defence of your position.

Your essay should be about 2000 words in lenght.










Your essay should be about 2000 words in lenght.

Essay Instructions: Topic: D?Holbach Answers Lamont:

Baron D?Holbach wrote in favor of determinism. Lamont attacks the view from several different angles. Pick two of Lamont?s arguments and outline a reply that D?holbach might offer to such an argument, based on what he says in his own article.
Pay special attention at least p.334, all the left column and the top half of the right column, then the first paragraph on p. 335, and the right-hand column of p.337
From the book ?The Quest for Truth? fifth edition by LouisP.POJMAN

Please don?t add any other sources. Just the book on paragraphs indicated by
the assignment.

Essay Instructions: Explain how at least five (3 in “storm”, 2 in “the story of hour”) deterministic naturalistic forces can logically be seen to operate in the lives of the character depicted in “story of an hour” “note” must discuss environmental, economic, and psychological determinism in “the storm” and psychological determinism in “hour”
Both short sorties by Chopin, Kate. Can easily find on internet.

800 words will be good. PS,I am a international student please do not use too much big and beatiful "words"

Essay Instructions: ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINISM AND. ENVIRONMENTAL PROBABILISM, IS THE ENVIRONMENT REALLY INFLUENCING HUMAN SOCIETY?

In the essay discuss the following points:
a) How might one make sense of Environmental Determinism?
Why do you think it emerged when it did?
b) What did Env. Determinism amount to? What were its fundamental tenets?
c) What did Env. Probabilism amount to? What were its fundamental tenets?
d) Provide a critical evaluation, sympathetic or otherwise, of these two theories.

The essay must be of at least 1200 words.

* The consulted bibliography must be reported using the APA (American Psychological Association) citation style. See next pages.

At least 4 sources can use 5 if needed