Hardly ever does it promote the sort of humility before the truth which can be the first step of the philosophical journey. Even less often does it promote in the student the conviction that they do, indeed, have moral stars by which they can navigate in life. In my ten years of university teaching, I have noticed an increase in student energy and attention when we deal with issues of personal authenticity, the development of the real self and the question of the afterlife. The writing assignment is the centerpiece for the course and all reading and discussion are designed to create an intellectual atmosphere within which the students can consider, develop and defend their own philosophy of life. The argument for their philosophy of life is developed over the entire semester.
Students submit the argument in two stages, as described below.
The first stage is written during the first half of the semester, where we read Plato' s Gorgias , Apology and Phaedo . Consistently, I work to make the connection between the discourse proper to philosophy and the intimate link to personal aspirations. The second stage of the paper brings out the practical aspects of their philosophy. Without fail, this is an assignment which transforms the student. Several students continue to stop by to tell me, long after the class is over, how their life is different because of the assignment.