Order Instructions
Textbook:
Mitchell, H. B. (2019). Roots of Wisdom: A tapestry of philosophical traditions (8th ed.)
Your Learning Objectives for the Week:
Compare and contrast different philosophies of self, including race and gender theory.
Understand and explain different approaches to epistemological and metaphysical questions of human knowledge and the nature of truth and reality, including spiritual reality.
This 3-4 page Project Assignment picks up the discussion of the self in the week 2 discussion by asking you to further explore the question of who you are. If any of the philosophers we read this session might agree with your view, identify the philosopher and explain their position on the self. If any might disagree, identify and discuss the points of disagreement. Personal experience is particularly relevant to this prompt, so feel free to compare your own ideas/experiences to the philosophical theories from the readings. You might consider the following questions as you develop your response:
Does your essence determine your existence (as in the avocado view), or are you a product of your choices and environment (as in the artichoke view)? Or do you not have a solid, separate self at all (as in the non-Western views of the self)?
Does race, sex, gender/class/sexual orientation play a role in who you are? Is gender identity a fixed biological reality? Why or why not?