MPY-002 Solved Assignment January 2025 | Western Philosophy | IGNOU MAPY

Q: Answer any four questions in about 150 words each.

Answer available — download the full PDF for complete details.

Q: Write short notes on any five in about 100 words each.

Answer available — download the full PDF for complete details.

Q1. What is Cartesian dualism? Discuss Anti-Cartesian foundation of Pragmatism. Or Discuss and evaluate Whitehead's conception of God.

Key Points:

Cartesian dualism posits two distinct substances: *res cogitans* (mind) and *res extensa* (body).
Mind is non-physical thought, body is physical extension; they are fundamentally separate.
Dualism created the mind-body interaction problem and influenced foundationalist epistemology.
Pragmatism rejects Cartesian certainty, advocating for fallibilism and provisional knowledge.

Answer: Cartesian dualism, a foundational concept in Western philosophy advanced by René Descartes, posits a fundamental division between mind and body. It asserts the existence of two distinct and irreducible substances: *res cogitans* (thinking substance or mind) and *res extensa* (extended substance or matter/body). The mind is characterized by thought, consciousness, and indivisibility, while the body is characterized by spatial extension, divisibility, and mechanical properties. Descartes argued ...

Q2. Compare Socrates', Marx's and Hegel's dialectic method. Or What is the theory of Innate Ideas? What are the objections raised by Locke against this theory?

Key Points:

Innate ideas are concepts or knowledge believed to be present in the mind from birth, independent of experience.
Plato and Descartes were proponents, viewing innate ideas as foundational truths or divinely imprinted.
John Locke, an empiricist, argued the mind is a *tabula rasa* (blank slate) at birth.
Locke's main objection: no universal assent; children and uneducated people lack awareness of supposed innate truths.

Answer: The theory of Innate Ideas posits that certain concepts, principles, or knowledge are inherent in the human mind from birth, independent of sensory experience. Philosophers like Plato suggested that knowledge of eternal Forms is recollected, not learned. Later, René Descartes argued for innate ideas such as God, substance, and mathematical truths, believing they were 'clear and distinct' and imprinted on the mind by God. Descartes held that these innate ideas serve as foundational truths, provi...

Q3. Answer any two questions in about 250 words each.

(a)) Do you agree that there is some common underline theme present in Early and later Wittgenstein? Give arguments to support your answer. (250 words)
(b)) Write a note on Language Game. (250 words)
(c)) Discuss Anti-Cartesian foundation of Pragmatism. (250 words)
(d)) Write a note on the sense-reference problem in the light of Frege's philosophy. (250 words)

Key Points:

Wittgenstein's common theme: therapeutic aim to dissolve philosophical problems by clarifying language, despite his philosophical 'turn'.
Early Wittgenstein: Language as a picture of reality, logical limits of meaning, dissolution of philosophical problems via logical analysis.
Later Wittgenstein: Language as diverse 'language games,' meaning determined by 'use' within specific social contexts and 'forms of life'.
Language Game concept: Meaning is not fixed but arises from practical use and rules in public, social activities.

Answer: This response comprehensively addresses four distinct philosophical concepts from Western Philosophy, namely the continuity in Wittgenstein's thought, the concept of language games, the anti-Cartesian foundations of Pragmatism, and Frege's sense-reference problem. Each sub-question is answered with specific arguments and explanations, drawing upon foundational principles of each philosophical school and thinker. The answers are structured into short, digestible paragraphs to enhance readability ...

Q4. Answer any four questions in about 150 words each.

(a)) Write a note on Kalam cosmological argument. (150 words)
(b)) Explain Marx's view of historical materialism. (150 words)
(c)) Write a note on the Socrates's dialectic method. (150 words)
(d)) Write a note on the concept of time and space in Kant's philosophy. (150 words)
(e)) Distinguish Modernism with Post-modernism. (150 words)
(f)) Write a short note on Logical Positivism. (150 words)

Key Points:

Kalam argument: Universe began, therefore has a transcendent cause.
Historical materialism: Economic base determines superstructure, drives history via class struggle.
Socratic method: Inquiry through questioning (elenchus) to expose contradictions and seek truth.
Kant on time/space: A priori forms of intuition, necessary conditions for human experience.

Answer:

Q5. Write short notes on any five in about 100 words each.

(a)) Epoche (100 words)
(b)) Realism (100 words)
(c)) Esse est percipi (100 words)
(d)) The idea of ‘Potentiality' in Aristotle's philosophy (100 words)
(e)) Black Feminism (100 words)
(f)) Coherence theory of truth (100 words)
(g)) Analytic a priori judgement (100 words)
(h)) Family resemblance (100 words)

Key Points:

Epoche (Husserl): Phenomenological method; suspends judgment on reality's existence to focus on phenomena.
Realism: Belief that reality exists independently of human minds or perceptions.
Esse est percipi (Berkeley): "To be is to be perceived"; objects exist as ideas in a mind.
Aristotle's Potentiality: Capacity for something to become actual, essential for understanding change.

Answer:

MPY-002 Solved Assignment — January 2025 / July 2025

Western Philosophy | IGNOU Master of Arts (Philosophy) (MAPY)

MPY-002—January 2025 / July 2025

Western Philosophy

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MPY-002 Assignment Questions — January 2025

Q1. What is Cartesian dualism? Discuss Anti-Cartesian foundation of Pragmatism. Or Discuss and evaluate Whitehead's conception of God.

Q2. Compare Socrates', Marx's and Hegel's dialectic method. Or What is the theory of Innate Ideas? What are the objections raised by Locke against this theory?

Q3. Answer any two questions in about 250 words each.

Q4. Answer any four questions in about 150 words each.

Q5. Write short notes on any five in about 100 words each.