Ancient Greek Philosophers
Part I: Philosophical Thinking
In the first part of the touchstone, you will be distinguishing between the three primary branches of philosophy.
Consider the three following questions:
* What is knowledge?
* What is reality made of?
* What is the good life and how ought I to live it?
Part I of this assignment should be approximately 1-2 pages (300-600 words) and cover each of the following steps:
1. First, you should define philosophy and then distinguish and define each of the three main branches of philosophy covered in this class.
2. Then, identify which of the above questions is associated with each branch of philosophy.
3. You should illustrate the differences between the three branches of philosophy using examples from the course. For example, explain how Socrates would answer the question What is knowledge? or how Epictetus would answer the question What is the good life?
Part II: Reflection
For the second part of the touchstone, now that youve distinguished between the three main branches of philosophy, you will focus on one of those three questions from Part I and use that as a starting point and guide for your personal philosophical reflection.
The purpose of Part II is for you to reflect on the philosophical mindset and some of the ideas presented in this course and apply them to your own life. This reflection is more open-ended than Part I, but should include reflections on the following questions:
1. What does it mean to think philosophically? How can thinking philosophically help me in my own life?
2. What impact do the ideas of the Ancient Greek philosophers have on my own views and opinions?
3. Then, based on these reflections, you should give your own answer to whichever of the three questions from Part I you chose to focus on. (What is knowledge?; What is reality?; What is the good life?)
Part II of this assignment should be approximately 1-2 pages (300-600 words). You should write at least one paragraph for each of the three prompts listed above.
In answering these reflection questions, you are free to draw from your own experiences as well as bringing in the ideas of different Ancient Greek philosophers. Please note: Some philosophers will be more suited for particular questions than others. For example, Epictetus has a lot to say about What is the good life and how ought I to live it? while not saying much about knowledge or reality. Plato and Aristotle wrote a great deal about all three questions.
B. Completion Guidelines
Refer to the checklist below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.
Part I: Philosophical Thinking
Have you defined philosophy and the three main branches of philosophy?
Have you identified which branch of philosophy each of the three basic philosophical questions (What is knowledge?; What is reality?; What is the good life?) corresponds to?
Have you used examples of Ancient Greek philosophers covered in this course to illustrate the three branches of philosophy?
Part II: Reflection
Have you selected one of the three basic philosophical questions from Part I to focus on?
Have you reflected on what philosophical thinking means to you?
Have you reflected on how the ideas of the Ancient Greek philosophers can impact your own views and opinions?
Have you given your own answer to whichever of the three questions from Part I you chose to focus on in Part II?
Conventions
Have you checked your essay for grammatical and mechanical errors?
Have you used spell check or another method to check spelling?
Before you Submit
Have you included your name, date, and course at the top left of the page?
Is your essay between 3-4 pages (approximately 700-1000 words)?
D. Requirements
The following requirements must be met for your submission to be graded:
* Your draft must be 3-4 page (approximately 700-1000 words)
* Double-space your submission and use one-inch margins.
* Use a readable 12-point font.
* All writing must be appropriate for an academic context.
* Your submission must be original and written for this assignment.
* Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited.
* Your submission must include your name, the name of the course, the date, and the title of your composition.
* Include all of the assignment components in a single file.
* Acceptable file formats include .doc and .docx.
