Each prompt asks for a reasoned opinion at the end of the paper. That means you should state yourview of the issue, and you should give a reason for your view. Tell us where you stand and why. Imasking for a brief argument, in other words. Quality matters more than quantity. I suggest giving onereason that directly supports your opinion. If you cant make up your mind, thats okay. The issuesare complex. State why youre on the fence. There is tremendous value in clearly articulatedconfusion or ambivalence.
OPTION 1Susan Wolf and Harry Frankfurt seem to differ on the question of what gives life meaning. Pleasewrite a paper that describes and assesses their main disagreement. Your paper should do thefollowing. First, it should explain what Wolf means when she claims that meaningfulness in life[comes] from loving something (or a number of things) worthy of love (Meaning in Life, p. 26). Theidea that something can be worthy of love, for example, must be clarified. Second, your papershould explain Wolfs basic argument for the claim. Third, it should explain what Frankfurt wouldfind wrong with it. He does not address her work directly. So, you have to reconstruct a critique onhis behalf. (The wording would be something like this: If Harry Frankfurt is right, Wolfs view ismistaken. He argues that ). Make sure your objection on Frankfurts behalf does justice to hiswork. Show textual evidence for the ideas you attribute to him. Dont saddle him with views hedoesnt hold. Finally, your paper should take a stand on the disagreement here and provide a solidreason in support of your position. Who do you think is right, Wolf or Frankfurt? Why do you thinkthis? If you think neither gets it right, or if youre torn, please state that fact plainly and give a briefargument in support of your view.
OPTION 2Frankfurt claims that coming to love oneself is the deepest and most essential and by no meansreadily attainable achievement of a serious and successful life (The Reasons of Love, 68). Please writea short paper about his claim. Why is self-love so important? Self-love seems like the easiest andmost natural thing in the world. Why would he believe that it is not readily attainable? Your papershould explain Frankfurts basic view of love and self-love, and it should explain his reasons formaking the claim quoted above. Finally, your paper should assess his line of thought. Howpersuasive do you find it? Give a brief argument at least one serious reason in support of yourassessment. Are you on the fence? Thats okay. Say so and explain why youre not sure where youstand.