These papers were submitted for coursework in the graduate program in philosophy at Rutgers University during the four semesters between the spring of 1980 and the fall of 1981, inclusive.
This coursework was most enjoyable, and the graduate faculty were first-rate. Note the three term papers on Rousseau, for different courses. My favorite papers were "Descartes on Delight," "On Hume's 'Of the Standard of Taste,'" and "On a Concept of Truth in Merleau-Ponty's Philosophy." None of this work led directly to my dissertation, which you can find here.
| Spring Semester 1980 |
| Ethics |
Instructor: Richard Henson |
| Two Senses of Happiness in Mill's Utilitarianism |
| Smart on Rule-Worship |
| On Whether There Is a Rule-Utilitarianism That Is Not Obviously Untenable and Cannot Be Coextensive with Act-Utilitarianism |
| On Two Formulas of the Moral Law |
| Medieval Philosophy |
Instructor: Seymour Feldman |
| On the Perplexing Character of Maimonides' Theory of Actional Attributes |
| Metaphysics |
Instructor: Martin Bunzl |
| On the Significance of Kant's Principle of Causality |
| The Moral Force of the Passions: Descartes, Spinoza, Hume, and Rousseau |
Instructor: Amelie Rorty |
| On Descartes' Passions, Part I |
| Descartes on Delight |
| On the Extent to Which There Can Be a Cartesian Science of the Passions |
| The Passions and Clarity and Distinctness |
| Spinoza on Certain Emotions |
| Descartes and Spinoza on Pity, Benevolence, and Noblemindedness |
| Hume on Justice |
| The Effects of Civilization on Emotional Life in the Thought of Rousseau and Freud |
| Fall Semester 1980 |
| Aristotle |
Instructor: Michael Rohr |
| On the Function of Pleasure in Aristotle's Philosophy of Mind |
| Schiller (German Department) |
Instructor: Paul Fitzell |
| Schiller's Approach to the Problem of Evil |
| Social Philosophy |
Instructor: Mary Gibson |
| Autonomy, Civilzation, and Private Property in Rousseau's Second Discourse |
| Spring Semester 1981 |
| Aesthetics |
Instructors: Peter Kivy, Laurent Stern |
| Tormey and Kennick on Expression |
| On The Corded Shell, Chapters 1-3 |
| On The Corded Shell, Chapters 7-9 |
| On Hume's "Of the Standard of Taste" |
| Danto on Representation and Imitation |
| Some Problems in Danto |
| Epistemology |
Instructor: Peter Klein |
| Hintikka and Chisholm on Moore's Paradox and Knowing that one Believes |
| Heidegger and Wittgenstein on the Proof of an External World |
| Modern Philosophy |
Instructor: John Yolton |
| On Language, Perception and Things in Berkeley's Ontology |
| Rousseau (Politics Department) |
Instructor: Benjamin Barber |
| On Rousseau's Concept of Private Property |
| Fall Semester 1981 |
| Epistemology |
Instructor: Brian McLaughlin |
| Plato, Aristotle, and Berkeley on the Relation between Language, Reality, and Perception |
| Film Aesthetics |
Instructor: Peter Kivy |
| On Munsterberg and Schopenhauer |
| Arnheim on Significant Form in Film |
| Merleau-Ponty |
Instructor: Bruce Wilshire |
| On a Concept of Truth in Merleau-Ponty's Philosophy |