The Problems of Philosophy

Write a brief (2-4) page philosophy paper in which you address the following
questions:
• What philosophical problem or question is Russell addressing in this
chapter?
• What is Russell’s main thesis in the chapter?
• What is Russell’s argument for this thesis?
• What are the strongest objections to this argument?
• Do these objections succeed?
Some guidelines:
• You should clearly state each of the premises and the conclusion of the
argument you discuss.
• Each premise should be at least somewhat plausible, and the conclusion
should be supported by the premises (i.e., if the premises are all true then
the conclusion is either definitely, or probably, true).
• The argument you present may include one or more implicit premises (an
assumption that Russell seems to rely on, and that is required in order to
establish the conclusion, but that Russell does not explicitly state).
• This is an essay. Don’t just answer each of the questions above and
consider the job done. At a minimum, you need to include an introductory
paragraph and smooth transitions between paragraphs.
• A good objection to an argument must identify a specific weakness in the
argument. Typically the objection will be that a specific premise is either
false or not supported by the evidence.
• In considering whether the objections to the argument succeed, you
should think about how Russell might reply to the objections, and whether
such a reply would be effective. For example, if the objection is that a
specific premise is not adequately supported by the evidence, you should
consider what additional evidence Russell might produce in support of this
premise.
PHIL 1010 (online) Paper Assignment
• This paper does not require outside research. Please avoid trying to find
outside resources discussing this piece. If you must bring in outside
research, cite it appropriately.
• Plagiarism is using somebody else’s words or ideas without crediting the
source. Students found to have plagiarized will receive an F in the course.
• The quality of the writing (grammar, spelling, style, organization) counts
towards your grade, but far more important to me in assessing the paper
are clarity and precision (saying exactly what you mean to say and
effectively communicating this to your audience), relevance and
completeness (saying what needs to be said and no more), accuracy (not
making any major factual or logical errors), and creativity (exhibiting
independent, original thinking).
• The paper must be a minimum of 500 words not including notes and
citations. It should be double spaced and submitted in .rtf, .docx, or .pdf
format.