I have to write a 2000 word philosophy paper tonight

[sans qualia]

I'm thinking I'm gonna make a utilitarian argument against teaching philosophy. Anybody have any other ideas?

[teach1st]

1. The futility of the 2000 word paper as a learning exercise NT

[da_chimperor]

2. There's always the good old one on whether man is inherently good or evil

you could also bring in Descartes as well. You should be able to have 2000 words easy. It's basic stuff, but I don't know what level you're at.

[sans qualia]

5. I could, but I'm trying to score extra points with irony

[ulysses]

3. have fun. n/t

[msgadget]

4. In yesterday's NYT there was a response by a

philosophy professor to an article which said it was foolhardy to major in something like philosophy. Why don'tcha look that up and the offending article to support your argument?

[flyingfysh]

6. you could use this idea

Consider Plato's "Republic". It would ban poets and many kinds of music, and by modern standards would be considered very repressive. He also advocates that only the "philosopher-kings" rule. You could argue: If that is what philosophy teaches, we don't want it.

Of course, this is a one-sided and warped argument, but it might be fun to try.