Part I: Philosophical Thinking
In the first part of the touchstone, you will be distinguishing between the three primary branches of philosophy.
Consider the three following questions:
What is knowledge?
What is reality made of?
What is the good life and how ought I to live it?
These are the basic questions that were considered in different forms by the major figures in Ancient Greek philosophy. But they are also critical questions for our own lives today, whether we are philosophers or not.
Part I of this assignment should be approximately 1-2 pages (300-600 words) and cover each of the following steps:
First, you should Define philosophy and then distinguish and define each of the three main branches of philosophy covered in this class.
Then, identify which of the above questions is associated with each branch of philosophy.
You should illustrate the differences between the three branches of philosophy using examples from the course. For example, Explain how Socrates would answer the question “What is knowledge?” or how Epictetus would answer the question “What is the good life?”
Part II: Reflection