Medieval Philosophy Paper Topics

1. The Augustinian solution to the problem of universals
2. Augustine’s conception of an ontological hierarchy
3. The Augustinian solution to the problem of evil
4. Boethius and Aquinas on the convertibility of being and goodness

Write a 5-to-8-page essay on one of the above topics. The papers should begin with a clear exposition of the philosophical problems the titles indicate, providing their historical context; next they should move on to a discussion of the relevant authors’ solutions, providing their main reasons for their position on the issues; finally, they should close the discussion with an evaluation of the authors’ positions and arguments in terms of their objective strengths and weaknesses in handling the previously explained problems (as opposed to providing your gut-feelings, personal preferences, etc.). It is always a good idea to structure the paper according to a clear outline, made explicit by the section-headings of the paper. (As a “model”, see for example the divisions and sub-divisions of the text of this paper: http://www.fordham.edu/gsas/phil/klima/id.htm -- which is your assigned reading for next class anyway. You may get a neater printout if you download this file: http://www.fordham.edu/gsas/phil/klima/SMLM/PSMLM1.pdf --don’t worry, it is only the last ten pages of this large document that you’ll need to print.)

For general guidelines for writing a good term paper you may want to consult the following links:

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/howto.html

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/rubric.html