Ship of Theseus

The expectation is that these are formal essays. That means an introduction, a main body, and a conclusion. General rule for the main body is that the number of paragraphs corresponds to the number of points being made. ONLY CHOICE ONE
(1) There is an age-old problem in philosophy known as the "mind-body problem." One way to state the problem is this: what is the relationship between the mind and the body -- between the mental realm (the realm of thoughts, beliefs, sensations, emotions, etc.) and the physical realm (matter, atoms, neurons, etc.). Are your thoughts, feelings, perceptions, sensations, and wishes things that happen in addition to all the physical processes in your brain, or are they themselves just some of those physical processes? Are you just a physical object, or a soul (or, more properly, a soul-body composite)? If the former, then how can a physical system like a brain give rise to mental states? If the latter, if the mind and the body are able to exist independently, then just what is the nature of their two-way causal interaction?
To answer this question: in the introduction, explain what the mind-body problem is (including its modern origin in Descartes) and mention/define the two sides; then answer the individual questions in question #1 -- I recommend that you look to the views of philosophers in the historical background given in today's class (from Plato to Karl Popper) in answering them; then your conclusion. Do NOT pretend to claim that the mind-problem is solved -- both sides still have problems. At best, some ways of dealing with it have been less vulnerable to the problems than others.
(2) The “Ship of Theseus” is the poster child for one of the most interesting problems in all of philosophy, namely the problem of identity. What is a physical object? How do things stay the same even after they change? The real problem is about what makes us who we are. We know that parts of who we are changes from year to year, but we still think we’re the same people.Is it because of our parts – i.e. the individual matter that makes us up? Is it because of our structure? Is it because of our history in the world? Is it because of our thoughts, feelings, and all the other stuff that goes on in our heads? Is it because of our souls? Suppose some evil genius fed false memories to an amnesiac, so that she “remembers” those false memories as though they were authentic, would she then become a new, different person?
To answer this question: in the introduction, briefly (in about a paragraph) summarize the "Ship of Theseus" thought experiment and state how it might apply to people (i.e. that the problem of identity extends to personal identity); then answer the individual questions in question #2. The last question isn't pure science fiction -- this scenario can happen even in cases where the subject isn't an amnesiac, in the ethically dubious practice of "memory reconstruction" where it has been shown that a therapist can implant false memories. A related issue would be multiple personality disorder -- are there really multiple personalities (is that even possible?), or is it that the personality has become fragmented.
bear in mind that I'm expecting a formal essay. That usually means at least 5 paragraphs (assuming a main body of 3 paragraphs). So I would estimate roughly 1.5 pages per essay. It will also depend on the question and your personal writing style (some people write more concisely than others).