Critical thinking jury paper
Critical Thinking “Jury” Paper (100 points)
Overview & Purpose
Philosophy has been called “the great conversation.” Inspired by that idea, this paper will require you to use your critical
thinking skills in order to analyze one modern philosopher by putting him “on trial” before the “jury” of Socrates, Plato,
and/or Aristotle. What would these ancient Greek philosophers have to say about a later philosopher’s ideas?
You can write this paper as a traditional 5-paragraph essay or you can choose to write a “creative writing” style of paper
in which the philosophers appear as characters in a story/dialogue/play. You can even make yourself a character!
Getting Started
1. Select one paper topic from the approved list (see below).
2. Select an ancient Greek philosophical judge/jury (see below; your choices are limited by your topic). You must
choose at least one Greek philosopher (Socrates, Plato, and/or Aristotle) to serve as a “judge” or “jury member” in
your paper, but depending on your topic and preference, you could also choose to include the others.
3. Select only one modern philosopher to go “on trial” before your ancient Greek judge or jury (see below; your
choices are limited by your topic).
3. Do we always have to obey the laws of our society? Why or why not? [Week 15]
Ancient Greek philosophers: Socrates (Plato’s Apology); Plato (Republic – on justice and happiness)
Modern philosopher: Thomas Aquinas (Summa Theologiae on law) or Martin Luther King, Jr. (“Letter from a
Birmingham Jail”)
Format *Corresponds to Part A in the Grading Rubric
• Name, Date, PHL 1010, and “Critical Thinking Jury Paper” should all appear at the top left-hand side of your paper.
• The text of the paper should be in a classic size 12 font and double-spaced with 1-inch margins.
Citations & Works Cited *Corresponds to Part G in the Grading Rubric
• The paper must include quotes from the relevant assigned readings to support your analysis and explanation of the
philosophers’ ideas, accompanied by in-text citations. The assigned readings you reference in your paper will
depend on which topic and philosophers you have chosen to write about. For instance, if you select Topic #1 and
choose Descartes as your modern philosopher, you will need to include relevant quotations from Descartes’s
Meditations.
• No additional outside research needs to be done. You should write your paper taking into consideration only the
relevant assigned readings and online lectures. However, I have also posted two short additional sources that you
can use if you want to; they are on Socrates’s understanding of law and Plato’s view of the mind/soul. You can find
them in the Jury Paper folder.
• Include a Works Cited list at the end of your paper. It must include an entry for each source that you referred to in
your paper. There will be at least two works listed: one from the ancient Greek thinker, one from the modern.
• ***See the “Citing Sources in the Critical Thinking Jury Paper” document for more details on how to format your in-
text citations and Works Cited list! That document also includes examples.
Length & Structure
• The paper must be at least 5 paragraphs long (which translates to roughly three pages).
• A “creative writing” style of paper will look somewhat different from a traditional 5-paragraph essay, but it should
still include all of the following elements in some way:
o B) Introduction: Include a thesis statement that states the position you will be defending in your paper. [Tips:
what have you discovered—does your ancient Greek philosopher judge/jury agree or disagree with your modern
philosopher’s views on the topic you’ve chosen? To what extent? In what ways? Why or why not?]
o C) Ancient Greek Judge/Jury’s views on the topic: Discuss the ancient Greek philosopher’s ideas on your
selected topic by identifying and explaining important concepts, summarizing important arguments, and
drawing upon relevant quotes from the readings.
o D) Modern philosopher’s views on the topic: Discuss the modern philosopher’s ideas on the topic by
identifying and explaining important concepts, summarizing important arguments, and drawing upon relevant
quotes from the readings.
o E) Critique: What would your ancient Greek judge/jury have to say about your modern philosopher’s views on
the topic? Would they agree or disagree, and why? In what ways and to what extent? What “verdict” would
Socrates, Plato, and/or Aristotle give to your modern philosopher? This is the place to use your critical thinking
skills!
o F) Conclusion: Do you agree more with your modern philosopher’s ideas or with your ancient Greek judge/jury
or some of both or neither? Why? Make sure to include your reasons. Possible criteria you might use in forming
your opinion include the “4 criteria for evaluating ideas” that we studied earlier this semester: 1) the clarity of
the philosopher’s concepts, 2) the rational coherence (logical consistency) of their arguments, 3) whether or not
their ideas are confirmed by facts and experience, and 4) the implications of their views for daily living/ethics
