Please remember that the the Midterm exam is an optional replacement
for the Descartes paper (see the Grading
section of the syllabus for details). Under certain circumstances,
students may choose to write a Position
Paper in lieu of the Final Exam.
PHIL 201: Philosophy of Human Nature
Name: _______________________
Sample Midterm Exam
Short Answers (about 50 points)
Select 3 of the following terms, concepts, and phrases. Write
a brief definition or explanation of the term (about 3 sentences) and identify
the thinker(s) for whose theory the term is significant.
recollection:
"cogito" argument
soul as "first principle of living human body":
"ghost in the machine":
Essay Answer (about 50 points)
Select one of the follow question sets. Answer the question in
a well-organized essay of approximately five to six coherent paragraphs.
Take time to read over your essay after you complete it to ensure accuracy,
clarity, and comprehensiveness. Clearly identify in your essay which
question set you are addressing.
1. Compare the accounts of death offered by Plato, Epicurus, and Descartes. What similarities and differences do you see in their positions? How do their theories of death link to their ideas about the soul? What attitude do they think we should have toward death? Why?
2. Plato, Aristotle, and Descartes all agree that there is a human soul. What sort of thing is the soul, according to the accounts they offer? At what points do they agree and disagree? What seem to be the strengths and weaknesses of the accounts they offer?
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Copyright 1998 by David Calhoun. This page last
updated on March 15, 1998.