How can philosophy relate to your life?

There is no right or wrong answer to this question. You can even say, “it doesn’t” if you like. However, there are a few certain things you need to do while giving your answer. These include:

– Provide a clear explanation and exposition of what you take the question to mean. In other words, what does it mean for anything, at all, to relate to one’s life? Please explain to me the question as if I had not idea what you were writing the essay about.

– Clearly state your “Thesis” in a sentence or two. You should be able to summarize your answer in an understandable way. The rest of your paper will elaborate and support your thesis.

Part of elaborating on your thesis will be giving a brief clarification of what “philosophy” means to you. (Maybe a good second paragraph in your paper . . . )

– Show evidence that you have familiarized yourself with the course material, and/or some otherwise philosophically relevant material. By the time this essay is due, we will have only covered Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, as well as Logic, and the introductory readings from Russell and Lao Tzu. You are welcome to draw examples of Philosophy’s relevance to your life from this material; however, you are also welcome to provide your own examples. For instance, perhaps Ghandi or some other thinker, or some school of thought, like Existentialism has already left a large impression upon you. If so, use this essay to elaborate. If you are confused or have questions about this aspect of the assignment, or want to check something (Like can I use Bob Marley? – yes, you can) you are always welcome to shoot me an email.

In doing the above, you will be required to cite sources backing up your interpretation of the views you present. Want to talk about Yoda? Then you’d better do so accurately and cite a source. Sartre? Better reference something he wrote.