Fluent Essays

If you think that Josey Wales (M9a), the Good (M9b), and the water-buffalo # 2013 (M9d) were practically wise (in their thinking and action), then, make your interpretive claim, provide your arguments to validate your interpretive thesis, and offer proofs (evidence) to support each of your arguments***. The Instructions Cite the Greek definition of philosophy and apply the Aristotelian conception of practical wisdom (M3-M3a > M8-M8a > M10) as your conceptual basis, and watch the movie clips (M9a > M9b > M9d) for your research sources to write your PA2. *** Argument is a series of key points one makes to support ones thesis (or to prove that ones claim is valid/correct). The meaning of interpretive thesis is synonymous to that of interpretive thesis or interpretive position. THE BASIC WRITING RULES (BWRs) In this document, I shall list the five kinds of basic writing rules (The Topic Rule > The Indentation Rules > The Paragraph Length Rules > The PHIL 104 Language Rule > The Eleven Steps of Academic Writing), “The Overall Framework of the Philosophy Paper,” and “The Reasons for Observing the Basic Writing Rules.”1 (Please read all the footnotes.) You are required to observe all the Basic Writing Rules (I-V) for every course writing that you are to write in PHIL 104 (like a writing exercise or a short essay or the Philosophy Paper). I_ THE TOPIC RULE Rule 1: Always copy the “topic” of any course writing completely and exactly as it is originally given. II_ THE INDENTATION RULES Rule 1: Do not indent the first (opening) sentence of any of your course writing whether there is or there is not a headline preceding it. Example: Liu (2003) on Modules. Rule 2: Do not indent the opening sentence of the first paragraph under a new headline. Example: Liu (2003) on Modules. Rule 3: Indent the opening sentence of each subsequent paragraph under a new headline.2 Example: Liu (2003) on Modules. Rule 4: Do not leave spaces between paragraphs that belong to one sub-headline. Notes: If you are still confused about or skeptical of these indentation rules, you can examine currently published scholarly books and download peer-reviewed articles (like Liu 2003) to see for yourself if these indentation rules and other BWR are observed therein or not. If you do not know all the BWR systemized herein, you are not up to date on the currently practiced US methodology of academic writing<>non- academic writing. III_ THE PARAGRAPH LENGTH RULES FOR ALL KINDS OF WRITING (ESSAY/PP/WE) Rule 1: Each paragraph must be short (from 1 sentence to 5 short sentences). Rule 2: Each paragraph must deal with one key point (not two) and it should be clearly stated, well argued, and well supported. Please read: “WR1.Sample WE1” and “WR.WE2” (folder THE PHILOSOPHY PAPER) and my peer-reviewed article (“The Laozi Code” (Google it or download it from King Databases). IV_ THE PHILOSOPHY 104 LANGUAGE RULE Any course writing that you write, like a Writing Exercise [WE] or the Philosophy Paper (PP), must be written according to the philosophy language that is appropriate to PHIL 104. The PHIL 104 language contains key concepts and how they should be explained (like atman, brahman, dao, dharma, moksha, emptiness, enlightenment, philosophic wisdom, practical wisdom, monism, pluralism, dualism, enlightenment, etc.) (   ) ( 1 ) V_ THE ELEVEN STEPS OF ACADEMIC WRITING In addition to the “Rubric for the Philosophy Paper” and the “Rosenberg Model” (Modules), you are required to also observe the following Eleven Steps of Academic Writing (ESW) for every course writing you shall undertake (like a Writing Exercise or the Philosophy Paper). THE INTRO 1) Step 1: Write one “introductory sentence” (IS). State what you are going to do in your written work. Note: Step 1 and Step 2 can alternate. 2) Step 2: Write one “topic sentence” (TS [also called “thesis statement”]). Make a key point or a claim about the topic. Note: Step 1 and Step 2 can alternate. 3) Step 3: Write one “purpose sentence” (PS) or sufficient purpose sentences State the purposes that you wish to accomplish in your written work. 4) Step 4: Write one “methodological sentence” (MS) or sufficient methodological sentences Indicate the research sources you plan to use by listing the titles with the authors and the publication years. For example: “The Practice of Jen” (Chong 1999). THE BODY 5) Step 5: Write sufficient “expositional sentences” (ESs)3 for the Exposition. Explain and argue for your position (“topic sentence”) with supporting evidence. The number of ESs depends on the kind of a written work. 6) Step 6: Write one “transitional sentence” before a new part/section/paragraph of your work. Tell your reader what you are going to do when you start a new part/section. 7) Step 7: Write sufficient “evaluative sentences” (ESs) for the Evaluation. State what you like or dislike about the main issue of the topic and the reason(s) why make your evaluation. 