Requirements for Philosopher of the Day

Your Name:_________________________________________________ Date Assigned:__________ Date Presenting:___________ Your Philosopher:_________________________________________ Key Ideas to Cover:__________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Directions: The purpose of this assignment is to give us an ideal nutshell summary of one key philosophers project, as well as the main assumptions in his/her project. You also need to make specific connections to our themes of study, so your presentation helps you and your peers to apply the information in the IB assessments, if necessary. Use this form to plan what to say. Your main goals: 1) to pack as much useful, helpful, and specific insights into your brief presentation as you can manage and still be clear and coherent; 2) to clearly make specific connections to our recent readings and to the IB Philosophy Syllabus Details (see back of this page) so we see how your presentation might help students on exams. Its a good idea to carefully review your slides with Mr. A. a few days in advance and to practice your presentation once or twice in front of an audience at home. Look at past presentations on the Shared Folder for ideas. Begin by researching your philosopher. Check Mr. As bookshelf for resources, plus the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (http://plato.stanford.edu/), Episteme Links (www.epistemelinks.com/index.aspx), The Philosophy Pages (www.philosophypages.com/index.htm), or PhilosophyTalk (www.philosophytalk.org). Ask Mr. A. for help if you need it.

VERY IMPORTANT: DONT FORGETON THE DAYS BEFORE YOU PRESENT:

Hand this form to Mr. A. on the day you present, along with a print out of your slides [in print window, select the six slides per page and grayscale boxesNOT COLOR! ] Save your PP to the shared folder: S:\CLASSES\- Mr. Andersen\Philosopher of the Day 1. You have a max of 15-20 minutes (+8-10 min. Q & A), so make sure you watch the clock as you present. 2. Required information, research and Power Point design: A. Brief Background: a few biographical details; which philosophical school(s) of thought with which he/she is associated; influences + who he/she influenced [max 23 slides] o B. Quickly define essential terms of analysis in his/her philosophical project(s)without which we wont understand his/her key insights. [ 2-3 slides] o C. Outline and explain in some detail his/her key themes, insights, claimsand its best to present these in the form of questions he/she asked and answers given. [ 3-5 slides] o D. After explaining C above, now outline and explain his/her central assumptions and motives for his philosophical project (includingand labeled accordinglyALL OF THE FOLLOWING: assumptions about human nature, about human knowing, about the goal/process of philosophy, or other key assumptions) [ 3-4 slides] o E. This is the most important part: Outline very specific connections to texts weve read or themes weve studiedDO THIS BY: showing which key philosophical problems or questions in our syllabus does this philosopher attempt to answer? [SEE REVERSE SIDE OF THIS PAGE] AND showing how this philosophers insights about or approach to these problems or question might help us make sense of them [ 3-6 slides] o F. Outline in syllogistic form at least 1 central argument imbedded in this philosophers project (including at least 2 premises + conclusion). Discuss both VALIDITY and SOUNDNESS of the argument. Discuss at least 1 possible counter-argument to this claim. [ 1-2 slides] o G. Explain why this philosopher might be significant today and what surprised you and/or still confuses you about this philosopher [ 1-2 slides] o H. Include a correctly-formatted Works Cited page showing your sources and briefly mention which sources might be most helpful and why [1 slide] o I. All factual and contextual information is accurate; presentation is well-researched; clear explanation o J. Design of Power-Point (layout, helpful & accurate slide titles, helpful images to break up/explain text) is well-organized, reader-friendly, with clearly-labeled slides, readable font, not too much text per slide. 3. Q&A You will need to answer Qs at the end, so make sure you know what youre saying. (8o
Your Time

Your Score (+// )

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____/.25 ____/.25 ____/.5 ____/.5 ____/.5

10 min.) 4. Helpful (but not required) infowhich may possibly boost your score: o Direct us to specific quotes from a source text/article from our readings so we, the audience, can highlight them, and/or from the History of Philosophy packets in your article binder. o A memorable quote from a major text that sums up key ideas YOUR TOTAL POINTS (8.0):
5. BONUS POINTS (varies according to quality and accuracy, but no more than +2): o Option 1: Make a table that specifically compares and contrasts your philosophers key assumptions and arguments with another philosopher we have (or will) studyespecially Charles Taylor. o Option 2: Make a series of flashcards on www.flashcardexchange.com about your philosopher, then send a Word doc copy to Mr. A. via email.

