Demonstration of Proficiency 

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:

• Competency 1: Describe the historical development of the humanities from the prehistoric era to the present. 
  • Describe the influence of philosophical reasoning on the development of modern science.
• Competency 2: Examine the forms of expression that instantiate the arts and humanities. 
  • Distinguish intrinsic from instrumental goods in human thought.
  • Explain the use of scientific reason in an effort to control the natural world.
• Competency 3: Integrate the humanities with everyday life. 
  • Assess the role of philosophy and science in contemporary life.
• Competency 4: Communicate effectively in forms appropriate to the humanities. 
  • Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.

Instructions

Write a 4–6-page essay in which you express and defend your views on the following issues:

• Consider the rise of modern science during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. 
  • How did Enlightenment philosophers both defend and contribute to this cultural development?
  • How did elements of scientific reasoning alter conceptions of the origin and limits of human knowledge?
• Explain the difference between intrinsic and instrumental goods and how modern science embodies an instrumental approach to the relationship between human beings and the natural world. 
  • Is recognition of our proper place in the context of a vast and ancient universe an essential insight?
  • How does it affect our understanding of ourselves?
• Consider how philosophical and scientific reasoning make a difference to our daily lives. (Of course we all benefit from technological advances that came from these ways of thinking, but that is not the point here.) 
  • In what situations or circumstances of ordinary life is it appropriate to apply philosophical or scientific thinking to seek a solution, resolve a conflict, or make a decision? Imagine you are invited to contribute a post on this topic to a blog about philosophy, like those that appear in The New York Times blog The Stone, the What Is It Like to Be a Woman in Philosophy? blog from WordPress, or Philosophy Now magazine.
  • How would you argue for (or against) the use of philosophical reasoning in everyday life?

Additional Requirements

• Written communication: Should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• APA formatting: Your paper should be formatted according to current APA style and formatting.
• Length: 4–6 typed and double-spaced pages.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.