PHIL 4150: Analytic Philosophy

Dr. Robert Lane, University of West Georgia

Spring 2009

 

 

Term Paper Instructions

 

These instructions supplement the more general instructions found in my online document, “Writing a Philosophy Paper”: http://www.westga.edu/~rlane/paperResources.html . I expect you to follow instructions in BOTH documents.

 

Before starting work on this project, read this document by James Pryor:  http://www.princeton.edu/~jimpryor/general/writing.html

 

This paper is worth 30% of your total course grade.

 

Deadline for mandatory draft: Monday April 6. I will accept your draft at any time before this deadline, but it must be turned in to be by no later than April 6. This draft should meet the following conditions:

·         It must be a solid draft, something that you have already spent a good deal of time on.

·         It must contain an opening that explains to the reader what you’ll be doing; a solid, detailed, clearly structured body; and a conclusion that summarizes your results.

·         You should proofread it for grammatical mistakes and other technical problems, and include a bibliography, just as you would a final draft.

·         This draft must be at least 1,500 words.

·         Do not turn in a hard copy of your draft; instead, email it to me as an email attachment (Word document or rtf only).

I will give you extensive written comments and suggestions as to how you can improve your paper. If the draft you turn in is of sufficient length (3,000 words) and quality to qualify as an “A” paper as it stands, then I will accept it as the final draft.

 

Deadline for final paper: Monday April 27. Printed copies of your papers must be turned in at the very beginning of class. No late papers will be accepted without penalty unless I have given you prior permission.

·         I will accept your paper at any time before the deadline (i.e., you do not have to wait until April 27 to turn it in).

·         If I receive your paper later than one hour after the beginning of class, you will lose one letter grade; if I receive it later than two hours after the beginning of class, you will lose two letter grades; if I receive it later than three hours after the beginning of class, you will lose three letter grades; I will not accept any papers later than four hours after the beginning of class on the due date.

·         I recommend that you have a copy of your paper printed out the evening before it is due. If you wait until that morning to print it out and you run into problems (lost disk, printer failure, etc.) which prevent you from turning your paper in at the beginning of class, you will be penalized.

 

Length: 3000 words minimum. DO NOT GO UNDER THE MINIMUM LENGTH OF 3000 words. You may go over 3000 words, but remember that part of your grade will be based on conciseness, so in presenting your argument(s) you should be as concise as possible and avoid extraneous material.

 

Suggested Topics

 

You may choose to write on a topic other than those listed below. However, if you choose to do so, you must discuss your topic with me and get my permission first. I encourage you to speak with me about your paper, in any case.

 

·         Critically evaluate Frege’s solution to the puzzle about identity he discusses in “On Sense and Reference.”

 

·         Critically evaluate Frege’s account of truth and/or “the third realm” in “The Thought: A Logical Investigation.”

 

·         Critically evaluate Russell’s theory of descriptions, as put forward in “On Denoting.”

 

·         Critically evaluate Strawson’s response to Russell in “On Referring.” [Strawson’s article is in your textbook. For this topic, you may also wish to use Russell’s “Mr. Strawson on Referring,” Mind 66, 1957. One approach would be to describe Russell’s theory of descriptions, then Strawson’s criticism, then Russell’s response, and then to argue that one or the other has the better position.]

 

·         Critically evaluate the early Wittgenstein’s picture theory of meaning as put forward in the Tratatus Logico-Philosophicus [portions are on electronic reserve; to work on this topic you should get a copy of the entire book]

 

·         Critically evaluate the later Wittgenstein’s account of meaning in the first 27 sections of Philosophical Investigations. [on electronic reserve; not in your textbook]

 

·         Critically evaluate Carnap’s account of meaning or his attack on metaphysics in “The Elimination of Metaphysics through the Logical Analysis of Language.”

 

·         Critically evaluate Quine’s account of “the ontological problem” in “On What There Is.”

