Metaphysics
Paper Topics
You may elect to write a 1000 word essay on any of the following three topics. If you cite
from the course texts, which is highly recommended, they you may simply put the page
number in parentheses after the quote. Any outside references will need full, proper
documentation.
1. In numerous places Clarke contrasts a Thomistic existential metaphysics with
various other approaches to, as well as criticisms of, metaphysics. Discuss at least
two of these alternative metaphysics and be sure to spell out what the central
tenets of these metaphysics are as well as how Clarke’s critique of these tenets
and his defense of an existential metaphysics.
2. Clarke uses the notion of two correlative coprinciples in order to resolve a number
of problems in traditional metaphysics. After laying out the basic arguments for
this notion, detail how it is then used to resolve at least two traditional problems.
3. Bergson contrasts intuition with analytic thinking. Based on what we have
discussed so far in reading Bergson’s Introduction to Metaphysics, contrast and
clarify what Bergson means by intuition and analytic thinking.