Introduction to Philosophy
Final Exam
Address two of the following topics in no more than six pages. Make appropriate use of the course readings (including handouts) and of the critical analysis of the readings in class.
1. Critically examine the principal arguments for and against Determinism (Baron d'Holbach) and Freedom (William James). Which account of human agency is correct and why?
2. Critically examine the arguments for and against Dualism (Descartes), Materialism (Ryle and Carruthers), and Vitalism (Anable). In the last analysis, which of these philosophical psychologies is true and why is it true?
3. How does Locke justify the right to property (understood as the natural right to unlimited acquisition)? Examine the ambiguity of Locke's conception of government as protector of property and other natural rights. Are our natural rights endangered by his economic theory? If our natural rights are endangered by commerce, how could they best be preserved? Is Marx's revolutionary socialism (communism) a genuine solution? Why or why not?
4. How do John Locke and Martin Luther King, Jr. justify rebellion and civil disobedience, respectively? Examine the role of religion in their arguments and contrast their positions with that of Hobbes.