Essay #1

Lycan's "inner sense" theory is that consciousness is internal monitoring. There are (at least) two ways of criticizing the theory. First, it might be argued that internal monitoring is not sufficient for consciousness. Or it might also be argued that internal monitoring is not necessary for consciousness. Write an essay that discusses one of these two lines of criticisms, and reply to these criticisms on Lycan's behalf.

Some comments about how to write the essay

• Read this page if you do not understand necessity and sufficiency.
• There is no need to repeat Lycan's theory in details in your paper. If you must explain the theory, use at most two to three sentences.
• Whichever line of objection you choose to focus on, discuss more than one argument along that line.
• Generally, the structure of the paper should be like this: brief intro, objection #1, reply to objection #1, objection #2, reply to objection #2, ... conclusion, etc. Of course, you might have more than one reply to an objection.
• The most important thing in this paper is clarity. Avoid long and complicated sentences and paragraphs. Write clearly and systematically. Cut out all unnecessary discussion.
• The second most important thing in this paper is content. Avoid a simple verbatim repetition of the points made in the lecture. Focus on the more important and interesting points. Add your own ideas if you have any, but spell them out clearly.
• Make an essay plan before you write. Then write. Then rewrite and rewrite and rewrite. If you spend enough time, there is usually room for improvement. Think really hard about each sentence to see how to make it better.
• See WritingEssays for additional advice.