Thursday, April 26, 2012

Expanding and focusing your question

Yesterday you read through my comments on your question proposal.  For the most part I wrote back to you with more questions.  Why?  To help you both expand and focus your question.  On an earlier handout, I gave you the methods listed below for you to use to do just that.  Using them today as you continue to explore what other philosophers had to say should prove to be helpful.

Your goal by the end of class tomorrow is to submit a "proposed philosophical connection" for your essay.  Again, it is a brief form but will give me a sense of what you have discovered as well as the chance to work with you on it.

Types of questions used to challenge and expand an existing question:
  1. What are its assumptions and premises?
  2. What are its implications?
  3. What different types or contexts exist?
    1. When does / doesn’t it work?
  4. What do the specific terms mean?
  5. What are the reasons underlying the questions / answers?
  6. Who else shares this belief or perspective, and why?

How do I narrow down my question?
How do I make my question manageable and specific?

For example: What is the meaning of life?
  • Whose life am I talking about?
  • What gives my life meaning?
  • What do I mean by “meaning”?
  • What can I do to give my life the kind of meaning that makes my spirit soar, that makes me feel like I’m making this world a little better place to live in?
  • What speaks for and against each of these perspectives?
  • How can I give my life the kind of meaning that makes my life worthwhile for me?

How do I expand my question? How can I more thoroughly explore it?

For example: How can we overcome alienation?
  • Is alienation something we always want to overcome?
  • How does our life change for the better / worse if we are alienated?
  • What are the different types or degrees of alienation?
    • Is it possible to be completely alienated?
  • What exactly does alienation mean? What does it mean to overcome it?
  • Are we able to control being alienated?
  • Why would others want to alienate someone?

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