Personal Worldview Paper Instructions
Last Update: 15 March 2017
Let me know if something isnt clear and I can add information to this document. C.R.H.
Click on these if you want (if the videos below dont play) https://youtu.be/bUb9P5YpqWI & https://youtu.be/0tp3BbBU4R4
Telos of this Project: Self-Analysis and to Plan a Course of Study
The purpose of this self-diagnostic paper is to get a grip on the current contents of your worldview and chart out a course of future study to fix the weak spots (we all have them). You will analyze your worldview for clarity consistency and (epistemic) strength and you will bounce your views off of the philosophers we read in the course (at least 6 of them). In your conclusion (at least 300 words) you will analyze your overall worldview and tell your reader how you plan to work on your worldview in the coming years. A careful philosophical analysis of your own beliefs will reveal to you what beliefs are too vague and which beliefs lack justification and what beliefs are actually more central to your life than you realize (and so life change is required).
Since you have to bounce your views off of the positions of the philosophers we are reading you will be more engaged with the texts. Hopefully the famous philosophers we read will pique your interest and motivate you to either modify your current beliefs if you find beliefs with stronger justification (i.e. reasons to believe) or to find further justification for your current beliefs.
Instructions:
In this paper you will briefly describe (in 5-8 pages) your worldview in the following areas: Epistemology (philosophy of knowledge) Theology (philosophy of God) Cosmology/Cosmogony (philosophy of the origins and conservation and destiny of the universe) Metaphysical Anthropology (view of the origin and powers and value of human beings and their place in the universe) Thanatology (philosophy of death) Soteriology (philosophy of salvation) and Ethics (philosophy of values and right and wrong). You must have section headings and you must have zero rhetorical questions in the paper. Students do not believe me and they end up having 200 rhetorical questions and no section headings and they cant get an A without those structure/style points.
Clarity Centrality and [Epistemic] Strength
In each section be sure to pay attention to the clarity centrality and strength of your views. We cannot believe vague things. Clarity has to do with how clear of a concept you have of (e.g. God). For your theology if you believe in a god explain how clear of a view of God you have. Is god personal or impersonal is God one or a Trinity etc. For each section of the paper you are going to explain how clear your beliefs are? If they are vague (e.g. believing in a higher power) please say so. Thats fine. All of us have work to do to clarify our beliefs. You are just doing a self-diagnosis here. Do some in each section but make sure your self-diagnosis is also mentioned in the conclusion.
Centrality concerns the degree to which your life revolves around a particular belief. If you change central beliefs then you will see a lot of your life change as a result. My belief that Dr. Pepper is the best drink in the world is not very central to my life. My belief in Jesus as the smartest person in the universe and my belief that the best way to live life is to be his apprentice is huge for me.
Strength does not mean the degree to which you are emotionally tied to a belief. Strength means the degree to which your belief is justified in the epistemic sense. How many good reasons do you have to defend your belief? If you have a lot and you can answer most objections then you hold a belief strongly. If you believe in the existence of things (e.g. like the Force and Midi-chlorions) just because you love Star Wars then your belief is weak. Even if you believe with all your heart that Midi-chlorions infuse all living organisms your belief is weak in the sense of justification (reasons to believe it).
What do YOU believe? Dont tell us what you think you SHOULD believe.
BE SURE TO TELL YOUR READERS (i.e. me) WHAT YOU BELIEVE AND NOT WHAT YOUR MAMA OR PASTOR WANTS YOU TO SAY YOU BELIEVE. I WONT TELL HER IF YOU ARE A HERETIC IN HER EYES! BE HONEST! Your view may change next week but dont worry about that. Write about your own worldview here and now and do a careful self-analysis. In some worldviews you can be killed for apostasy or kicked out of the family so I understand the pressure from family to write what your parents want you to believe. This paper is FOR MY EYES ONLY so I will not tell. Many students find it freeing to actually look at what they believe versus what they think they SHOULD believe.
Interact with at least five philosophers in at least four different sections of your paper. Preferably you will interact with one or two philosophers in each section of your paper. Use short quotes to help.
