Note to Writer: Ignore first personnel reflection section as I will complete that.
Write a 7-10 page paper (double spaced) in which you provide:
A personal reflection
A discussion of one major issue from the course (Topic: Whether I believe that the existence of evil and suffering can be reconciled with the existence of an all-loving, all-powerful God)
3. general reflection on the examined life
Your paper should be divided into three parts corresponding to the numbers above. Please include headings in your paper at the beginning of each part.
Part 1: Personal reflection (1 page)
Part 2: Issue (4-5 pages)
Describe your view on the issue coming into this class. In doing so, discuss your journey in coming to this view while giving mention to personal experiences, ruminations, upbringing, influential figures (e.g., parents, teachers, friends, pop culture icons, pastors), books, poems, films, etc. Also, discuss why this issue is important to you, including how it is relevant to your fundamental beliefs about the world, your place in it, and who you are.
Part 3: Reflection on the philosophizing (2-4 pages)
On the first day of the course, we defined philosophy as an activity that takes your beliefs about value, existence, and reality and challenges them through a process of critical reflection. As we have seen in this course, critical reflection (“philosophizing”) demands:
Questioning the truth of your beliefs, even if these beliefs have great personal significance in your life
Remaining open to the reasonability of views that, at first glance, appear mistaken or even absurd to you
Demonstrating open-mindedness, humility, and objectivity in the face of difficult questions (about God, free will, personal identity, morality, etc.), even if you feel certain that you know the answer to the question
In the quote below, the 20th century thinker Bertrand Russell hints that a life without philosophy may have advantages in being less confused, more definite, and more comfortable. In contrast, as soon as we begin to philosophize, our lives may become more confused, less certain, and less comfortable. Below is the quote in full:
The man who has no tincture of philosophy goes through life imprisoned in the prejudices derived from common sense, from the habitual beliefs of his age or his nation, and from convictions which have grown up in his mind without the co-operation or consent of his deliberate reason. To such a man the world tends to become definite, finite, obvious; common objects rouse no questions, and unfamiliar possibilities are contemptuously rejected. As soon as we begin to philosophize, on the contrary, we find […] that even the most everyday things lead to problems to which only very incomplete answers can be given.
With this quote in mind, answer the following prompt:
Do you believe that philosophizing is an important activity in life, even if its outcome may be confusion, uncertainty, and discomfort – a mindset in which “even the most everyday things lead to problems to which only very incomplete answers can be given”? Or is a life in which one’s “world [is] definite, finite, obvious [where] common objects rouse no questions, and unfamiliar possibilities are contemptuously rejected” a preferable one?
Format:
Your paper should take the following format.
I. Part 1: Personal reflection
II. Part 2: Reflections on your issue
III. Part 3: Reflections on philosophizing
