Original Philosophizing

Catalog description

Each student in this course will choose a philosophical problem they find intriguing and important, and will write an original paper solving it. The class will have a workshop format. Together, we will go through the steps that original philosophers go through: choosing and clarifying a topic, developing deep and precise definitions, brainstorming alternative solutions, researching existing papers on the topic, working out arguments and counter-arguments, synthesizing perspectives whenever possible, organizing ideas into a coherent essay, and writing it out clearly in a way that will interest readers.