Midterm Paper: A “Close Reading” Essay

FYE Philosophy 202

Spring 2018

Pick a short passage from one of the texts by Descartes or Locke, and:

a) Explain where it comes up in the text, and try to say in your own words what is being said;

b) Explain what role it plays in the larger context of the work—in other words, say why this particular
point or question is important to the author, in light of the general aim;

c) Critique or support the claim using your own arguments and/or examples, or if it is a question, try to
take a stab at responding to it.

d) Come up with a title for your paper based on the central question or issue at hand.

Below are some examples of the kind of passage that might be good to write about. I haven’t put them down
here in their entirety, so be sure to look directly at the text to see what is being said. Please keep in mind that
you are not at all limited to these passages, if you have other ones in mind.

1. “I have been nourished on letters since my childhood, . . . except that more and more I had
discovered my ignorance.” (Descartes’ Discourse Part One, p. 3)

2. “It is true that, so long as I merely considered the customs of other men, I found hardly anything
there about which to be confident…and thus I little by little freed myself from many errors that can
darken our natural light and render us less able to listen to reason.” (Descartes’ Discourse Part One, p.
6)

3. “It is true that we never see anyone pulling down all the houses in a city…when their houses are in
danger of collapsing and when the foundations are not very secure.” (Descartes’ Discourse Part Two, p.
8)

4. “My third maxim was always to try to conquer myself rather than fortune, and to change my desires
rather than the order of the world…and thus to make me contented.” (Descartes’ Discourse Part Three,
p. 14)

5. “And finally, considering the fact that all the same thoughts we have when we are awake can also
come to us when we are asleep…I judged that I could accept it without scruple as the first principle
of the philosophy I was seeking.” (Descartes’ Discourse Part Four, p. 18)

6. “But what brings it about that there are many people who are persuaded that it is difficult to know
this and also even to know…that everything unimaginable seems to them unintelligible.” (Descartes’
Discourse Part Four, p. 21)

7. “But though this be a state of liberty, yet it is not a state of licence…no one ought to harm another in
his life, health, liberty, or possessions.” (Locke’s Second Treatise, Ch. II, p. 9)

8. “This makes it lawful for a man to kill a thief…when he had me in his power, take away every thing
else.” (Locke’s Second Treatise, Ch. III, p. 15)

9. “Though the earth, and all inferior creature, be common to all men…and thereby makes it his
property.” (Locke’s Second Treatise, Ch. V, p. 19)
10. “Thus in the beginning all the world was America…you shall see the same man will begin presently to
enlarge his possessions.” (Locke’s Second Treatise, Ch. V, p. 29)

11. “So that, however it may be mistaken, the end of law is not to abolish or restrain…and therein not to
be subject to the arbitrary will of another, but freely follow his own.” (Locke’s Second Treatise, Ch. VI,
p. 32)

12. “Thus we are born free, as we are born rational…by his father’s understanding, which is to govern
him till he hath it of his own.” (Locke’s Second Treatise, Ch. VI, p. 34)

13. “The freedom then of man, and liberty of acting according to his own will…as his wisdom designed
it, to the children’s good, as long as they should need to be under it.” (Locke’s Second Treatise, Ch. VI,
p. 35)