Philosophy of the Person I (SPRING 2018)
Second Reflection Paper
In an essay of 3-5 pages, please respond to the following prompt:
Since transitioning away from Plato, the focus of our discussion has centered on the practical ways each of us can live a virtuous life. For your second paper assignment, I want you to write an essay of 3-5 pages in which you reflect on a moral dilemma that you have faced in your life and discuss how Aristotle would respond to that particular situation. Your paper should consider the following questions:
How would Aristotle react to the situation?
Would he think there is a clear-cut solution to the moral dilemma or would he say that the situation is morally ambiguous? Why?
Who (if there is a who) would Aristotle say is in the right, and who would he say is in the wrong?
If someone acted wrongly, what would Aristotle say is the source of their error?
What would Aristotle say ought to be done? (And why does Aristotle believe that?)
What might be the lessons Aristotle would say we can take away from this dilemma?
Note: Your essay should focus on the dilemma in question, so while you do need to provide evidence from the text demonstrating why you believe Aristotle would react in the way he does, you want to make sure the evidence you provide is relevant to the scenario you are talking about. Also, do not feel that you need to give a long explanation of the dilemma that you have chosen. The emphasis of your paper should be on reaction to the situation.
Guidelines for using the text: A good paper makes effective use of the text. Going back and rereading certain key passages from the thinkers you will be using is an excellent way to prepare before sitting down to write your essay. Above all else, you want to make sure that you use the text purposefully. Do not simply summarize large portions of the text. If you are utilizing a portion of the text, be clear in your essay why you are mentioning it and what point you are trying to make by including it. We are all using the same text, so for citations, you may simply state the page number.
What am I looking for: Because this is a short paper, your goal should be to be very concise in your writing. Where many students go astray is by trying to talk about too many themes in their paper, and, as a result, not talking about any one of them in any particular depth. You want to avoid this. Instead, try to limit your paper to 2-4 crucial points you want to make and develop them really well. Less is more in this case. Your paper will be much stronger if you focus on a few key insights, clearly showing how they relate to each other and the text. Remember, your goal is to give an accurate application of Aristotle’s practical philosophy, so, in your writing, you want to be as clear as possible.
