Two separate Philosophy essays

by

Humanities

ESSAY QUESTIONS

DEADLINE: DEC 09 @ 09:00AM

  • Write a 4-page essay explaining how, according to Epicurus, we should live our lives. What is the happy life according to Epicurus? What should we do if we want to be happy? What sort of things should we follow or avoid; and how are we going to decide? That is, how are we to make good decisions as to what to pursue and what to avoid in life? What should be our criteria in determining our goals in life? For instance, would money be sufficient to have a happy life according to Epicurus? How about a successful career, e.g., being a successful lawyer?
  • In everyday contexts, we all use expressions like ‘Just be yourself’ and ‘I could not be myself.’ These expressions suggest that we all have a sense of persisting self-identity. On the other hand, we know that we are subject to a continual change across our lifetime. We constantly lose cells and new cells take the place of the older ones. In fact, modern science tells us that human body completely renews itself every seven to ten years. So, the question arises: what is the ground of this sense of self-identity we have? What is it that remains constant across time and leads us to attribute to ourselves a persisting self? Or is there in fact such a thing as self that remains constant across time? What is ‘self’? What does ‘I’ refer to when we call ourselves an ‘I’? Write an essay on Locke’s (46) and Hume’s (47) takes on this problem. Feel free to bring Descartes (23, 36) in picture as well.

(In writing your essays please stick to the primary source alone and do not consult any secondary sources online. This essay aims to measure your understanding of the text from firsthand experience. In writing the essay, feel free to bring in your own goals in life under examination and see what Epicurus or the Stoics would think of the kind of goals you’d like to pursue)

Book: Philosophy The Quest for Truth

Pojman and Vaughn 10th edition