8) Step 8: Write sufficient “critique sentences” (CSs) for the Critique. Make at least one major objection to the main issue of the topic for your critique. The number of CSs depends on the issue. 9) Step 9: Write sufficient “resolution sentences” (RSs) for the Resolution. Offer a resolution of the problem you have critiqued. The actual number of resolution sentences depends on the topic. Notes: Steps 5-9 should be structured to form the four main components of the Body of your RP: The Exposition <> The Evaluation <> The Critique <> The Resolution. THE CONCLUSION 10) Step 10: Write sufficient “concluding sentences.” Summarize or evaluate or reflect on or apply the key point of your written work. THE DOCUMENTATION 11) Step 11: Make a proper documentation of the research source(s) you use. Use the bibliographical type Works Cited and list the research source(s) you actually use according to the academic style that you are familiar with (APA or CMS or MLA). Use Purdue OWL resource @ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/   VI_ THE OVERALL FRAMEWORK OF THE PHILOSOPHY PAPER All the four components of the PP (Intro<>Body<>Conclusion<>Documentation) and the ten steps of the PP can be re-organized into the overall framework of the PP as follows: A_ THE INTRO 1) The introductory sentence 2) The topic sentence 3) The purpose sentence 4) The methodological sentence B_ THE BODY 1) The Exposition (background <> argument <> support <> evidence) 2) The Evaluation (explanation of what you find acceptable or valuable) 3) The Critique (explanation of your main objection) 4) The Resolution (how you resolve what you have critiqued) B_ CONCLUSION 1) Write a short summary or 2) Write a short reflection or 3) Raise a new question for further thinking or 4) Propose a practical application of the most important idea C_ DOCUMENTATION 1) In-text notes [following a sentence or paragraph (Liu 2003: 234 or Phan 2007)] 2) Endnotes [called Notes in Liu (2003: 247)] 3) Works Cited (cite only the sources you use in your work according to APA or MLA style) VII_ THE REASONS FOR OBSERVING ALL THE BASIC WRITING RULES Some of you might have wondered why you are required to observe the BWRs (Basic Writing Rules). One reason is that I am required to satisfy one of the GE assessment requirements. Another reason is that the BWRs have been practiced in the US academic world. All I have done is to have simply systemized them. If you wish to know the truth of what I just stated, first, check the Liu article (2003) whether the basic writing rules (I-V) are observed therein, second, download some peer-reviewed articles or scholarly articles published in peer-reviewed/scholarly journals, examine currently published books, and check out whether or not they were written according to the listed BWR (I-V). You can also request the basic rubrics of academic writing from American elementary and high schools in San Jose to know the current US academic writing methodology that elementary and high school students are supposed to learn and practice. Every piece of academic writing (a writing exercise or an essay or a philosophy paper) has two main aspects, its organizational forms, and its ideational contents. That which gives any written work its external organizational forms is the basic writing rules (BWRs) by which its internal ideational contents are expressed and made manifest. 1An Assessment Question for each student to answer: What type of sentence is this opening sentence according to the BWR? The answer: An introductory sentence. 2This indentation rule still applies if there is no main headline or no sub-headline. 3Expositional sentences consist of explanatory sentences (background information<>definitions), argumentative sentences (arguments), and supportive sentences (proofs). Aristotle On Wisdom Let it be assumed that the states by virtue of which the soul possesses truth by way of affirmation or denial are five in number, i.e. art, scientific knowledge, practical wisdom, philosophic wisdom, intuitive reason; we do not include judgement and opinion because in these we may be mistaken. …. Regarding practical wisdom we shall get at the truth by considering who are the persons we credit with it. Now it is thought to be the mark of a man of practical wisdom to be able to deliberate well about what is good and expedient for himself, not in some particular respect, e. g. about what sorts of thing conduce to health or to strength, but about what sorts of thing conduce to the good life in general. This is shown by the fact that we credit men with practical wisdom in some particular respect when they have calculated well with a view to some good end which is one of those that are not the object of any art. It follows that in the general sense also the man who is capable of deliberating has practical wisdom. Practical wisdom, then, must be a