Humanities Homework Help

The essay should be 4-5 double-spaced pages in length (1300-1600 words by computer word count). The related content in textbook is attached.

Topic:

Does G.E. Moore’s proof of an external world succeed in defeating skepticism about the external world? In answering this question, consider how Moore seems to be responding to Descartes’s dream argument: Do you think Moore can know the premises of his proof even though, as he maintains, he cannot prove that he’s not dreaming? Alternatively, does Descartes’s dream argument pose a more serious threat to our knowledge of the external world than Moore seems to grant. Argue for your position.

A couple of helpful hints:

Your discussion will benefit from some independent commentary on the reasoning involved Descartes’s dream argument. Don’t just focus on Moore’s brief comments about it.

As you will likely appreciate, there are other readings in the course that comment on Moore’s approach (e.g., the readings from Chisholm and Wittgenstein). You are free to reflect on aspects of these readings if you find them helpful in supporting your own position, but it’s not mandatory to do so .

Further Guidelines

Content:

1. Begin with a brief introductory paragraph that introduces the issue of the paper and presents your thesis on that issue. Two or three well chosen sentences should suffice.

2. In the body of the paper, is important that you try to represent the ideas and arguments of the relevant philosophers in your own words. Direct quotations should be kept brief (one or two sentences max.) and should only be used to illustrate or emphasize ideas you’ve already described in your own terms.

3. Bear in mind that this is a short paper and you will have to be selective in the materialsyou choose to discuss. Part of your task here is to use your judgement in deciding what to include and what to exclude. Do your best to be clear, concise and economical in presenting the key ideas.

4. Don’t forget that part of your task is to argue for a position. Leave yourself enough space to present your reasons for the conclusion you arrive at.

5. End with a brief concluding paragraph that states your main conclusion and recaps how you’ve arrived at it. Here again, two or three well chosen sentences should suffice.

Sources and Citations:

Restrict your attention to the relevant course readings, rather than trying to find

additional sources either in the library or on the web.

The following format suffices for citing readings from the textbook: For a reference to p.

77 of Moore’s article, simply put (Moore, p. 77). Use in-text references of this format

whenever you directly quote, paraphrase, or otherwise represent ideas from the text.

You should also provide in-text citations when you are representing ideas from relevant

lectures. E.g., for a reference to Lecture 2 from Module 6, insert “(L2, M6)” after the

relevant passage of your discussion.

A separate Works Cited list is unnecessary if your only sources are the textbook and

lectures.