To help you clarify your views use the views of the philosophers we are reading this semester to compare (and contrast) your own. It is a good idea to work on your worldview paper all semester by sketching notes in each section. In your paper briefly explain a position taken by a certain philosopher (use short quotes and cite properly) and explain how your own view is similar or different. This is not a paper on these philosophers but it can help clarify our views if we compare/contrast our worldview elements with those of the big philosophers. If you have changed worldviews from your childhood you might contrast your current views with your earlier views. This is a tool to work on clarity we need beliefs that are not vague.
For instance when you discuss your theology you might explain Aristotles view of God and how you agree/disagree with his view. Cite the text properly. When you do your metaphysical anthropology section you are going to say if you agree or disagree with the philosophers we read. Cite our texts. For instance in your thanatology (philosophy of death) section you might explain how Hinduism holds that the Samsaric cycle is real and that all sentient (conscious) beings are trapped in an infinite cycle of birth and rebirth. Then explain how your view is the same or different. Or in the Epistemology (philosophy of knowledge) section you might compare/contrast your view with the Naturalists epistemology of weak or strong scientism or the problem of Maya for the Sankara school of Hinduism. Email me if you need help.
You will lose content points if you do not interact in a substantial way with our texts. Cite the texts properly and give us a page at the end with your citations. Use a web-based program or use the writing center if you need help with citing things properly.
Video of me babbling about this paper: https://youtu.be/0tp3BbBU4R4 (click on that link or below)
And an optional lecture on the worldview of Naturalism (scientific atheism): https://youtu.be/sgQBrCjxl9w
HOW TO WRITE THIS PAPER: 30 Minutes Each Week. If you wait until the end of the semester you will regret it. Students often do.
To write this paper create a Word document and make an outline with each section headings. Each week type up a few of your thoughts in different sections. Think about your beliefs by talking to your friends. Or write down the different topics on note cards. Think about your beliefs when you are bored and standing in line at the store. Sketch notes. Type them up when you get home.
Since you have to interact with some the philosophers we read this semester type up your thoughts during some of your readings. Type interesting quotes in your paper as you read our texts. It is better to have too many quotes (that you have to cut out of the final draft) than not enough.
Do not wait until the last minute. You will not do well and you will find it difficult to find quotes from the philosophers we read in the beginning of the semester. Exchange your paper with a classmate or at least read it out loud to a friend to see if s/he has additional questions about your views.
Outline of Paper: Use headings for each section to make it easier to read.
*Use these questions ONLY as guides to get you thinking about how to write on these topics. Given your course you may or may not have studied the things I mention below You may only want to quote one of our philosophers and jump into where you agree and disagree. Use the bullet points as possible prompts to writing. Write in full well-developed paragraphsdo not simply answer these questions.
INTRODUCTION: Give a quick autobiographical blurb about your worldview journey. Tell us for example how you moved from Buddhism to Christianity to Islam and now you are a Scientologist. Tell us as much as you want in this section.
I EPISTEMOLOGY: Explain how you rank different sources of knowledge in full paragraphs.
II. THEOLOGY: Describe your view of God or the gods as clearly as possible taking note of how clear/vague how central and the epistemic strength (i.e. how many good reasons you have to believe what you do) for your theology.
III. COSMOLOGY & COSMOGONY: When did the universe begin? What keeps it in existence? What caused the universe to exist or was there no cause? Does it continue to exist without explanation?
These beliefs usually are not as clear central or strong for people but be sure to cover those elements of your beliefs.
IV. METAPHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Origins and reality of what human organisms are. Are your beliefs clear/vague central and strong? Explain in this section.
V. THANATOLOGY (Philosophy of Death): What happens to humans after they die?
VI. SOTERIOLOGY (Philosophy of Salvation): How clear how central and how strong are your beliefs in this area?
VII. ETHICS: Study of the Good (Values); Morality (rules of right and wrong); Character (virtues and vices) and the Good Life for humans. How clear how central and how strong are your ethical beliefs? Is spiritual formation through the spiritual disciplines a major part of this (as Jesus taught) or irrelevant to becoming people of good character (or something in between)?
VIII. POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY: Describe what degree of liberty is best for humans in light of your view of human nature. Monarchy/tyranny? Democracy? Oligarchy? Timocracy? Some other kind of Utopian society (lots in history and in philosophy to choose from)? How clear central and strong are your beliefs (most students start out as liberal Marxist socialists in college and become conservative later in life).