reasoned and true state of capacity to act with regard to human goods. But further, while there is such a thing as excellence in art, there is no such thing as excellence in practical wisdom; and in art he who errs willingly is preferable, but in practical wisdom, as in the virtues, he is the reverse. Plainly, then, practical wisdom is a virtue and not an art. ….. Therefore wisdom must plainly be the most finished of the forms of knowledge. It follows that the wise man must not only know what follows from the first principles, but must also possess truth about the first principles. Therefore wisdom must be intuitive reason combined with scientific knowledge – scientific knowledge of the highest objects which has received as it were its proper completion. …… From what has been said it is plain, then, that philosophic wisdom is scientific knowledge, combined with intuitive reason, of the things that are highest by nature. This why we say Anaxagoras, Thales, and men like them have philosophic but not practical wisdom, when see them ignorant of what is to their own advantage, and why we say that they know things that are remarkable, admirable, difficult, and divine, but useless; viz. because it is not human goods that the seek. Practical wisdom on the other hand is concerned with things human and things about which it is possible to deliberate; for we say this is above all the work of the man of practical wisdom, to deliberate well, but no one deliberates about things invariable, nor about things which have not an end, and that a good that can be brought about by action. The man who is without qualification good at deliberating is the man who is capable of aiming in accordance with calculation at the best for man of things attainable by action. Nor is practical wisdom concerned with universals only – it must also recognize the particulars for it is practical and practice is concerned with particulars. Source: Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Book VI.1139-1141. In The Basic Works of Aristotle. Edited Richard McKeon. New York: Random House, 1941.   1   The  Aristotelian  Conception  of  Wisdom     A_  THE  BACKGROUND     1. The  Philosopher   a. Aristotle  (384-­‐322  BCE)     2. The  Work   a. The  Nichomachean  Ethics     3. The  Subject  Matter   a. Wisdom     B_  THE  ARISTOTELIAN  CONCEPTION  OF  WISDOM     1. Faculties  of  the  Human  Soul     a. “Since  pure  science  or  scientific  knowledge  is  a  basic  conviction   concerning  universal  and  necessary  truths,  and  since  everything   demonstrable  and  all  pure  science  begins  from  fundamental   principles  (for  science  proceeds  rationally),  the  fundamental  principle   or  starting  point  for  scientific  knowledge  cannot  itself  be  the  object   either  of  science,  or  art,  or  of  practical  wisdom.”  NE   b. “Now,  if  scientific  knowledge,  practical  wisdom,  theoretical  wisdom,   and  intelligence  are  the  faculties  by  which  we  attain  truth  and  by   which  we  are  never  deceived  both  in  matters  which  can  and  in  those   matters  which  cannot  be  other  than  they  are;  and  if  three  of  these  –  I   am  referring  to  practical  wisdom,  scientific  knowledge,  and   theoretical  wisdom  –  cannot  be  the  faculty  in  question,  we  are  left   with  the  conclusion  that  it  is  intelligence  that  apprehends   fundamental  principles.”     2. The  Definition  of  Wisdom     a. W.  D.  Ross’s  Translation   Therefore  wisdom  must  plainly  be  the  most  finished  of  the  forms  of   knowledge.  It  follows  that  the  wise  man  must  not  only  know  what   follows  from  the  first  principles,  but  must  also  possess  truth  about  the   first  principles.       b. Martin  Ostwald’s  Translation   It  is,  therefore,  clear,  that  wisdom  must  be  the  most  precise  and   perfect  form  of  knowledge.  Consequently,  a  wise  man  must  not  only   know  what  follows  from  fundamental  principles,  but  he  must  also   have  true  knowledge  of  the  fundamental  principles  themselves.         2   3. Two  Kinds  of  Wisdom     a. Practical  Wisdom  (PW)   b. Theoretical  Wisdom  (TW)     4. Theoretical  Wisdom   a. “Accordingly,  theoretical  wisdom  must  comprise  both  intelligence  and   scientific  knowledge.  It  is  science  in  its  consummation,  as  it  were,  the   science  of  the  things  that  are  valued  most  highly.”  NE  VI.7   b. “Our  discussion  has  shown  that  theoretical  wisdom  comprises  both   scientific  knowledge  and  [apprehension  by  the]  intelligence  of  things   which  by  their  nature  are  valued  most  highly.  That  is  why  it  is  said   that  men  like  Anaxagoras  and  Thales  have  theoretical  wisdom  but  not   practical  wisdom:  when  we  see  that  they  do  not  know  what  is   advantageous  to  them,  we  admit  that  they  know  extraordinary,   wonderful,  difficult,  and  superhuman  things,  but  call  their  knowledge   useless  because  the  good  they  are  seeking  is  not  human.”  