University of South Florida Philosophy Essay

Hey I did not select the topic so it is your choice to pick out of the 3. Pls get me full marks in this one as my gpa is being affected cuz of this subject.

Instructions. Read Carefully! Please answer one of the following questions in approximately four to five typed, double-spaced pages. Careful, close engagement with your assigned reading is an absolute requirement for this assignment. While you are not absolutely required to consult library materials, if you elect not to, your maximum score will be 27 (see below). Under no circumstances should you consult any Internet materials. In avoiding even the appearance of plagiarism, err on the side of caution. Be sure to credit every source you use, and to provide specific page references for every quotation or paraphrase. Use MLA, Chicago, or APA citation format (Links to an external site.). Extended quotations are discouraged. You may visit me or your TA in the office at any time during the assignment period, though don’t be surprised if we try, in a Socratic vein, to get you to reach your own answers to the questions, rather than laying out ours. You may also discuss the paper with your classmates, prior to writing it. Once you have started the actual writing, classmates and other fellow students are off limits, though you are always welcome at the writing center.You may not share your completed paper, in whole or in part, with anyone who has yet to submit his or her own paper.

Your paper will be evaluated primarily on the clarity of your reasoning. Regardless of the topic you select, you must show substantive engagement with your assigned reading. You are expected to be able to identify relevant readings without being explicitly guided in your prompt. Papers are worth up to 30 points, but will not be scored above a 27 unless you engage with sources outside assigned reading. Such sources do not include lecture notes or study guides.

Papers must be turned in on Canvas. To ensure compatibility, you are required to use Microsoft Word format. You are responsible for retaining a backup, either on paper or disk. No hardcopy or email submissions will be accepted under any circumstances.

1. Are events in the real world really sequenced into causes and their effects, or are cause and effect rather aspects of the ways in which we cope with that world?
2. Identify and compare at least two important Cartesian elements in contemporary science and popular culture. How should our understanding of Descartes affect our approach to these contemporary heirs?
3. The primary author of the “Declaration of Independence (Links to an external site.)” was Thomas Jefferson. Identify and explain any apparent tension between the insistence in this document, that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” and Jefferson’s assertions in Notes on the State of Virginia.
4. Pick your own topic, to be approved by your TA over email no later than April 13.