Philosophy Paper Critical Analysis Essay type Critical Analysis In this paper, I will discuss euthanasia and demonstrate its immoral implications using J. Gay-Williams’ essay, “The Wrongfulness of Euthanasia”; more specifically his attempt to show the wrongfulness of blogger.comted Reading Time: 4 mins Essay on Philosophy Paper Critical Analysis In this paper, I will discuss euthanasia and demonstrate its immoral implications using J. Gay-Williams’ essay, “The Wrongfulness of Euthanasia”; more Critical Reasoning and Information Analysis Critical Reasoning and Information Analysis Reasoning: Logic Part 1. An argument with true premises and true conclusion that is valid. First Premise: All normal human beings are rational. Second Premise: Peter is a normal human being. Conclusion: Peter, therefore, is rational. 2
Critical Reasoning and Information Analysis Essay
Information on Writing Philosophy Papers. Note in particular that it is a violation of these policies to use material from any source other than yourself in your papers without attribution and, where relevant, use of quotation marks. This applies especially to copying and pasting material from websites, which should always be avoided. You may, of course, make limited use of academically respectable web resources where relevant, as long as they are properly cited I'm not picky about the exact format of your citations, as long as they contain the relevant information and any quoted material is clearly placed in quotation marks though this should still be a very limited philosophy critical analysis paper example of your paper.
However, philosophy critical analysis paper example, you should never make any use at all of student 'essay mills'--websites that offer students canned student essays for 'research' purposes: these essays are not research and do not meet the standards for scholarly sources; they have no place in the writing of your papers.
General Guidelines for Writing Philosophy Papers. Sample Short Paper and Commentary. Sample Essay Question : Is Socrates' position in the Critoconcerning the moral authority of the state, philosophy critical analysis paper example, consistent with his view that one should never do anything that is wrong?
Is it consistent with what he says, in the Apologyabout what he would do if commanded by the state to cease practicing philosophy, or about what he did when commanded by the Thirty to capture Leon of Salamis for execution?
Note: page references are to a different edition than the one you have ; paragraphs should be indented, but are not here due to limitations of html formatting; I have not here included footnotes for the same reason; and your papers should be double-spaced, rather than single-spaced. Socrates on the Moral Authority of the State. Philosophy critical analysis paper example the CritoSocrates makes some surprisingly strong claims about the moral authority of the state, philosophy critical analysis paper example, which might even seem to be inconsistent both with another fundamental claim he makes in the Crito and with philosophy critical analysis paper example claims he makes in the Apology.
I shall argue that although these claims seem to be in some tension with each other, the crucial claims philosophy critical analysis paper example the authority of the state in the Crito can plausibly be interpreted in such a way as to remove any real inconsistency with the other claims. The first, rather striking claim about the moral authority of the state occurs at 51b of the Philosophy critical analysis paper example. Socrates argues that, because of the state's role as a provider of security, education, and various important social institutions such as marriagethe citizens of the state are its "offspring and servants"; and from this he concludes that citizens are subordinate to the state and its laws to such an extent that if a citizen ever disagrees with the state's laws or orders, he "must either persuade it or obey its orders," even if the latter amounts to suffering death.
The implication for his own case is clear: Socrates had tried to persuade the court of his innocence and of the injustice of his execution as detailed in the Apologybut he had failed; therefore, he argues, he must now obey the court and accept his death sentence--even though he still thinks that he is in the right on this matter.
The second, closely related claim, comes only a few paragraphs later, in 51e and Socrates there argues that by virtue of remaining in the state, a citizen enters into an implied contract with it to obey its philosophy critical analysis paper example. More precisely, the claim is again that a citizen who has a disagreement with the state must either persuade it that it is wrong, or else obey it.
In the voice of the personified laws: "either persuade us or do what we say" 52a. The implication, again, is that if one fails to persuade the state to change its mind, for whatever reason, then one must obey its orders. A citizen has no moral right to continue to resist the state, philosophy critical analysis paper example, even if he is convinced that he is in the right and the state is in the wrong. Now as mentioned above, these claims seem directly opposed to certain other claims Socrates makes.
Most importantly, earlier in the Crito itself, Socrates had stressed that "one must never do wrong" 49b. Indeed, this serves as the driving principle behind the rest of his argument in the Crito. But is this really consistent with maintaining that one must always obey the state, philosophy critical analysis paper example, if one fails to persuade it that something it orders is wrong?
The obvious objection is that the state might well order one to do something wrong--e. because one of its laws is an unjust one, as Jim Crow laws were. In that case, Socrates' claim that one should never do anything wrong would entail refusing to do what the state orders-- even if one is unsuccessful in persuading the state that it is wrong.
