In order to gain a deeper insight into the nature of Philosophy, you are asked to study the life of ...

---

In order to gain a deeper insight into the nature of Philosophy, you are asked to study the life of at least one major philosopher. The goal is to gain an understanding of the historical, social, and relational context of that philosopher’s philosophy. You should focus your attention on the roots and circumstances of that philosopher’s philosophy. This means that you are expected to write a paper detailing, as much as possible, the life and times of that philosopher. Answers to questions such as ‘What are the names of his parents…Where was he born…What did he study in school…Was he ever married…What are the dates and titles of his major works…and What controversies surrounded his philosophy’…are the primary objective of this paper. Papers that attempt to focus primarily on the philosophy of the philosopher will receive lower marks because this assignments objective are not fulfilled. This paper assignment is an attempt to understand some of the historical context in which Philosophy arose. Assignment: Write a biography on the life of one of these philosophers. David Hume Socrates Plato Aristotle Immanuel Kant John Stuart Mill Rene Descartes Pythagoras John Locke George Berkeley Preapproved Philosopher {Must have instructor approval before writing.} Extra Credit This assignment is worth up to 12% extra credit on any exam grade(s). Format The Biography is an 800 word essay. Most likely it will be longer, say between 900 and 1200 words. Papers require their references to be submitted as part of the paper. Each essay should use at least three sources but no more than five. Books, encyclopedias are all good sources of information for this assignment. Internet sources maybe used but must be properly referenced in the works sited/consulted page. All papers must use the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy as one of their sources. {You do not need to quote from it.} Recommended font: use “Times” with a font size of 12. Do not use all cursive, all italic, or all bold as the general format of the paper. Documentation of sources within the Paper should be accomplished using MLA. Provide a unique introduction for your philosopher. Make it personal, historical, or even dramatic. Just make it unique to the way that you are approaching your philosopher. Any and all of the following may be part of your Biography. Time and Place of birth and death Members of family, upbringing, and family’s social status Education Accomplishments Publications--dates; titles; specific theory discussed in that publication; historical impact; your personal reaction or view to each publication Relation with contemporary philosophers or members of the intellectual community of his time The historical impact of that philosopher's work on the field of philosophy or society