CONTEXT
Today’s culture is rife with clichés and preconceptions about freedom, beginning with the idea that freedom is nothing more than the ability to “do what you want. This course has modestly attempted to go beyond this simplified view to explore the conditions and limits of freedom. But the subject remains inexhaustible and complex. Rousseau, an 18th century philosopher, had this to say about freedom: “Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains. Spinoza, a 17th century philosopher, said this about freedom: “Such is the human freedom that all men boast of having, and which consists only in those men are conscious of their desires and ignorant of the causes that determine them. But how to see it more clearly? How do key modern philosophers like Sartre and Marx understand the question? What do you think of them?
Question: Is it by being the author of my identity that freedom is possible for me?
For the THEORY paragraph, explain the answer that Marxism or Sartre’s existentialism would give.
INTRODUCTION (min. 150 words)
– Problematization: explain the philosophical problem(s) raised by the question posed (e.g., by stating a problem issue, an implication, condition, contradiction, etc.).
– Definition of concepts: define the two most relevant concepts of the problem
THEORIE (min. 200 words)
– Explanations of the theory and answer to the question posed.
The elements most relevant to answering the question should be detailed, interpreted, and ideally illustrated.
PERSONAL POSITION STATEMENT (min. 200 words)
– Personal thesis statement supported by personal argument.
-Central concepts must be defined. Explanations and arguments should be detailed and ideally illustrated.
OBJECTION (min. 125 words)
– Imagine and describe an objection that could be made to your personal [“It could be objected that…”].
REFUTATION (min. 125 words)
– Provide a reasoned response to the above objection.
