Department of Language, Linguistics and Philosophy
Faculty of Humanities and Education
University of the West Indies
Mona Campus
Semester II 2005-2006 Session
PH30F – American Philosophy
Tutorial and Essay Questions
1.
Carefully examine the philosophical foundations and importance of Puritanism for
American culture, politic and philosophy.
2.
Critically discuss the cultural and philosophical foundations of the American
Revolution. What are the major implications of the American Revolution for human
intellectual history and cultural heritage of humanity?
3.
Those who most preach equality, freedom, reason, humanity of humans are,
paradoxically, the most guilty of the worst form of human inhumanity to other humans.
In the light of American belief in individualism, carefully examine the above position
expressed by Orlando Patterson in Slavery and Social Death.
4.
Carefully examine American intellectual attempts to deal with slavery.
5.
Critically discuss transcendentalism in American philosophy.
6.
Critically examine the epistemological and methodological foundations of Pragmatism
as American contribution to philosophy.
7.
Carefully discuss Pragmatism as American political philosophy of action and
governance.
8.
Critically examine the works of two great African-American contributors to
philosophy.
9.
Carefully discuss the place of American culture in the development of feminism and
feminist philosophy.
10.
Give a careful examination of the cultural and philosophical foundations of “The
American way”!