Write an essay (of roughly 2-3 pp. or 600-900 words) focused on a passage from one of the essays you have read so far.

The point of this paper is to give you a chance to explore further an issue of interest to you and to provide a basis for me to evaluate both your understanding of the material we’ve read and the depth of your thinking about a philosophical issue. With this in mind I ask that your essay include the following elements:

•an exposition of a passage (or group of related passages),

•a possible objection to the views expressed in the passage, and

•a discussion of the relative strength of the two sides (including consideration of a way the philosopher whose views you have presented, or someone sympathetic to him, might reply to the objection).

This is too short a paper to address the whole of any of the essays you have read, so think of your main focus as views presented by one of the authors regarding a specific topic or issue. The objection to these views could also appear in something you have read (perhaps even in the same essay). However, that is not necessary, and you might construct the objection yourself (whether or not its an objection you agree with) or adapt something else you’ve read or that has come up in discussion. Your discussion of the relative strength of the two sides is as important as the other two parts of the paper, so do not confine it to a brief comment made as you conclude.

Too many issues have come up in the people we have read for me to provide a full list of possible topics. You are likely to do your best work with a topic you find interesting, so thinking back through passages, issues, or ideas that caught your attention is probably the best way to look for a topic. When you have a topic, look for a passage whose exposition will give you an opportunity to address this topic in the way that interests you most. (I’ll be happy to help with this.)

Be careful to keep your topic fairly narrow; this is a short paper, and it will be easier to achieve the depth of thought and clarity of writing I will be looking for if you do not attempt to cover too much ground. The passage or group of passages that is your main focus should ordinarily total no more than about a paragraph in length; but even a short paragraph may be too much to address, so do not hesitate to choose only a few sentences.

Be careful also not to attempt to give an exposition of the passage simply by paraphrasing it. Instead, think through what is said, decide what is most important in light of the objection you will consider, and design an account of the passage that will best address the important points in the space you have available. That may mean not only that you leave out some things that are said in the original passage but also that you describe things in an order different from the one in which they appear there. (Please give full citations for all passages you refer to; that is, cite not only the page number but also the work they appear in, whether this is Loux’s anthology or another source.)

Although I’ll be willing to accept your essay on paper, I’d prefer that you submit it by e-mail (either as an attachment or, if there is no special formatting, in the body of a message).