DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY & RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Philosophy Major Assessment Essay

Revised July 2002

We are asking you to complete this essay in order to get a sense of your current intellectual orientation and writing skills, so that we can compare your answer at the declaration of the major and your answer at the completion of the program in your senior year. This is for assessment purposes only and will not be graded. There is no particular right answer: take some time to explore your own ideas and then write approximately two pages to articulate them. This is not a research paper, but you may incorporate ideas from other thinkers if they help to illuminate your own perspective.

Question:

What does it mean to be free?