Purpose The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your comprehension of t

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Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your comprehension of two of three classic
topics in epistemology and metaphysics: free will, the mind/brain problem, and the problem of
external world skepticism.
Skills
This assignment will help you practice the following skills:
• Structuring an essay.
• Writing analytically.
• Comparing and contrasting different views.
Knowledge
This assignment will help you become familiar with the following content.
• Arguments for and against the existence of Free Will.
• Differing views on the relationship between the mind and the brain.
• Arguments for and against skepticism about our knowledge of an objective, mindindependent physical world.
Task
For this assignment, you will be writing two small essays. The two essays should be included in
the same document but should be given their own titles and there should be a page break
between them.
Each topic asks for a complex discussion that will include several ideas from the textbook
and lectures. Your grade depends on you accurately using the course material discussed so far to
give a complete answer to the prompt’s questions. A complete answer for each prompt will
require incorporating at least six substantial ideas into your discussion. Since each substantial
idea deserves at least one paragraph of its own, your final draft (including introductory and
supplementary paragraphs) should be at least fourteen paragraphs.
Topic One, Epistemology:
At college, Rene Descartes was taught a philosophy called “scholasticism,” the dominant
philosophy of late-medieval Europe. Describe some key theses of scholastic philosophy (like
geocentrism). Then describe what’s different about knowledge that differentiates it from mere
belief and why Descartes’s previous beliefs in the tenets of scholasticisms didn’t count as
knowledge. (20 points)
Since Descartes wants to know the truth and not belief falsehoods, he decides to interrogate his
own worldview to decide which beliefs he should keep and which beliefs he should throw away.
Explain what standard Descartes uses to decide whether to keep a belief or throw it away, and
explain the importance of foundationalism to making this task much easier. What is the
difference between psychological doubt and epistemic doubt, and what shortcut can Descartes
use to avoid having to interrogate literally every single one of his beliefs? (20 points)
One belief fundamental to Descartes’s worldview (as well as all of our own) is the belief that “our
senses reveal an objective, mind-independent physical world.” If this belief were not true, then
none of our a posteriori beliefs would be justified, so Descartes comes up with a way of doubting
this belief; the evil demon. Describe the idea of the evil demon that is central to the skeptical
argument. How does it supposedly demolish any hope of knowing anything about the world
around us (even its very existence) and why (supposedly) can’t it be refuted? Explain why this
outlandish scenario need not actually be true, nor need we believe that it is true, for it to have
this skeptical effect. (If you’d like, you can compare the evil demon to a brain in a vat or The
Matrix). (20 points)
Topic Two, Free Will:
Begin by defining the thesis of determinism. What does it say about the causal relationships
between past, present, and future events (Make sure to use the word “necessitate”)? Then
describe the reasons some philosopher give for thinking that determinism is true, as well as the
reasons they give for thinking that there can be no free will if the universe is deterministic. (20
points).
Then define compatibilism about free will. What does it mean to have free will in a deterministic
universe, according to compatibilism? Give some examples of people who act freely and people
who don’t act freely, according to compatibilism. Is an addicted smoker acting freely when they
smoke a cigarette to satisfy a craving, according to compatibilism (the powerpoint slides on firstorder and meta-desires will be useful here.) (2o points).
Finally, explain what libertarian free will means and explain the two ways human beings are like
mini-gods if we have free will (hint: its not that we are omnipotent, omniscient, or morally
perfect). Finish by explaining why you think it matters to people that we have free will. Given the
very good reasons philosophers and scientists have for thinking that we probably don’t have free
will, why do you think people are so invested in the idea that we do? (20 points).
Editing and Style
Your paper must be in a double-spaced, professional 12-point font. The text must be left-aligned.
Give it an appropriate title and bold and/or underline the title. Make sure your name and date
are on your paper, but don’t put the name of the professor.
• The paper does not contain any “filler,” i.e. sentences unrelated to the prompt or their
paragraph’s main idea.
• The paper has the proper typesetting spelling, grammar, paragraph structure and
editing.
• Correctly following these criteria is worth 30 points.

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