Phil 103 – The Committed
Life
[
Spring 2013 ]
Take-Home
Exam
DUE : Wed, May 8, 4:00
p.m. (or sooner). Deliver hard copy to professor’s mailbox
in CH 300. No emailed copies without prior permission.
SPECIFICS : worth =
25 points, length = 3-4 pp. (typed, 1.5-space, Times New Roman,
12-pitch, with 1-inch margins)
INSTRUCTIONS : Do one (1) of the
three questions below. Each of them involves two aspects:
(a) a focus
on one of Wolff's chapters/topics, and (b) its relation to the
views of Hegel, Marx, or Mill. The first focus is more
straightforward and should not be difficult if you've read the
chapters carefully and paid attention in class. The second
requires more thought. Begin, of course, with a basic
consideration of the respective thinkers' views, and only then THINK of
their implication for the concrete policy issues addressed by
Wolff. This is the more challenging part of each question, but
also the more interesting and creative portion.
- What is so 'bad 'about
crime, and so 'good' about punishment? How would Mill respond to
Wolff's analysis (both portions) and why?
- What different kinds of questions confront policy
decisions
about gambling? How would Mill address the issue, and how
convincing would he be on the matter? How do some of the
unresolved difficulties in his position reveal themselves in this
analysis?
- Contrast Hegel's and Marx's conceptions of freedom. Then
apply each of them to either (a) the formulation of gambling
policy, or (b) the justification of legal punishment. That is,
pretend to be a Hegelian or a Marxist trying to formulate policy in
either case, justifying your policy in term of 'your' philosophy. (Be
sure to avoid caricature!)
As in previous papers, refer to
the sources we have read (i.e.,
Abramson and Wolff) and use in-text references to cite or quote from
them. Add a Works Cited page at the end (not part of
the length
requirement). Also, follow all of the rules
about writing noted earlier in the semester.
P.S.: You may pick up your exams
and any unretrieved papers in the department office after exam
week.