Phil 1300E (Section 38) – Colloquium Series
During the last six months, we have inquired into a broad range of philosophical topics, from the conceptual starting points of the cosmos to the organization of the state. In all of these inquiries, we surveyed the insights made by great thinkers of the Western tradition, as well as the reasons and arguments they used to support their views. More importantly, we explored those great questions to which definite answers remain perpetually elusive; and yet, precisely because these questions confound, they continue to inspire and encourage us in the search for wisdom.
The aim of our project is to ask these questions, and to explore them as they are presented in a work of literature or philosophy. As a guide, we will use the philosophical disciplines we have examined in class: philosophy of religion, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics, aesthetics. You have each been assigned a work that expresses or articulates tensions inherent in the concepts we use to understand our world. Your task is to articulate one central question implied by these conflicts, and to show what kind of problem it is (metaphysical, epistemological, etc.). Explore solutions given by your author, other thinkers, or yourself. What further problems do these solutions raise? Or, perhaps if we think about the question in the right way, then there is no problem at all.
This project will take the form of a lecture or presentation. You will present a philosophical question addressed in your text and that you wish to explore with the class. This question will be determined in consultation with me. The presentation will be at least 20 minutes in length and no more than 40 minutes. You have complete creative control over how you wish to present your material (slide-show, overheads, chalkboard, video, a paper read aloud). As a guide to forming the content of your presentation, make sure to take the following into account:
What discipline does your question fall under? What is the theme? (e.g., is it a metaphysical question? Is it an ethical question?)
Note: there will likely be at least two ways to answer your question, and these two ways will likely contradict one another. Make sure to identify this contradiction. The contradiction forms your problem. For example, take the question, “Are there limits to human knowledge?” One answer might be there are no limits – we can understand the universe completely and as it is in itself. Another answer, however, would be that we only know things as they appear to us – we can never have access to a universe independent of human experience.
Define your terms. What are the concepts at play? How does your author use them? Many times, these will not be spelled out explicitly, and you will have to do some research to figure out your author’s meaning.
What is your author’s position on the question? What reasons does your author give to support that position? What are the reasons for supporting either side of the problem?
You may wish to make and distribute a handout that gives an outline of your presentation,
At the end of your presentation, offer the class several questions that will serve as a guide for discussion. You can run these questions by me a few days before your presentation if you wish.
Presentations will be graded according to the standard criteria for our class:
UNDERSTANDING: How well do you explain and make judicious use of the relevant material? How well do you explain the issues involved? Have you used secondary sources to clarify concepts?
ARGUMENT: Have you used cogent arguments to support the various positions you discuss? Do the claims you make follow from one another and are they consistent with your central question?
ORGANIZATION: Is your presentation organized, with a plan revealed at the beginning and followed? Does each part of your presentation develop the class’ understanding of your central question?
CLARITY: Is your presentation clear, with an explicitly articulated problem, and is it easy to follow? Could another student at the same level who is not enrolled in the course understand your presentation?
STYLE: Is the presentation style engaging? Have you thought about how best to present the material?
The presentations will be worth 5% of your final grade.