Comments:

Core themeWhat is a human being?

One of the reasons we study philosophy is to search for a better understanding of ourselves, both as individuals and as members of groups and wider communities. The core theme offers students the opportunity to do this from a variety of perspectives. These perspectives ask quite different questions, for example: How can I be sure I really know the other? What specific meaning does our consciousness of being mortal give to our life? Is there such a thing as a self? Awareness of the human condition can inspire us to examine our characteristics and notions of person or identity. This then raises questions such as: Are we self-conscious beings? How do we use language? How and why do we make value judgments? Are we composed of mind and body? How do we combine reason, emotions and experiences in our understanding of ourselves, others and the environment? Possible topics for study: Interpretations of the human condition from diverse world perspectives: for example, Eastern, African, Latin American, Western traditions What, if any, are the relationships between mind and body? Self-consciousness, language, agency, dreams, spirituality, imagination, intuition, passion, reason and emotion, aggression, moral values, empathy, creativity Could animals or machines be persons? Human nature: individuality, universality, diversity The question of self: Is it possible to know oneself? To know others? Solipsism and intersubjectivity Freedom and determinism Our existence in time and place; biological and social necessities; gender and social conditioning Existential anxiety; meaning and meaninglessness; responsibility and authenticity

Theme 2: Theories and problems of ethics:

This theme deals with ethical questions from a variety of perspectives. It is concerned with practical decision-making and the way people think they ought to lead their lives. Ethics explores the possible grounds for making moral decisions and examines notions such as freedom, values, responsibility and virtue. Ethics also entails a reflection upon experiences such as friendship, hospitality and love. A study of applied ethics explores approaches to important issues, some of which may be of international concern. This theme allows students to explore philosophically such questions as: Are there fundamental moral principles that apply in every situation? How do we decide if a particular action is right or wrong? How should we treat people? Are moral decisions culturally influenced? What do we mean when we say something is right or wrong? Possible topics for study: Principles for moral action normative ethics The nature of moral judgment meta-ethics Do moral principles exist? Are they universal or relative to a particular situation or culture? Are some virtues more important than others? Self-interest versus the interests of others (ethical egoism) Doing the right thing and doing the best thing (deontological versus teleological theories) The greatest good of the greatest number Duty, dharma The origins and nature of moral values Is moral sense natural or cultural? Relative or universal? Subjective or objective? What is the significance of calling something right or wrong? Is moral behaviour found only in human beings? Foundations for moral judgments: belief in a higher being, rationality, emotion, natural law, gender, environment Bio-medical ethics Environmental ethics Distribution of wealthethical responsibilities to humanity

Applied ethics

Theme 3: Philosophy of religion:

Philosophy of religion examines the nature of religion, explores rational arguments for and against various religious views, analyses the nature of religious language and explores the variety of human religious experience. This theme allows students to explore philosophically such questions as: Can we prove the existence of a higher being through reasoning or experience? Can morality be based on religious experience? What is the nature and scope of religious language? Can religion give meaning to life? Is spirituality possible without religion or belief in a higher being? Could religion be seen as only a social phenomenon? Possible topics for study: Concepts of a higher being Religious experience and behavior What does the word God mean? The diversity of conceptions of the divine Nihilism, atheism, agnosticism, post-theism Arguments for and against the existence of God Problems of evil and suffering Religious language, ritual and symbol The nature and value of religious experiences: from social conformity to personal commitment The pragmatic view of faith: indoctrination, illusion, projection Faith and motivation for belief, the post-modern view of faith The human experience of evil: moral evil, natural evil

Sin, alienation and salvation Religion and politics Religion and gender issues Religion in a multicultural environment

Religion around the world