IX. EXISTENTIAL ISSUES: (Purpose/Meaning in Life; Despair & Absurdity of life; Alienation/Isolation; Guilt; Death; Freedom/Determinism) How do you explain these problems humans have had throughout all of history? Nota bene: You may have dealt with some of these issues earlier so pick ones that you havent touched upon just yet.
X. CONCLUSION/SELF-EVALUATION (1-3 pages long):Explain what beliefs in your worldview need more work to get them clarified or strengthened (epistemically). What beliefs are inconsistent or potentially inconsistent and require further study? Some atheists do not believe in God yet they dont see that life is ultimately meaningless and absurd (as atheists like Camus and Sartre and Russell argued). Many people are philosophical naturalists (scientific atheists) and they have no idea how much they are helping themselves to things that only make sense on the worldview of Personal Theism (e.g. objective morality believe naturalistic evolution is how humans came to be yet they believe in supernatural powers like free will and reason . . . and in non-physical things like real metaphysical love and universal objective non-physical properties like moral values and principles logic and mathematics. Those things are difficult to reconcile if the only things that exist in the universe are matter and energy.
PLEASE DO A THOROUGH ANALYSIS AND SEE WHERE YOU NEED WORK: We all need work
This section will be graded heavily. If a student makes no attempt to be self-critical and believes that all of his/her views are 100% clear and 100% [epistemically] strong then s/he will not get full content points. This conclusion is to set out a 5-10 year plan of study to make sure the worldview is as solid as possible. As B. Alan Wallace said We all bet our lives on our beliefs and as Socrates said The unexamined life is not worth living. This project is too important.
ADVICE: You could easily write 30 pages on your worldview. Or you may want to write a billion pages as a rough draft and then just edit it down to 8-13 pages.
AFTER THE SEMESTER IS OVER: If you want submit the paper after the semester to be placed on my website www.christopherhammons.com and then to a book publisher in 2016 or 2017: I do not save papers. The purpose of this is to protect your privacy if you are for instance a Muslim who does not agree with Islam or a Baptist who is a closet atheist or a Tibetan Christian or a Jew who beliefs in the deity of Jesus Christ etc. Some students have written numerous papers over the years because this project is so helpful.
GRADING: 100 POINTS
Content Points: 40
To get full content points each section needs to focus on clarity centrality and epistemic strength. Must interact with at least 6 of the philosophers we study this semester and if your interaction is weak you will lose points. The conclusion needs to be a thorough analysis and might be 1-3 pages long.
Spelling and Grammar Points: 30
For every second grammar or spelling mistake a point will be removed. Take your paper to your campus writing center. Have a friend proofread it. Read it out loud to yourself at least three times.
Structure and Style Points: 30
Every section needs a section heading. Write in prose form. Make good paragraphs. Dont ramble on for pages in one big paragraph. Read your paper to yourself out loud. Read it to a friend. Make your paper flow. No rhetorical questions! Cite your sources properly with APA or MLA style. You dont have to answer every question or point mentioned in this document. They are just guidelines to help you flesh out your views in each section. No rhetorical questions (most of you will ignore me and lose a lot of points). Add section headings. Good paragraphs. Cite properly. Use Microsoft Words tool or an online citation tool: http://www.easybib.com/guides/citation-guides/mla-format/how-to-cite-a-parenthetical-citations-mla/
Grading Rubric: 100 points
40 points for CONTENT
30 points for SPELLING & GRAMMAR
30 points for Structure & Style
A = Less than three mistakes in grammar spelling structure and style. No rhetorical questions. Clearly explained each philosophical view and discussed (or implied) centrality clarity and strength. Self-evaluation was honest and insightful in showing weaknesses in worldview.
B = More mistakes in grammar spelling structure and style. Fairly thorough in explanation of worldview concepts but often forgetting to talk about the centrality clarity and strength of various beliefs. Analysis in conclusion is incomplete.
OPTIONAL BOOK PROJECT:
2) Sampleworldviewpaper I made up
3) Feedback to real students in my other philosophy course (they read different philosophers so you won’t use Plato or Aristotle or Hume or Descartes so you can ignore my encouragements to find quotes by those philosophers. Adjust your reading accordingly.