In Nicomachean Ethics, Book I, Chapter 7, Aristotle concludes that the fundamentally human mode of life is an activity guided by thinking and reason: “We have found, then, that the human function is activity of the soul in accord with reason or requiring reason… Moreover, we take the human function to be a certain kind of […]

Part 1 of our textbook starts with a section "Does God Exist".  For this assignment please select 1 of the readings from this section (*note: do not select the reading by Louise Antony as that was covered in the Discussion Board this week) and write a reflection/reaction on the reading.  Share your 'takeaway' from the […]

Belief without Evidence For this discussion board please review W.K. Clifford's "The Ethics of Belief" (page 85 in our textbook) and address 1 of the following questions (in at least 250 words) – What does Clifford say about our 'right to believe'?  Do you agree, why or why not? In Clifford's discussion of the shipowners […]

 STRUCTURAL DIAGRAM ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS OVERVIEW For these assignments, you will be required to complete the worksheets according to McDill’s explanation of his sermon preparation method in 12 Essential Skills of Great Preaching. Each worksheet focuses on a specific skill and will assist you developing proficiency with the McDill Method that results in the writing of […]

In this Module, you have learned the difference between normative claims and descriptive claims. This is an extremely important distinction to make, as we will rely on this distinction throughout the course. Before we move on to learning about and discussing a wide range of ethical theories, I'd like you to master this distinction. In […]

In the introduction to our translation of Nicomachean Ethics, Terrence Irwin (the editor and translator of our text) describes Aristotle’s views of happiness (starting on p. xvi) and virtue (starting on p. xvii). Based on Irwin’s commentary in these sections, summarize what the concepts of happiness and virtue mean in Aristotle’s system of ethics, and how […]

For this assignment please share your thoughts on the "Getting Started" section of our textbook (starting on page xxvii) that focuses on: Why Philosophy? Five Views. Please read this section (the 'Five Views') and spend some time reflecting on the content. What do you think about this?  Is there one aspect here that seems to fit […]

  For this discussion board please share your thoughts on the 'problem of evil'.  In our textbook Louise Antony's work on "No Good Reason – Exploring the Problem of Evil" should give us a starting point to tackle this these.   Your initial thread should be at least 250 words (attention on grammar, please) and should […]

 What is philosophy?  Why is philosophy important, really?  In what areas of your life do you think you currently use philosophy?  Do you think philosophy tends to have a positive reputation in our society today?  What evidence can you provide for your answer?  MINIMUM 300 words  NO PLAGIARISM

The excerpt from Writing Philosophy lists “rules” for good philosophical writing. Briefly describe rules 3-2 (Avoid Pretentiousness), 3-3 (Keep the Authority of Philosophers in Perspective), and 3-6 (Write Clearly). After describing what each rule is, explain why the author considers it to be important. Week1Reading-WritingPhilosophypp42-50.pdf