 

·         Critically evaluate Gettier’s rejection of the definition of knowledge as justified true belief, in “Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?”

 

·         Critically evaluate G. E. Moore’s discussion of goodness and “the naturalistic fallacy” in “On Defining ‘Good’.”

 

·         Critically evaluate Charles Stevenson’s theory of emotivism as put forward in “The Emotive Meaning of Ethical Terms.”

 

 

In the topics listed above, “critically evaluate” means: make evaluative claims (“this theory is wrong”; “this account of meaning is good, but it is incomplete;”  “this argument is valid but uses a false premise”; “Russell is wrong for the following reasons”; etc.) and support those claims with your own original thoughts.

 

 

 

Technical Details

 

·         Include a word-count at the beginning or end of your essay. Failure to include a word count will result in a reduction in your grade.

 

·         Include page numbers at the top or bottom of each page.

 

·         Your essay must be typed and double-spaced. This will give me plenty of room to write comments on your papers. No handwritten essays will be accepted.

 

·         Do not put your name anywhere on your essay. Rather, identify your paper with your student number (NOT your social security number). This will help me grade your papers anonymously.

 

·         Do not hand in your paper in a binder, folder, etc. Simply staple the pages together in the upper left corner.

 

·         You MUST include a bibliography, even if there is only a single source that you cite. Your bibliography should include any material you use that is in your textbook. For example:

 

Hales, Steven. “A Brief Introduction to the Nature and Origins of Analytic Philosophy,” in Analytic Philosophy: Classic Readings, Stamford, CT: Wadsworth, 2002, pp.1-10.

 

Frege, Gottlob. “On Sense and Reference,” in Translations from the Philosophical Writings of Gottlob Frege, ed. and trans. P. Geach and M. Black, New York, NY: Philosophical Library, 1952, pp.56-78. Originally published as “Über Sinn und Bedeutung” in Zeitschrift für Philosophie une philosophische Kritik 100, 1892, pp.25-50. Reprinted in Hales, S. ed. Analytic Philosophy: Classic Readings, Stamford, CT: Wadsworth, 2002, pp.21-32. Page references are to the reprint.

 

See “Writing a Philosophy Paper” for more details. Failure to include a bibliography will result in a reduction in your grade

 

 

 

A Reminder About Plagiarism

 

If you use another person’s words or ideas without giving him or her credit, you have committed plagiarism and thereby violated the Honor Code of the University of West Georgia.

 

When you quote from someone else’s work, including from your textbook(s) or from my lecture notes, you must indicate that you are quoting, and you must cite the source, including the page number [this should be done in a footnote or an endnote]. Quoting without indicating that you are doing so constitutes presenting someone else’s words as your own. This is plagiarism.

 

When you use someone else’s ideas without indicating that those ideas are not your own, you have committed plagiarism. This is true, even if you are not quoting their exact words. If you employ someone else’s ideas in your paper, you must cite the source of those ideas [this should be done in a footnote or an endnote]. If you put their ideas into your own words but do not say that those ideas are someone else’s, you have committed plagiarism.

 

If you commit plagiarism in this class, you will receive an “F” for the entire course. You will also be reported the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and recommended for disciplinary action, which may include expulsion from this institution.

 

 

Use of Class Lecture Notes

 

One of the most common errors in term papers for my courses is that students rely too heavily on my online lecture notes in writing their papers. One of the points of the paper is that you show me that you can read and critically respond to philosophical writing. You will do this only if your paper demonstrates that you are dealing with the source material about which you are writing. You will not do this if your paper explains my own lecture notes back to me. For this reason, I urge you not to rely heavily on my lecture notes in writing your paper. For example, if you choose to write about Frege’s “On Sense and Reference,” you need to show me in your essay that you are writing about that article rather than about how I explain that article in my lecture notes; I expect to see relevant passages from that article cited and quoted in your paper. You may use my notes as a guide to help you figure out what’s going on in the primary source(s) that you are using, but your paper must be a response to the primary source itself.