Modern European Philosophy Final Paper

The goal of this paper is to use the history of philosophy to answer an important and interesting philosophical question. The thesis for this paper should be the answer to a philosophical question, not a claim about a particular philosopher or philosophers. (For example, the thesis might be “Free will is an illusion” or “Structural injustice can only be remedied through political rituals of forgiveness and reconciliation.”) To defend that thesis, you must draw on at least three philosophers from this course. At least one of these must be Sor Juana. At least one must be a philosopher other than Sor Juana, Descartes, Princess Elizabeth, Hume, or one of the philosophers on whom you presented. You should use the skills you developed in your first paper to give insightful interpretations of the philosophers you use, but you should also apply those interpretations to solving the philosophical problem you’ve chosen. (For some ideas about how to use history to do philosophy, see the appendix to the Descartes Reading Guide.)