Essay instructions
Write about the topic outlined below. (If you don't like the topic, you may propose a different one, but it must be approved before your essay can be accepted for credit.)
| Write about 1900 relevant words on the topic, in a well-organized, logical way. No grandiose padding. |
| Assume that your reader is intelligent and educated, but do not assume the reader has been in the class, or that the reader is familiar with the ideas of any of our authors. So, you have to explain everything. This will allow you to demonstrate your understanding of the material. |
| Your essay must be printed out on one side of each sheet of paper, with reasonable margins. Proofread!! Be neat and professional. Use line spacing of at least 1.25 -- many students just use double spacing. If you double space and use a reasonably-sized font, 1900 words will be about 6 pages. |
| Your essay will be graded using a rubric. By examining the rubric, you will get an idea of what is expected, and how various factors are weighted in the grading. The rubric (in Adobe Acrobat format) is found by clicking here. |
| Your essay must be in your own words, except possibly for occasional quotes or paraphrases that you give citations for. |
| Here is some detailed advice about how to write the essay. There are also some very detailed suggestions about writing this sort of essay at the end of the course packet. |
The topic
Androids like Data (from Star Trek Next Generation) clearly pass the Turing Test. Do androids like Data understand what they are saying? Are they intelligent? If so, is that established by their passing the Turing Test, or does it require something more? Does the Chinese Room argument show that they do not understand? If it does not, why not?
(Assume you are talking about an android like Data that is manufactured, not born, made of inorganic matter, not alive. It should be taken as a complex machine capable of moving about and engaging in human-like interactions with the environment, with manufactured sensory input devices, and sophisticated behavioral and linguistic output capabilities, with all behavior controlled by an internal digital computer capable of "learning" and making complex decisions. Of course, no real androids exist on earth, yet, but assume they will exist some day. There already are some "baby" androids in existence.)
Researching your paper
This is not intended to be a library research exercise. You are not supposed to go out and collect five sources and quote them in order to settle the question you are writing about, as though it could be settled by an appeal to expert opinion. Instead, this is a thought project in which you need to demonstrate your own familiarity with the issues, based on class discussion, reading, and lectures. So, think of this as a position paper in which you have to analyze an issue and take a stand based on solid reasoning. It is not a book report in which you summarize what other people said. You cannot look up the answer anywhere. You cannot be successful by somehow listing a bunch of facts.
If you wish to do outside reading to help you understand the issues, of course, you are welcome to do it. Be careful to use reliable sources. Generally, quoting a dictionary is not very helpful. If you like to read encyclopedia articles, in the field of philosophy the online Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is generally better than Wickipedia, in my opinion. (Wickipedia has no editors -- anyone who wants to can write an entry. Sometimes the authors are reliable; sometimes not.) Milner also has some excellent print encyclopedias of philosophy, along with hundreds of philosophy books and journals that might be relevant. However, again, you are not required to do this kind of research for this paper, and might find anything beyond the encyclopedia articles to be too technical.
On the other hand, if you show ignorance of what the text said, and you overlook the relevant points made in the reading, that shows lack of preparation. So, your position on the issues needs to be informed by your class preparation and the assigned reading.
If you quote anything, or paraphrase anything, even from the course packet, use a standard method of citing your source. Failure to do this is a serious breach of academic etiquette. (It is also a violation of the student code of conduct, since failure to cite is considered to be a form of dishonesty.)
There are many different approved styles of creating citations. Use one of them. For more information on creating citations, click here to view a list of PDF files available on this subject from Milner. Citing can be tedious, but it is necessary, to give authors credit for their ideas, and to allow the reader to check your sources in case they want to know more, or they want to check up on you.
The point
You are being asked to write this essay because doing so should help you tremendously to deepen your understanding of the issues. This is not a meaningless hoop you are supposed to jump through just to satisfy some course requirement. It is a course requirement because it is educational. (It should also help you learn to write analytically in essay format. Many students will eventually have to do this sort of writing on the job, or for organizations they may be working with in the future.)