Q Please attempt to provide your honest answers to the following 3 prompts. Each of the 3 prompts provides a series of questions intended to ask the same sort of thing but in a variety of ways, so don't feel an obligation to answer each question individually. However, I do expect you to address all three prompts! In keeping with the weekly Journal assignments that will follow up on this, try to get at least 500 words minimum (no maximum!) for the total submission (in other words, not 500 words for each prompt below but 500 for the set). In future journals, this 500 word minimum will be mandatory/strict, but for this first assignment, I'll be a bit more forgiving if you're close. I can understand it if you don't feel you have a lot to say. But please make the attempt and spend time reflecting to see if you do have more to share. At the same time, don't try to pretend like you've got more figured out than you do. In other words, stick to honesty and avoid pretension. This assignment is about giving you the chance to check in with yourself about the main areas of philosophy prior to the class and for giving me a little bit of a window into where you're coming from as we prepare to work together this quarter. • What is reality? What is this game we’re all playing, being humans and running around a planet? What are the rules or the framework to reality? What are its principle objects, elements, and laws? What kind of thing are you as a thing living in it? If you made a documentary explaining reality, what is the story? What are the major things that would NEED to be included in that picture? • How do you decide what to believe? How do you think you/we ought to decide what to believe? What standard or foundation do you employ to determine what should be believed and what shouldn’t? How do you/we get at the truth? • What are the values that rule your life? What values do you think ought to rule your/our lives? What are the most important things in life? What gives meaning to life? What things are “deal-breakers”, i.e. values that are not optional; moral obligations? What is the ideal for how we should be as people? PreviousNext