Extra Credit

Here is an optional extra credit assignment. It is due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, December 4th for the Mt. Laurel class, and Wednesday, December 5th for the Holy Cross class.

• Which do you think are more important in determining the morality of a particular action: the motives (intentions) that lead to that action, or the consequences (results) of that action? Explain and philosophically defend your stance. Use examples to help highlight the difference between motives and consequences.
  

The assignment is worth the value of a reading response (a possible 50 points).

Reading Response #4

Reading response #4 is due at the beginning of class on Wednesday, November 14th, for the Holy Cross class, and Tuesday, November 20th, for the early morning class. The assignment is to write a one- to two-page response on the following:

Explain and philosophically defend your opinion about God. Do you believe God exists? Doesn't exist? Are you agnostic? By "philosophically defend" your opinion, I mean present an argument for why you believe what you believe. Feel free to use one or more of the arguments we've discussed in class. You can also come up with your own reasons.

Also, briefly say whether your opinion about God has changed at all after this section on philosophy of religion in this class. Have your reasons that support your opinion about God changed?

Pascal's Wager

Reading Response #3

As a little gift from me to you, I've decided to not assign anything for reading response #3. Everyone will get full credit for it (50 points).

Clearly, reading responses are better if they only exist in our minds than if they exist in reality.

Reading Response #2

Reading Response #2 is due at the beginning of class on Wednesday, October 17th (for the Holy Cross class) or Thursday, October 18th (for the Tuesday/Thursday classes). The assignment is to write a 250- to 500-word essay in which you address the following:

In your own words, explain what you think the best version of the cosmological argument is. Then philosophically evaluate this version.

As a reminder, we are discussing three different versions of the cosmological argument in class: (1) Thomas Aquinas's "first cause" version, (2) an abductive (inference to the best explanation) version, and (3) Richard Taylor's version. Aquinas's and Taylor's versions are in the textbook, but we're only talking about the abductive version in class.

Reading Response #1

Reading Response #1 is due at the beginning of class on Wednesday, September 19th if you're in the Holy Cross class, or Thursday, September 20th if you're in the Mt. Laurel morning class. In a 250- to 500-word essay response, answer the following question:

What does Descartes say he cannot be certain of? What does Descartes say he can be certain of? What are his arguments for this? Do you agree with Descartes? Why or why not?

The response is based on the Descartes reading from pages 58-71 of the textbook.