Class: Philosophy

Date Due:

Academic Challenge: Finding Widsom from the Past

Student Expectation:
Students will actively engage themselves in the learning process.
Students will personally challenge themselves.
Students will write and speak in a clear, organized manner.
Students will access, process and apply information effectively.
Students will demonstrate critical and creative thinking.

  

NHEIAP Standard:
Students will use reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing to gather and organize information, communicate effectively, and succeed in educational, occupational, civic, social, and everyday settings.

 

The Question:

How can we discover universal truths from past thinkers?

The Challenge:

Emerson was greatly inspired by thinkers from the past. he wrote appreciations of Bacon, Montaigne and Socrates, amongst others. His study of these people was not limited to simply gathering facts about their lives. Rather, he chose facts from which he abstracted wisdom and evidence of superior character.

Your challenge is to research a philosopher and find the wisdom in his words, works and actions. This paper should feature quotes from the philosopher, information about his life and actions, and articulation of the wisdom found in the research. For instance, it is fine to use a quote from Seneca about how we should accept the circumstances of our lives, but it is then appropriate to relate how Seneca lived this wisdom by never complaining during his 13 years of imposed exile from Rome.

Your essay should feature a bibliography, facts about the philosopher using in-text attribution, and widsom gathered from the philosophers works and actions.

 

 

Minimum
Product
Standards:

The writing is clear and detailed.
The observations are about what you see and hear.
The observations are of nature.
The observations reflect at least an hour’s work.
The essay includes a detailed comparison of the observed natural facts and a universal truth.
The universal truth is shown to be self-evident.