Instructions
You are required to complete a creative philosophical project. You will choose a philosophical topic and create a piece exploring that topic. The topics to choose from are:
Nozick – The Experience Machine.pdf 2.1 Nozick – The Experience Machine.pd
2.2 Salmon – The Scope of Logic (excerpts).pdf 2.2 Salmon – The Scope of Logic (excerpts).pdf – Alternative Formats (2.675 MB)
3.1 Rezkalla – Moral Relativism and Subjectivism.pdf 3.1 Rezkalla – Moral Relativism and Subjectivism.pdf – Alternative Formats (20.771 MB)
3.2 Morgan – Divine Command Theory and Natural Law Theory.pdf 3.2 Morgan – Divine Command Theory and Natural Law Theory.pdf – Alternative Formats (22.479 MB)
4.1 Abumere – Utilitarianism.pdf 4.1 Abumere – Utilitarianism.pdf – Alternative Formats (16.479 MB)
4.2 Singer – Famine, Affluence, and Morality.pdf 4.2 Singer – Famine, Affluence, and Morality.pdf – Alternative Formats (396.033 KB)
5.1 Giles – Virtue Ethics.pdf 5.1 Giles – Virtue Ethics.pdf – Alternative Formats (22.148 MB)
6.2 Mackay – Feminism and Feminist Ethics.pdf 6.2 Mackay – Feminism and Feminist Ethics.pdf – Alternative Formats (24.604 MB)
7.1 Kranak – Kantian Deontology.pdf 7.1 Kranak – Kantian Deontology.pdf – Alternative Formats (24.1 MB)
7.2 O’Neill – A Simplified Account of Kant’s Ethics.pdf 7.2 O’Neill – A Simplified Account of Kant’s Ethics.pdf – Alternative Formats (158.983 KB)
8.1 Gettier – Is Justified True Belief Knowledge.pdf 8.1 Gettier – Is Justified True Belief Knowledge.pdf – Alternative Formats (812.331 KB)
8.2 Descartes – First Meditation.pdf 8.2 Descartes – First Meditation.pdf – Alternative Formats (5.995 MB)
9.1 Markosian – Do You Know that You are not a Brain in a Vat (excerpts).pdf 9.1 Markosian – Do You Know that You are not a Brain in a Vat (excerpts).pdf – Alternative Formats (1.211 MB)
9-10. Basu – The Spectre of Normative Conflict.pdf 9-10. Basu – The Spectre of Normative Conflict.pdf – Alternative Formats (849.369 KB)
11. Sider – Free Will and Determinism.pdf 11. Sider – Free Will and Determinism.pdf – Alternative Formats (253.285 KB)
12.1 Aquinas – The Five Ways.pdf 12.1 Aquinas – The Five Ways.pdf – Alternative Formats (125.947 KB)
12.2 Mackie – Evil and Omnipotence.pdf 12.2 Mackie – Evil and Omnipotence.pdf – Alternative Formats (3.853 MB)
13.1 Jackson – What Mary Didn’t Know.pdf 13.1 Jackson – What Mary Didn’t Know.pdf – Alternative Formats (1.47 MB)
13.2 The Zhuangzi (excerpts).pdf 13.2 The Zhuangzi (excerpts).pdf – Alternative Formats (4.731 MB)
15.2 Nagel – Moral Luck.pdf
For example, you might film a movie, write a script, record a song, compose a poem, draw a comic, edit a podcast, paint a picture, take a collection of photographs, or make a sculpture (or something else). If you are unsure whether a particular project would be suitable, please check with me first.
Alongside the creative piece, you will write at least 500 words explaining the philosophical significance of your creation. In this discussion, you must relate your work to the philosophical topic you have chosen. I encourage you to reference the readings, or other texts.
Philosophy is a creative discipline. Coming up with new arguments, ideas, and objections requires patience, an open-mind, and inspiration. This assignment will allow you to practice your philosophical creative expression. It will also exercise your ability to recognise philosophical issues in the world around you. When grading your work, I will be assessing the underlying conceptual content of the work, effort, execution, philosophical understanding, and originality.
If you receive a C+ or lower, I will give you the option to revise and resubmit your work. Please submit your project on time, to ensure that I can reasonably make this provision. Late work (even once revised) will be docked by one partial-letter grade per day late (e.g. B+ to B).
Reflection
In addition to your project and discussion, I would like you to submit a brief reflection about the process of completing this assignment. Please include this reflection in the same file as your discussion. The reflection will not contribute to your discussion’s word-count, nor to your project’s final grade.
Some things you might consider: What worked well in creating this project? What worked poorly? Did I do enough initial research and reading? Did I plan my project thoroughly enough? Did I break the task down into smaller, more manageable tasks
first? Or did I just throw myself into in? Did I leave my project too late, or did I start early? Did I work after lunch when I was sleepy? Or after dinner when I was wide awake? What else was going on in my life at the time, and how might that have affected the result?

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