Second Paper Topic

Length should be approximately 1250 words. The paper must be either typewritten or computer-generated, with a line spacing of 3 lines per inch and a left margin of 1.5 inches, 1 inch elsewhere (as with this assignment sheet). Point size may be no less than 10. Please use a relatively fresh ribbon if you use an impact printer. If you fail to follow these guidelines, you may have to re-submit your paper. Papers will be evaluated on the basis of both content and quality of writing.

Due: June 1, in class.

In your first paper, you used your own example to illustrate Plato's approach to the issue of what makes something the kind it is. In this paper, you will build on the results of that first paper. Begin with an example of your own (you may use your original example if it was appropriate) and reiterate (correcting, if necessary) your account of Plato's position on the issue. Then subject the Platonic view to a criticism based on Wittgenstein's account of language, as given in the Philosophical Investigations. State which of the two approaches you find most persuasive, and why.

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