Los Angeles Pierce College Philosophy Essay

Prompt: In the second half of Scholium 2 to Proposition 8, Part I of the Ethics (beginning at the words “Hence we can derive…”), Spinoza offers an argument. What is the argument supposed to show? Critically assess this argument. Explain its premises and how the conclusion is supposed to follow from the premises, and evaluate those premises and that reasoning.

Write a four- to five-page essay on the following topic (1500-word limit). To explain the text well and develop a critical point of your own will generally take at least 1000 words. Papers should be easy to read, with 12pt Times New Roman (or similar) type, 1-inch margins, and double spacing. Your paper should be prepared for anonymous grading.

General instructions. You should divide your paper into two parts, and label them “Part A” and “Part B.” 

Part A should be your explanation of the text. It will be evaluated on how well you explain Spinoza’s position in an intuitive way (concrete illustrations often help). Close paraphrases are safe but often don’t make clear what is going on. To do well on this part, you must ground your interpretation in the text, but you should also take us beyond the text, explaining its main idea, pointing out possible ambiguities and difficulties, etc. The text is difficult, and it is sometimes not clear exactly what Spinoza’s argument is. You should do your best to make clear what you think the argument is and why. 

In Part B you should critically analyze what Spinoza is saying. How compelling is his argument? Is the argument unsatisfying in some way? Why? How might someone argue against his position? Are there other reasonable views of the matter that someone might adopt?

Give equal attention (not necessarily equal space) to both parts. To do well on the paper, you will need to have both a good, clear explanation of what Spinoza is saying and an original, interesting analysis of his discussion. 

Some Pointers. This assignment is not an exam. Its purpose is not to gauge how well you have followed in class (although following well in class tends to enable you to write a more sophisticated paper) but rather to give you the opportunity to think critically about the primary text on your own. Wherever appropriate, be sure to give specific references to the text (e.g., “Ethics, 1p5”). As the topics indicate, papers should be focused on some argument that comes up in the text. Interesting papers often develop problems with a given argument or position and look for a response to them. You should not write a research paper. You should not consult secondary sources. (If for some reason you ignore this instruction and consult a secondary source, you must list all sources you have consulted, including Internet sources, in a bibliography.)