FRESHMAN SEMINAR IN PHILOSOPHY: RELATIVISM
PHIL 150W, Sec. 01: TTh 9:30am-10:50am in Blair 142
PHIL 150W, Sec. 02: TTh 11am-12:20pm in Blair 142
The College of William and Mary
Spring 2003
Instructor: James Woodbridge
email address: jawoo2@wm.edu
Course Webpage: http://fsweb.wm.edu/jawoo2/wm/150w.htm
Office Hours: T 3:30pm-5pm, W 10:30am-12pm, and by appointment
Office: 126 Blair Hall
Office Phone: 221-2713
Dept. Phone: 221-2735
RESPONSE ESSAY 5
In "Meditation Two" from Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes claims to determine the kind of being that he is essentially. What does he claim he is, and how does he purport to establish this?
What does this mean about how the mind and body are related? Write a 2-page paper reacting to this material.
Aim to do the following sorts of things:
- In your own words, explain as clearly as you can the reasoning involved in the particular point identified above.
- How are we to understand the conclusion Descartes draws? Constrast it with other possible positions.
- Evaluate the arguments--Do you think Descartes' reasoning works on this point? Explain why or why not.
- Identify further questions that can be raised about the view under consideration, in light of your assessment of Descartes' reasoning.
Keep your paper within the 2-page limit!
Your paper is due at the beginning of class, Tuesday, March 11th.