Thus, Socrates' claim that one should never do wrong seems inconsistent with his claim that one must always obey the final orders of the state. Secondly, it might be objected that Socrates' view of the moral authority of the state is inconsistent both with what he did when ordered by the Thirty to capture Leon of Salamis for execution, and with what he says he'd do if ordered by the state to cease practicing philosophy both from the Apology.
When the Thirty ordered him to capture Leon, he refused, philosophy critical analysis paper example the grounds that this would have been wrong unjust and impious. Apology32c-d This seems to be a recognition that one is morally obligated or at least permitted to disobey the state when what it commands is wrong--even if one fails to persuade it of its wrongness. And similarly, Socrates makes clear that he would disobey the state and continue philosophizing if it were to order him to stop--again, on the grounds that it would be wrong for him to stop philosophizing recall that he saw philosophy as his life's mission, given him by the god, philosophy critical analysis paper example.
Apology29c-d Again, this seems to contradict what he says in the Crito about the supreme moral authority of the state and its laws and orders. I believe, however, that it is possible to read the crucial passages about the authority of the state in the Crito in such a way as to render them consistent with Socrates' exhortation never to do wrong, and with his remarks about disobedience in the Apology. To see this, it is necessary to distinguish first of all between two issues: a what the law might require you to doand b what the law might require you to endure.
With this distinction in mind, consider the following possible interpretations of Socrates' claim about the moral authority of the state in the Crito :. i Citizens must obey any law or order of the state, whatever it asks them to do or to endure.
ii Citizens must endure whatever any law or order of the state says they must--including the law that verdicts arrived at through proper procedures shall be carried out--but citizens need not and morally should not do what is prescribed by an unjust law. There are passages that might seem to suggest i e.
Thus, a more charitable reading would interpret the passages about the moral authority of the state as referring implicitly to cases where the state does not require one to do anything unjust, but merely to endure something or perhaps to do something that is not itself unjust, such as rendering some political service.
If the passages are read in this way, we can interpret Socrates' claim as ii above. When he says that one must obey the state's final laws and orders, what he means is that one must do anything it tells one to do within the bounds of justiceand that one must endure anything it tells one to endure.
Thus, Socrates was not obligated to capture Leon of Salamis, and would not be obligated to cease philosophizing if ordered to, since that would be doing something wrong i. something that is not within the bounds philosophy critical analysis paper example justice ; but he is obligated to accept and endure his punishment, philosophy critical analysis paper example, as long as it was arrived at through proper judicial procedures.
The latter is true, according to Socrates, philosophy critical analysis paper example, even though philosophy critical analysis paper example punishment is wrong; for by suffering it, he is not himself doing anything wrong, but only enduring something wrong. This is perfectly consistent with Socrates' exhortation never to do anything wrong. Thus, what at first appears to be philosophy critical analysis paper example blatant contradiction among Socrates' various claims is fairly easily remedied if we interpret the relevant passages in the Crito as making the claim in ii rather than the claim in i above.
This interpretation is supported not only by the fact that it helps to reconcile Socrates' seemingly contradictory claims, but also by the fact that Socrates' examples of obedience to the state over one's own objections all involve having to endure something, rather than having to do something.
He speaks in Crito 51b, for example, philosophy critical analysis paper example, of having to "endure in silence whatever it instructs you to endure, whether blows or bonds, and if it leads you into war to be wounded or killed, you must obey.
Therefore, it is consistent with the text to interpret him as making only the claim in ii, which is fully compatible with his claim that one must never do wrong, and with his claim that under certain conditions one should refuse to do something the state orders such as refusing to capture someone for an unjust execution, or refusing to cease carrying out your divine mission as long as you live.
As for the plausibility of Socrates' view, I believe that it is still overly demanding, even when qualified as in ii above. It's unclear why any of the factors Socrates mentioned should give the state such overriding moral authority that one should be morally obliged to endure execution without resistance even in cases where the state is genuinely in the wrong. It seems more plausible to hold that if one stands to be unjustly executed, one can rightly resist this punishment even if it would equally be permissible not to resist.
One could do this, I think, without showing any contempt for the laws, or challenging their authority, since one still grants the state's authority to do its best to carry out the punishment, and simply asserts a moral right to do one's best in turn to avoid such wrongful punishment. But that's a topic for another paper.
Note, first of all, the concise, crisp introduction, philosophy critical analysis paper example. The problem is plainly stated, and then I explain clearly what I'm going to do in the paper--all in just a few sentences. There's philosophy critical analysis paper example rambling introduction with sentences starting with "Since the beginning of time, mankind has pondered the mysteries of etc. The style is straightforward, striving for clarity rather than literary flair.
