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Un-suggested Topics

  1. I recommend against writing on freedom of will, and in particular on the possible conflict between freedom and divine foreknowledge and/or divine causation. However, if you feel you must write about this, either on its own or as part of one of the above topics, I urge you to think carefully about the following (by which I mean, about our authors' views on the following). (1) What exactly is supposed to happen in a rational being when it ``freely chooses'' to do something? In particular, what, in that case, is supposed to be the relationship between its prior state (of belief, desire, etc.) and the action that follows? (2) What, if anything, is the relationship between acting freely and (a) acting without outside influences; (b) possibly acting in one of two different ways; (c) possibly acting wrongly? (3) What, if anything, is the relationship between acting freely and knowing or believing or understanding some good reasons for acting, and why? (4) What, if anything, is the relationship between acting freely and being responsible and/or potentially culpable for one's action, and why?

  2. I recommend against writing about the ``formation'' of personal ``identity.'' However, if you feel you must write about this, either on its own or as part of one of the above topics, I urge you to distinguish carefully between the following issues (at least). (1) Who or what makes me (causes me) to exist? (2) What characteristics, if any, do I have which no one or nothing else has? (3) What characteristics, if any, are essential to me (so that I would not be what/whom I am without them)? (4) Who or what, if anything, causes me to have those characteristics? (5) Are some or all of those characteristics relative, and if so to what? (For example: is it essential to me that I am short? That I occupy a certain position relative to others in society?) (Notice this is not necessarily the same as [3]. For example, it seems that tall people didn't do something to me to make me short. Similarly, it seems that my students didn't make me a professor; the University did.) (6) What makes me think I am the kind of person/thing that I think I am? (For example: by trying really hard, either I or someone else might be able to make me think that I'm a knight errant, or Napoleon, or an eggplant. But would that make me actually become a knight errant, Napoleon, or an eggplant?) Of course, you might think that some of those supposedly different questions are really the same (some philosophers have). The relevant issue, however, is whether our authors and/or their characters distinguish between them: if they do, you had better keep them straight for purposes of interpretation; if you think they don't, then you would need to show that.


next up previous
Next: About this document ... Up: HUMA 11600, Winter 2005, Previous: Suggested Topics
Abe Stone 2005-09-28