The Good Life (Spring 2011) - First Exam

The Good Life - First Exam (S11)

*Before you begin writing, read this entire document.

Answer three (3) questions. All key terms, theories, and named objections must be explained.

Answer one question from 1-2.

1. Evaluate the "Experience Machine Objection" to Default Hedonism (DH).

(This question requires evaluation. You must explain DH, present the objection, and then consider a possible reply. Do not copy Feldman's formalization of DH. Just explain the theory.)

2. Explain why Feldman thinks that Truth Adjusted Intrinsic Attitudinal Hedonism (TAIAH) is superior to Default Hedonism (DH).

(This question does not ask for evaluation. You must explain DH, present the problem TAIAH is designed to resolve, and then explain TAIAH and how it putatively avoid the problem. Do not copy Feldman's formalization of DH or TAIAH. Just explain the theories.)

Answer one question from 3-4.

3. Explain the "To Become a Pig is to Die Objection" to Mill's "Swine Transformation Argument" for qualitative hedonism.

(This question does not ask for evaluation. You'll need to explain the difference between quantitative and qualitative hedonism. Then explain Mill's argument for qualitative hedonism. Finally, explain the objection.)

4. Explain Mill's reply to the "Low Chooser Objection" to the "Informed Preference Argument" for qualitative hedonism.

Answer one question from 5-6.

5. Evaluate Feldman's account of Extrinsic Badness. Do not attempt to explain Epricurus's argument. Don't worry about the badness of death. Simply focus on the theory of extrinsic badness at issue. Is Felman's theory better than the "Causal Hypothesis"? Why or why not?

(This question requires evaluation.)

6. Evaluate the Buddhist Argument against the pleasure-seeking strategy for living a good life.

(This question requires evaluation.)

Note: In order to evaluate a theory, you must first explain the theory. When explaining a counter-example to a definition, you need to specify whether the example shows that a proposed condition is not necessary, not sufficient, or neither. If you are evaluating an argument, you need to build up the argument and then show where it might go wrong. To build up an argument, you must do more than merely offer a formalization. You must explain the argument. Typically, showing where an argument goes wrong will require arguing that one of the premises is false. Be sure to consider obvious, compelling replies to your objections. If you think an argument is good, then you will need to defend it against the strongest objections that you can think of.

Note: Keep quotations to an absolute minimum. Never use a quotation to speak for you. The only quotations in your exam should be of formalizations.

Due Date

Thursday 3/10/2011

Length

The complete exam should be no more than 1,800 words. This is approximately 6 pages double-spaced with Arial 12 point font.

Format

The exam must be typed. It should be double spaced. It should have one inch margins. You should use a 12 point font. I prefer Arial, since it is easy to read. Please follow the general paper and exam instructions under the "course documents / writing" section on Blackboard.

Write a separate essay for each answer. Do not try to answer all the questions in a single essay. Formal introductions and conclusions are unnecessary, though you must use paragraphs.

Please skip a line or two between your answers. You do not need to start a new page. Include the number of the question at the start of each answer. Do not copy the questions.

If you have citations, include a reference list on the final page. You can use whatever citation format you prefer.

Goal

You don't have much space, so you will need to be clear and to the point. Clarity should be your chief goal in writing the midterm. Pick your words carefully. Write to be understood. Assume that you are writing the paper to be read by someone completely unfamiliar with the issues.

I want you to explain the theories and objections as clearly as you can within the space allotted. I do not want papers that are longer than the word limit. The space limitation is designed to force you to practice verbal economy. That said, it is impossible to write a set of adequate answers in much less than the allocated space. You'll have to use most of the space, and use it well.

Procedure

You are required to hand in a paper copy at the start of class on the due date. In addition you must submit the midterm through Safe Assign via Blackboard by 11:59 pm on the due date. Safe Assign is a plagiarism detection tool. It will compare your paper against others available online, in journals, submitted in this class, RIC, and from all other universities that use the software.

*If you are unable to submit the paper to Safe Assign due to technical difficulties, you must send an email to the helpdesk <helpdesk@ric.edu> explaining the problem. Make sure to CC me. If this happens, send me a copy of your paper as an attachment. Note: I will not accept your paper if you don't report the problem to the helpdesk.

Note: Plagiarism will result in a failing grade in the class, not just on this assignment.

Grading

Your paper should be clearly written, well-structured, and free of grammatical and spelling errors. It is practically impossible to get higher than a C if you start writing the night before the paper is due. The grading scale is as follows:

A = excellent

B = good

C = meets minimal expectations

D = bad

F = awful

Resources

Before writing, you must read several documents under the writing section of Blackboard. Read the following: 1. Writing Tip Sheet, 2. General Instructions, 3. Kagan's "How to Write a Philosophy Paper", 3. Pryor's "Guidelines for Writing Philosophy Papers", and 4. Pryor's "Glossary of Philosophical Terms."