Johnson and Wales University The Watch and the Watchmaker Questions
Can you help me understand this Philosophy question?
Choose three of the following questions and write essay responses to each that use the appropriate primary texts (those by the authors) to support your arguments.
1. Plato: The Allegory of the Cave
How is the Allegory of the Cave a metaphor for the search for the true and the good through philosophy?
2. Bertrand Russell: The Value of Philosophy
In Russell’s view, how can the uncertainty that philosophy breeds be beneficial?
3. William Paley: The Watch and the Watchmaker
What are the premises and conclusion of Paley’s argument?
4. B. C. Johnson: Why Doesn’t God Intervene to Prevent Evil?
Johnson addresses various excuses that the theist might make for God. What are they? How does Johnson reply to them?
5. Blaise Pascal: Yes, Faith Is a Logical Bet
What is Pascal’s wager? Do you find his argument convincing? Why or why not?
6. Bertrand Russell: Can Religion Cure Our Troubles?
What are the premises in Russell’s argument that religion cannot cure our troubles?
7. Baron d’Holbach: We Are Completely Determined
What is d’Holbach’s argument that we do not have free will? Do you think the
argument is sound? Explain.
8. Harry Frankfurt: Freedom of the Will and the Concept of a Person
How does Frankfurt’s compatibilism differ from traditional compatibilism? Is it more plausible than the traditional view? Why or why not?
9.David Hume: Liberty and Necessity
According to Hume, under what conditions does a person act freely? Is his view plausible? Can you think of a situation in which a person meets Hume’s requirement for free action but still is not free?