Jargon is avoided as far as possible. After the introduction, the problem is stated in more depth and detail, with textual references. Notice the spare use of quotes. I quote only a few words here and there, where necessary to illustrate the points.
This might be extended to a few sentences, if necessary, but beware of over-quoting and letting someone else's words do your work for you. The worst mistake is just stringing together quotes, which philosophy critical analysis paper example nothing. Notice also that textual references are given for the quotes, as well as for paraphrased passages. Normally, I'd use footnotes and have complete citations, but I'm limited by html format here.
Notice how, in describing the problem, I try to elucidate it, rather than just summarizing it. Summary is not explanation, philosophy critical analysis paper example. Instead, I try to make clear where exactly the tensions among the various claims seem to arise and why, and how they apply to Socrates' own case.
I've tried to go well beyond the superficial statement of the problem in the essay question, to illuminate and develop it. Now having done that, one might just stop and claim to have answered the question: "No, the various positions are not consistent, and Socrates is just contradicting himself.
Instead, I tried to dig beneath the surface a little bit, and to notice that the central claim can be interpreted in more than one way. So I first of all made a distinction between two possible interpretations, which in turn depended on a distinction between what you might be commanded to do philosophy critical analysis paper example what you might be commanded to endure. Philosophy critical analysis paper example distinction enabled me to argue for an interpretation of what Socrates is claiming about the moral authority of the state that renders this claim consistent with his philosophy critical analysis paper example claims.
Noticing and exploiting distinctions is a large part of what doing philosophy is all about. Whether or not you agree with that particular argument, you can see the difference between bringing the discussion to that level of detail and merely staying on the surface. So even if you would have taken a different position, the point is that a good paper would still be engaging with the issues at that level of depth, rather than remaining on the surface.
If you think Socrates really is contradicting himself, for example, you might then also discuss the distinctions I pointed out, but then argue for an interpretation along the lines of the first interpretation instead, despite the inconsistencies with other things he says. Of course, philosophy critical analysis paper example, you'd have to be able to give an argument for why the text should be understood in that way, despite the fact that Socrates winds up with rather glaringly conflicting claims on that philosophy critical analysis paper example. Again, notice that I am striving for clarityprecision and thoroughnessalong with a straightforward organization for the paper.
General Guidelines for Writing Philosophy Papers Clarity and straightforwardness of thought and language are crucial: avoid flowery styles and long, superfluous introductions and conclusions, philosophy critical analysis paper example. No paper should ever start with a sentence like: "Since the dawn of time, mankind has pondered the question of If you are writing an essay in response to an assigned essay topic, the most important thing is simply to make sure you answer the question that was askedcarefully and thoroughly.
Avoid getting off on tangents that are not crucial to your philosophy critical analysis paper example, and avoid sweeping generalizations you can't support in the paper. In addition to the quality of exposition, one of the central things we look for in a philosophy paper is how well the thesis in question is supported.
Even if the reader thinks some of your claims are false, philosophy critical analysis paper example, your paper can be excellent if you do a solid job of defending your claims.
If you are asked to explain something, do not merely summarize what an author or lecturer has said. Explain and illuminate the relevant ideas or arguments in your own words, as if you were trying to help a fellow student gain a deeper understanding of them. Avoid excessive quotation! Stringing together quotes is not explaining a position or an argument, and does not display your understanding of the material.
Even paraphrasing in your own words is not enough. Again, explanation involves clarifying the claims, bringing out hidden assumptions behind arguments, noticing ambiguities as they arise and nailing them down, and so philosophy critical analysis paper example. In addition to careful explanation of positions or arguments, some paper topics ask for critical evaluation of those positions and arguments. An example of critical evaluation of an argument would be my lecture criticizing Thomson's argument for the conclusion that abortions wouldn't violate a fetus' right to life even if it were granted to have a full right to life.
I developed and used a distinction between positive and negative rights, and argued that the central parallel she appeals to in her argument fails to go through, since it involves a conflation of positive and negative rights. Some paper topics ask you to do the same sort of thing, and if you're writing on such a topic, be sure that this component of your paper is strong and well developed.
Summarizing an Argument in Philosophy (How to Write a Philosophy Paper)
, time: 7:47Philosophy Paper Critical Analysis - blogger.com
The following is an example of a short critical analysis of a poem called “XL,” by A.E. Housman. Its short length is appropriate for a relatively short poem of just two stanzas and eight lines. Reading this example of a critical analysis can help you learn the best Browse essays about Philosophical Analysis and find inspiration. Learn by example and become a better writer with Kibin’s suite of essay help services. Essay Examples CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Critical Analysis Paper Internal and External Environmental Analysis for the Bakery Business Liberalization of foreign investment and technology policy of the government is supportive of establishing industrial units in the country
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