Papers may be turned in
(1) Physically at 341 OSH.
(2) Physically, to the instructor.
(3) Via email, to
rmallon@philosophy.utah.edu.
WORD and .rtf Documents are
okay.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND WordPerfect
Documents.
You may write on any topic of interest to you that engage the class topics and reading material. (Feel free to consult me about novel topics).
Your paper should:
(1) Have an introduction, middle, and conclusion.
(2) Argue for your conclusion.
(3) Closely engage some of the texts and films assigned for the class.
Here are some possibilities, though you can generate others:
1. Discuss moral luck as Thomas Nagel understands it, and illustrate your discussion by reference to one or more movies we have screened this semester (excluding The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance).
2. In The Republic, Glaucon argues that justice arises only as an expediency among persons, and that people act justly only because they have to. He illustrates his point by suggesting that if a ring that conferred the power of invisibility were given to a just person, that person would Ňgo into the marketplace and fearlessly help himself to anything he wanted, enter houses and sleep with any woman he chose, set prisoners free and kill men at his pleasure, and in a word, go about among men with the powers of a god.Ó (695) Is Glaucon right? Argue for your case by reference to at least two characters from two different movies.
3. Apply CarrollŐs theory of art horror with reference to one film that we have not watched in class. Discuss the extent to which CarrollŐs theory successfully captures the features of this film.
4. In the recommended reading, Freeland argues that Ňit is easier for filmmakers to depict females as heroes combating horror if the monsters are also female, especially if they set up a primitive female contest in the reproductive and mouthing arenaÓ (82). Explain FreelandŐs argument by reference to Alien, and then apply it to another film we have not seen in class.
5. James Pryor argues that living in the Matrix precludes certain kinds of life choices. Explain and assess PryorŐs argument.
6. Do the replicants in Blade Runner share moral standing with humans? Explain your answer both by reference to the relevant issues in the philosophy of mind and issues in moral theory.
7. Socrates argues that to be unjust is to be irrational. Discuss this argument in connection with the character of Judah Rosenthal.
8. Assess the justice of the house-to-house search in Brigham City. Ought such a search be permissible? How would Kantian and Utilitarian accounts of rights bear on the question?
9. The movie Hero concludes with a certain interpretation of the Emperor and his would be assassin. Consider this interpretation in light of one or more theories of justice.
10. Does the fate of the characters in After Life amount to survival beyond death? Consider both the "waystation" and their final fate, and refer to the readings by Dennett and Searle.
11. When, if
ever, would it be appropriate to have the "forgetting procedure"
described in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?