250 words
Option 1: Philosophy, Backdrop to Our Culture
Popular culture draws on large philosophic questions to help us understand ourselves better. (Yes, popular culture provides entertainment, but our most loved stories are about the things we care about the most—ourselves.) Choose a cultural touchstone: a movie, TV series, entertainer, and analyze the story they are telling in terms of their philosophical description of the human experience and the applicable large themes of this course: nature/nurture, active/passive, continuous/discontinuous, universal/individual.
Once you have analyzed your cultural touchstone, imagine your life is a “story.” What philosophical assumptions can you make about yourself?
Hint: There is plenty of research material if you search for Philosophy + “Lost” or “The Matrix” or “The Simpsons”; however, extra consideration will be given to cultural stories that don’t already have a book published titled Philosophy and…(your subject).
