Assignment:
Please choose ONE of the following paper topics. Papers should be 3-5
pages in length, due in class Friday, Feb. 10.
Rough drafts are
strongly encouraged, but not mandatory. I will be accepting rough
drafts no later than
11:59
pm on Tuesday, Jan. 7. Please email me or talk to me if you have
any questions.
1. Lay out formally, and then put into your own words, the Ontological
Argument for the existence of God. Do you think that this is a valid
argument? Why or why not? Do you think that all of the premises are
true? If not, which ones do you think are false and why? What do you
think is the most convincing objection to this argument? Discuss.
2. Lay out formally, and then put into your own words, the Cosmological
Argument for the existence of God. Do you think that this is a valid
argument? Why or why not? Do you think that all of the premises are
true? If not, which ones do you think are false and why? What do you
think is the most convincing objection to this argument? Discuss.
3. Lay out formally, and then put into your own words, the Teleological
Argument for the existence of God. What kind of argument is this? Do
you think that this is a strong
argument? Why or why not? Do you think that all of the premises are
true? If not, which ones do you think are false and why? What do you
think is the most convincing objection to this argument? Discuss.
4. Lay out formally, and then put into your own words, the Problem of
Evil. What, exactly, is the problem? Do you think that there is a
solution? Explain. What are some of the inadequate ways to 'solve' this
problem, and why are they inadequate? Do you think this argument is
ultimately convincing? Why or why not?
5. Explain in your own words what the Euthyphro Problem is. Why is it a
problem, and who is it a problem for? Explain how the Euthyphro Problem
generalizes. Can you think of how one might try to solve the dilemma?
Discuss.
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26 (Spring 2006) Page
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