theory of love

Topic

Noël Merino criticizes Nozick’s “union” theory of love by considering three interpretations of what it is for lovers to form a union and arguing none of them ultimately makes sense. In your view, which of the three interpretations makes the most sense out of the union view? Briefly make your case for the interpretation you favor, and then discuss whether or not Nozick’s view (under that interpretation) can overcome Merino’s objections. How might someone who is sympathetic to the union theory try to defend it against Merino’s critique? Would the defense be successful, or would some version of Merino’s critique remain valid? Argue for your position

Citations

Use in-text references of the (author, page #) format whenever you directly quote or paraphrase, or otherwise represent ideas from assigned course articles.

References to lecture content should be given by the course author’s name and the section number of module page cited.  E.g., (P. Marino, Mod. 5.3)

A separate Works Cited list is unnecessary if your only sources are readings and learning materials from the course. However, any use of outside sources must be properly documented and included in a Works Cited list at the end of the essay. Please note that consultation with outside sources is unnecessary and may even prove to be a distraction.

Guidelines on Essay Content

The essay assignments for this course are designed as an opportunity for you to think about, and argue for, your own response to philosophical issues raised in the course. Typically, assignments of this sort confront you with two challenges:

First, since the assignments will focus on ideas presented in the course texts, one challenge is to find clear and succinct ways of summarizing ideas and arguments presented by authors from the texts. In doing so, it is important that you be clear and fair in how you present these ideas and arguments. It is also important that you make the effort to summarize the views of others in your own words. You can use brief quotations when it is important to stress how an author has actually stated a specific point, but don’t let the use of quotations, or even close paraphrases, come in the way of your own effort to encapsulate what the author is getting at.

The second challenge is that of critically evaluating the ideas and arguments your essay focuses upon. This is the most important task, since expressing and defending your own judgement on a philosophical issue is the main point of writing an essay in the first place. In developing your own critical perspective, it is important to provide your own argument — i.e., your reasons for the judgement you arrive at — whether you are defending or opposing the author(s) you are discussing. It may be that your critical reflections lead you to propose alternative conclusions to those of the author(s) your essay focuses upon. This is fine, but here too it is important that you give reasons (i.e., an argument) for your conclusions. It is also important to be aware of possible criticisms of your own views and, as far as possible, to show

how such criticisms might be addressed

The essays for this course are not research essays. It is therefore strongly advised that you devote most of your attention to the relevant readings from the course texts, rather than trying to find additional sources (either in the library or on the web). From time to time, you may wish to allude to facts in the world that aren’t discussed in the readings. This is fine but be aware that you may need to include a citation to a relevant source if the fact(s) you allude to are not common knowledge (i.e., things that you could reasonably expect any educated reader to be aware of). In general, it is important that you provide appropriate citations for any reading material that informs your discussion, including course material. Essay topics distributed during the term will contain explicit instructions on how to cite your sources, and you should attend to these instructions carefully.

Here are some additional pointers for you to keep in mind as you work on the essay assignments:

• Have a clear thesis that you argue for. Do not merely summarize or write a report.
• State your thesis early on, argue for it, then give a brief conclusion at the end of the paper.
• Be sure to argue for your claims, instead of stating personal opinions without justification. Arguing for your claims means giving reasons and justifications.
• Be as methodical, organized, clear and concise as you can. Make it easy for the reader to know exactly what you mean.
• When discussing texts and authors, be sure you bring out the most important points they make on the topic under discussion. You won’t be able to summarize everything they say, so be prepared to make some judgements about what is most important and what can be left aside for the purpose of your essay.
• Read charitably: when describing or criticizing the views of others, present those views as strongly as you can — that is, make them seem as plausible and important as possible, even if the ultimate goal of your discussion is to point out problems with those views.
• Use ordinary, everyday language for the most part. If and when you have to use specialized terminology, state what your terms mean.

• The reading audience you should have in mind is a smart person who knows nothing about the particular subject at hand.
• For improvements to organization, clarity, style, etc., try reading your paper out loud to a friend; listen to your own sentences, and ask what your friend understood the main point to be.
• Thinking about philosophically is challenging, but it can also be a lot of fun when you approach it with some interest and energy. Have fun!
• The essay assignments in this course will be graded for clarity, organization, originality and quality of ideas, writing skills, quality of argumentation, and significance of the thesis.