Knowledge & Realty - The Final Paper Descartes, Conway, Cugoano, Kant, Emerson, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Du Bois, Wittgenstein, MLK, and Lugones Dr. Daily, SMC Theme: Know Oneself, Love Oneself, and Love One's Neighbor Philosophers: Descartes, Conway, Cugoano, Kant, Emerson, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Du Bois, Wittgenstein, MLK, and Lugones. Pick Three! You are welcome to write on more than three of the philosophers we covered in class if you are so inclined. Description: ***In this paper, you are reflecting on yourself and the readings. Ergo, your answers must be defensible and academic.*** Keep in mind that you do not need to find the words "know thyself" or "Love." You may be literal, but the other idea is to ask yourself how you have come to know and love yourself and your neighbor as we have been reading the selections from the history of Western philosophy. For example, in reading Emerson, "I came to recognize that contradicting myself is one of the ways I develop in becoming myself." Include a quote. "Dare to contradict yourself." (Emerson) Explain how the quote defends your claims, your ideas, what you always knew and how you may have changed. Paper Question: In the process of coming to know yourself, what were some of the most exciting discoveries you made while engaging in online discussions, the mini-exercises, the readings, the study questions, the in-class conversations, and presentations? About yourself? About others, including classmates, friends, family, neighbors, even strangers? How have you challenged yourself, your ideals, your philosophies, your concept of life? What do you love about life? What always brings tears to your eyes? (As Paulo Coelho has said, "Tears are words that need to be written."). What are your greatest strengths? What are your most significant areas for improvement? If your body could talk, what would it say? (empiricism) The words/ideas I'd like to live by are? (rationalism) What is life asking of me? What is my purpose? (Metaphysics). What can I know? (Epistemology). Reflections: You do NOT need to directly answer each question but rather allow the question to stir your reflection on the course readings. This paper will consist of your thoughts, feelings, experiences, yet, in an academic and therefore defensible manner. You will need to defend your claims with evidence from the texts and a line of reasoning. Philosophers: Please include at least three of the eleven philosophers as part of your response to the paper question listed above - Descartes, Conway, Cugoano, Kant, Emerson, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Du Bois, Wittgenstein, MLK, and Lugones To Prepare: Please review the readings, study questions, slides, lecture notes, Zoom lectures, and 1 of 3 the other resources provided on the slides and in the lectures notes to be sure you understand the material (on Canvas under "Modules") before you being writing your paper Rational Defense: Not a Summary of the Philosophers: Be sure you do not provide a summary of the philosopher or the philosophy. Instead, express your understanding of the philosophy and defend your reflections with the readings. Quotes: Provide at least six quotes from the readings, NOT the slides or Zoom lectures. Quotes are, in part, the evidence you provide to prove your point. If you want to include other philosophers and quotes from readings and slides, you may do so after you have met the six quote requirement. If you want to include additional philosophers not covered in this class, be sure you only quote works you have read. Please do not merely Google quotes. Philosophers are massively misquoted on line, so be careful on this front. There is no one right answer here. You are invited to take a position and defend it with a line of reasoning and evidence. Be sure NOT to merely summarize the theories but rather defend your position with quotes from the readings, examples, and your own thoughts and experiences. Yes, as mentioned, you may write from the first-person perspective. Extra Credit: (2 points) 1. What small act of kindness was I once shown that I will never forget? ***Note: Please provide a complete and thorough answer, including a line of reasoning to support your position and evidence as in your experiences and quotes from the readings. The answer ought to be three to four sentences*** General Criteria • 1,000 to 1,250 words (4.0 pages to 5.0 pages) •Times New Roman or Arial, 12 point font •Double Spaced •1" Margins • Use either APA or MLA format Bibliography: Please include a bibliography either APA or MLA • https://www.easybib.com/guides/citation-guides/mla-format/bibliography-format-mla/ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/ apa_formatting_and_style_guide/ general_format.html • You may use first person "I". You may also use second person "you". Or, you may use third person"one". Pick one and be consistent • Upload your on Canvas using ONLY one of the two following formats: . *** Word, .docx or PDF format *** • Total Paper Points:20 points possible • Extra credit: 2 points possible. 2 of 3 Office Hours: Please consider seeing me during office hours to discuss the paper if any part of the prompt or course content is not clear. Writing a Philosophy Paper Guidelines • Grammar matters. Please use complete sentences. • Reasoning matters. Please be sure that sentences relate to each other. For example, sentence two follows from sentence one, and so on. • Use new paragraphs to indicate a new idea. • Consider using sub-headings to organize your thoughts and convey them in an organized fashion. • Be sure to introduce a quote and follow it with a sentence explaining why it is important to the point you are defending. • The goal is, in short, to understand the material, convey an understanding of the material, take a position on the material, and defend the position with reasoning, and quotes from the text as evidence. • While word count and page number matters, conveying your point and defending your position matters as well. 3 of 3