Problem
I. An essay on how the ontologies of the Pre-Socratics, Plato and Aristotle, offer different interpretations of the basic reality of the world. You should focus specifically on the following themes: appearance vs. reality, change vs. stasis, and materiality (or physicality) vs. immateriality.
II. Describe the metaphysical views of Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz. Focus especially on the nature and quantity of substances and the issue of how substances interact. What common threads do you find in their perspectives? How do they disagree with one another? Which viewpoint seems strongest to you, and why?
III. What is truth, and how do you come to know it? Your essay should address the most common categories of truth (empirical and necessary), why both statements with philosophical content ("Life is meaningful") and presuppositions of knowledge ("The world exists") don't seem to fit into either category, and how rationalists and empiricists address the truth. It should also discuss the correspondence, coherence, and pragmatic theories of truth.
IV. An argumentative essay answering the question: What is knowledge? Your argument should have a clearly stated conclusion ("Knowledge is . . .") and develop an argument with separate premises/reasons that support the conclusion. It should raise and answer one objection or counterargument. Your argument should address the following issues: What is knowledge, and how do you know when you have it? How is knowledge linked to the truth? How is knowledge linked to rationality? Why is knowledge worth having? Feel free to draw on any philosophers and ideas explored in chapter five, although you are not limited to these resources.
Book we use is Solomon, R. C., & Higgins, K. M. (2013). The Big Questions: A Short Introduction to Philosophy.