NE  VI.7     5. Practical  Wisdom     a. “We  may  approach  the  subject  of  practical  wisdom  by  studying  the   persons  to  whom  we  attribute  it.  Now,  the  capacity  of  deliberating   well  about  what  is  good  and  advantageous  for  oneself  is  regarded  as   typical  of  a  man  of  practical  wisdom  –  not  deliberating  well  about   what  is  good  and  advantageous  in  a  particular  sense,  for  example,   what  contributes  to  health  or  strength,  but  what  sort  of  thing   contributes  to  the  good  life  in  general.  This  is  shown  by  the  fact  that   we  speak  of  men  as  having  practical  wisdom  in  a  particular  respect,   i.e.,  not  in  an  unqualified  sense,  when  they  calculate  well  with  respect   to  some  worthwhile  end,  one  that  cannot  be  attained  by  an  applied   science  or  art.  It  follows  that,  in  general,  a  man  of  practical  wisdom  is   he  who  has  the  ability  to  deliberate.”  NE  VI.5     b. “What  remains,  then,  is  that  it  is  a  truthful  characteristic  of  acting   rationally  in  matters  good  and  bad  for  man.  For  production  has  an  end   other  than  itself,  but  action  does  not:  good  action  is  itself  an  end.  That   is  why  we  think  that  Pericles  and  men  like  him  have  practical  wisdom.   They  have  the  capacity  of  seeing  what  is  good  for  themselves  and  for   mankind,  and  these  are,  we  believe,  the  qualities  of  men  capable  of   managing  households  and  states.”  NE  VI.5   c. “Practical  wisdom,  on  the  other  hand,  is  concerned  with  human  affairs   and  with  matters  about  which  deliberation  is  possible.  As  we  have   said,  the  most  characteristic  function  of  a  man  of  practical  wisdom  is   to  deliberate  well:  no  one  deliberates  about  things  that  cannot  be   other  than  they  are,  nor  about  things  that  are  not  directed  to  some   end,  an  end  that  is  a  good  attainable  by  action.  In  an  unqualified  sense,   that  man  is  good  at  deliberating  who,  by  reasoning,  can  aim  at  and  hit   the  best  thing  attainable  to  man  by  action.”  NE  VI.7     3   d. “Nor  does  practical  wisdom  deal  only  with  universals.  It  must  also  be   familiar  with  particulars,  since  it  is  concerned  with  action  and  action   has  to  do  with  particulars.  This  explains  why  some  men  who  have  no   scientific  knowledge  are  more  adept  in  practical  matters,  especially  if   they  have  experience,  than  those  who  do  have  scientific  knowledge.  If   a  person  were  to  know  that  light  meat  is  easily  digested,  and  hence   wholesome,  but  did  not  know  what  sort  of  meat  is  light,  he  will  not   produce  health,  whereas  someone  who  knows  that  poultry  is  light  and   wholesome  is  more  like  to  produce  health.”  NE  VI.7   e. “Now,  practical  wisdom  is  concerned  with  action.  That  means  that  a   person  should  have  both  [knowledge  of  universals  and  knowledge  of   particulars]  or  knowledge  of  particulars  rather  [than  knowledge  of   universals].  But  here,  too,  it  seems,  there  is  a  supreme  and   comprehensive  science  involved  [i.e.,  politics].”  NE  VI.7     6. Theoretical  Wisdom  <>  Practical  Wisdom     “Theoretical  wisdom  [as  we  have  described  it]  will  study  none  of  the  things   that  make  a  man  happy,  for  it  is  not  at  all  concerned  with  the  sphere  of   coming-­‐to-­‐be  [but  only  with  unchanging  realities].  Practical  wisdom,  on  the   other  hand,  is  concerned  with  this  sphere,  but  for  what  purpose  do  we  need   it?  It  is  true  that  practical  wisdom  deals  with  what  is  just,  noble,  and  good  for   man;  and  it  is  doing  such  things  that  characterize  a  man  as  good.”  NE  VI.13       7. Other  Virtues  (the  icon  “<>”  means  “and”  +  “in  opposition  to”)     a. PW  is  not  “intelligence”  (but  related  to  PW.)  NE  VI.6   b. PW  is  not  “understanding”  (but  related  to  PW.)  NE  VI.10   c. PW  is  not  “good  sense”  (but  related  to  PW.)  NE  VI.11   d. PW  is  not  “cleverness”  (but  related  to  PW.)  NE  VI.13       C_  CRITICAL  RESPONSES     1. A  Re-­‐Classification  of  Wisdom     a. Theoretical  Wisdom   i. Scientific  Wisdom   ii. Philosophical  Wisdom     b. Practical  Wisdom   i. Political  Wisdom   ii. Military  Wisdom   iii. Business  Wisdom   iv. Existential  Wisdom     2. Practical  Wisdom<>Intelligence  Relationship   a. Intelligence  can  offer  the  mind  all  the  options  for  its  deliberation.   b. PW  can  help  the  mind  to  choose  the  right  end-­‐means  option.     Lavf55.19.104