M6: JOURNAL – Chapter 8.1-8.3 (J-10)
Readings
- Read Chapter 8.1: Overview: Justice and Political Philosophy
- Read Chapter 8.2: Plato’s Theory: Justice as Merit
- Read Chapter 8.3: Social Contract Theories
Instructions
Read the assigned reading from the chapter. Then choose ONE of the questions below to answer. Answer the question you chose in a response that is a minimum of 1-2 paragraphs.
Be sure to explain your answers and give reasons for your views. You should cite the textbook and use brief quotations and summaries from the textbook in your response. Do NOT use any other sources besides the textbook.
- Explain Plato’s Utopian vision for a just society. In your view, what would be some of the beneficial or harmful effects of a society based solely on merit, as Plato proposed?
- To determine citizens’ aptitudes and talents, Plato favored testing them while they are young. Is it possible to discover the best career for someone this way? What about people who discover or develop their true talents later in life? Is Plato too optimistic about the ease of discovering a person’s true calling?
- Don’t we reward athletes, doctors, lawyers, and business executives according to their merit and not by democratic vote? Should our leaders be chosen the same way, as Plato suggests? Why or why not?
- Respond to the Philosophy Now exercise questions on page 371 concerning “Merit or Equality: Who Gets to Live?”
- Hobbes believes that there is no such thing as justice until the Leviathan is established. This means that justice does not exist independently of an authority to define and enforce it. Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.
- M6: JOURNAL- Chapter 8.4-8.5 (J-11)
Readings
- Read Chapter 8.4: Socialist Theories
- Read Chapter 8.5: Feminism and Social Justice
Instructions
Read the assigned reading from the chapter. Then choose ONE of the questions below to answer. Answer the question you chose in a response that is a minimum of 1-2 paragraphs.
Be sure to explain your answers and give reasons for your views. You should cite the textbook and use brief quotations and summaries from the textbook in your response. Do NOT use any other sources besides the textbook.
- Explain Rawls’ “original position” and “veil of ignorance.” What principles of justice does he claim would emerge from such a thought experiment?
- Answer the Philosophy Lab questions on page 389.
- Does alienation as described by Marx exist today in modern capitalist societies? Explain.
- Do you agree with Okin that typical family practices are largely structured by gender? If so, are these practices unjust? Why?
Note: All journal entries must be submitted as attachments (in Microsoft Word format) in order to generate an originality report.
M7: JOURNAL- Chapter 9.1-9.2 (J-12)
Readings
- Read Chapter 9.1: Overview: Philosophy and the Meaning of Life
- Read Chapter 9.2: Pessimism: Life Has No Meaning
Instructions
Read the assigned reading from the chapter. Then choose ONE of the questions below to answer. Answer the question you chose in a response that is a minimum of 1-2 paragraphs.
Be sure to explain your answers and give reasons for your views. You should cite the textbook and use brief quotations and summaries from the textbook in your response. Do NOT use any other sources besides the textbook.
- When you talk about the meaning of life, which sense of the term do you use– external meaning or internal meaning?
- What bearing, if any, does the ephemeral nature of our existence have on the question of whether life has meaning? Does the fact that we die negate the possibility of meaning in life?
- Is Schopenhauer right about the meaninglessness of life? Does the wretchedness of our existence show that life has no meaning?
Note: All journal entries must be submitted as attachments (in Microsoft Word format) in order to generate an originality report.
M7: JOURNAL- Chapter 9.3 (J-13)
Readings
- Read Chapter 9.3: Optimism: Life Can Have Meaning
Instructions
Read the assigned reading from the chapter. Then choose ONE of the questions below to answer. Answer the question you chose in a response that is a minimum of 1-2 paragraphs.
Be sure to explain your answers and give reasons for your views. You should cite the textbook and use brief quotations and summaries from the textbook in your response. Do NOT use any other sources besides the textbook.
- If we reject the religious view of meaning in life, are we forced to conclude that life is meaningless?
- According to Baggini, how is God’s creating us for his purposes supposed to denigrate human life? Do you agree?
- Do you agree with Edwards that the length of one’s life does not by itself determine whether life is meaningful?
Note: All journal entries must be submitted as attachments (in Microsoft Word format) in order to generate an originality report.
