Posted: November 18th, 2022

Beguilingly plausible and utterly invalid

Term Paper Topics
SELECT JUST ONE TOPIC!
Please see the syllabus for my policy on academic dishonesty. If you plagiarize, you will not have another chance to rewrite the paper. You will receive a zero and I will enter your name into our institutional tracking system. Period.

1. Read Ray Prebble’s argument found here: https://philosophynow.org/issues/124/Are_You_A_Garbled_RelativistLinks to an external site.
Present and explain the argument that he calls “beguilingly plausible and utterly invalid.” Why does he think that the argument is invalid? What would James Rachels say about the argument Prebble deems invalid? Would Rachels agree with Prebble? Cite the relevant texts to support your claims.

Cite all the texts you employ. This is at 4 to 5 page paper, though
you may certainly write more. In offering your own judgment and
defense, use course concepts.

2. Suppose that someone attempts to show that Descartes’s argument for God’s existence has a false premise in it. Suppose, specifically, that someone presents the following argument: we all have different beliefs about what perfection is. If we have different beliefs about perfection, then there is no truth of the matter. Thus, there is no truth of the matter whether something is perfect.
Paste the argument in your paper. Then, identify its premises and conclusion. After that, demonstrate whether the above argument valid or invalid. Then demonstrate whether it sound or unsound. We have read multiple authors who give you the tools to answer those questions. Use and cite those authors to answer this question. Using the right readings is part of the topic.
Cite all the texts you employ. This is a 4 to 5 page paper, though you
may certainly write more. In offering your own judgment and defense,
use course concepts.
3. There is a crisis in higher education. Most students finish college without increasing their ability to engage in “complex reasoning, critical thinking and written communication.” That means that someone with a bachelor’s degree is not likely to be better at those skills than they were when they had just a high school diploma. High school students have lower standardized test scores than ever before. They arrive in college with fewer skills than at any time in the last 60 years. Still, people with college degrees earn much more than people without them. Thus, the college degree is not about education; it is about buying a chance to earn more money.
What are the premises in the above argument? What is its conclusion? Would Kant think that the argument demonstrates that there is a moral problem in higher education, if it is sound? Use his text to justify your answer.
Note: this paper is not about education. If you find yourself researching the importance, value, and/or history of education, you are not writing a philosophy paper. This topic requires you to demonstrate your knowledge of Kant’s views. That should be the focus of the paper.
Cite all the texts you employ. This is a 4 to 5 page paper, though you
may certainly write more. In offering your own judgment and defense,
use course concepts.
Grading Rubric 1. Does this paper identify have a clear thesis? (5%)
2. Does this paper contain only relevant information? Are the
citations completed properly? (5%) 3. Does the paper attribute the
correct view to the philosophers in question? (10%) 4. Is/are the
philosopher’s view presented with the appropriate level of detail?
(For example, does the author explain concepts and arguments in a
tight manner, or are the arguments and concepts merely sketched?)
(25%) 5. Does the author present a clear argument in his/her
discussion? (15%) 6. Does the paper cohere? Or, is the paper a
hodgepodge of disparate ideas? (10%) 7. Does the conclusion tie
together the different phases of the paper? Or, is the conclusion a
non-sequitur? (5%) 8. Are the spelling, grammar and syntax on the
college level? (5%) 9. Does the author make appropriate and accurate
use of course concepts in constructing his or her discussion? (20%)
Intangibles: Is the paper on the assigned topic? Is it the author’s
own work?

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Tags: Beguilingly plausible and utterly invalid