Demonstration of Proficiency
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:
- Competency 1: Describe the historical development of the humanities from the prehistoric era to the present.
- Describe the influence of philosophical reasoning on the development of modern science.
- Competency 2: Examine the forms of expression that instantiate the arts and humanities.
- Distinguish intrinsic from instrumental goods in human thought.
- Explain the use of scientific reason in an effort to control the natural world.
- Competency 3: Integrate the humanities with everyday life.
- Assess the role of philosophy and science in contemporary life.
- Competency 4: Communicate effectively in forms appropriate to the humanities.
- Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Instructions
Write a 4–6-page essay in which you express and defend your views on the following issues:
- Consider the rise of modern science during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
- How did Enlightenment philosophers both defend and contribute to this cultural development?
- How did elements of scientific reasoning alter conceptions of the origin and limits of human knowledge?
- Explain the difference between intrinsic and instrumental goods and how modern science embodies an instrumental approach to the relationship between human beings and the natural world.
- Is recognition of our proper place in the context of a vast and ancient universe an essential insight?
- How does it affect our understanding of ourselves?
- Consider how philosophical and scientific reasoning make a difference to our daily lives. (Of course we all benefit from technological advances that came from these ways of thinking, but that is not the point here.)
- In what situations or circumstances of ordinary life is it appropriate to apply philosophical or scientific thinking to seek a solution, resolve a conflict, or make a decision? Imagine you are invited to contribute a post on this topic to a blog about philosophy, like those that appear in The New York Times blog The Stone, the What Is It Like to Be a Woman in Philosophy? blog from WordPress, or Philosophy Now magazine.
- How would you argue for (or against) the use of philosophical reasoning in everyday life?
Additional Requirements
- Written communication: Should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
- APA formatting: Your paper should be formatted according to current APA style and formatting.
- Length: 4–6 typed and double-spaced pages.
- Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.