Philosophy. Reality and Value Assumptions and Frames of Reference

Graded_Critical_Reading_Assignment1.Fall2011.doc CR Graded Homework Assignment #1 25 points total: 15% of course grade Due Wednesday, October 19th, 2011 No Electronic Submissions are Accepted. All answers should be typed, and each answer should be numbered, corresponding to the numbers of the questions below. PART I: REALITY AND VALUE ASSUMPTIONS AND FRAMES OF REFERENCE (14 POINTS TOTAL) The questions in this part are based on material for which I have provided some links below. 1) In a bulleted list (vertically), list some important reality and value assumptions from the article “This Land is Your Land” which can be found either at the following link or on electronic reserves for this course, the 7th article from the bottom of the list of electronic reserves articles. See the syllabus, the beginning of the tentative schedule of reading assignments, for instructions as to how to access electronic reserves for this course through the course reserve system for Hagerty Library (this is NOT Bb Vista, and NOT the electronic databases found through the library). This article is an interview with an economist, Hernando de Soto. You should include both some stated and some implied (unstated) assumptions made by De Soto and you should label which are reality assumptions and which are value assumptions. You may also include some reality and value assumptions made by the interviewers in the questions they pose for De Soto. You need not rely on direct quotes, as discussed in class. You might find that most of the value assumptions are implied. However, this is no excuse not to include them in your response to this question. Make sure you also label whose assumptions they are – de Soto's, those interviewing him, or of any other people, if de Soto or the interviewers seem to be giving assumptions of other people in this article. Make sure you include some assumptions from the end of the article, as well as from the beginning. (8 points total) http://www(dot)worldpolicy(dot)org/journal/summer2011/this-land-is-your-land 2) Find the frame of references for the following people and publications, based on the article listed above in question #1. Remember to include all citations - complete web addresses - include the citations here with the answer of your questions rather than at the end of the assignment. (6 POINTS TOTAL) a) “World Policy Journal” (the journal in which the above article is found): You may include any information included on the website for the journal that is relevant to understanding the type of articles it publishes, how long it has been publishing articles, its circulation, its own self-proclaimed approaches or positions on issues, etc. b) Hernando de Soto: You may include any information included on the website of the article that gives background on the author of the article. You should also try to find additional information about the author. Make sure you use information for the Hernando de Soto interviewed in this article and not someone else by the same name. Although you are permitted to use Wikipedia, you should also try to find another source. c) Either David A. Andelman or Justin Vogt (the interviewers). Make sure that you use information for these interviewers, and not some other people by the same name. Although you are permitted to use Wikipedia, you should also try to find another source. PART 2: DEFINITIONS: 11 POINTS TOTAL 3) Click on the following link to an article which discusses the definition of “property rights”. Read only section I, “Introduction” of this article for this question, but make sure you answer all the following questions. (5 points) 3a) Is there a consensus on the meaning of “property rights” in the legal and economic literature, according to these authors? If law and economics have different approaches to the meaning of “property rights”, which theory of meaning that we discussed in class might apply, and how? However, do the authors of this article think there should be a consensus on the meaning of “property rights”, and, if so, why, as far as you can discern from the introduction of this article? (Type your answers to all these questions in one paragraph.) 3b) How might this be important to the article we read for question #1 above – “This Land is Your Land”? Did the article, “This Land is Your Land” give a clear definition of “property rights”, and how or how not? http://indylaw(dot)indiana(dot)edu/instructors/cole/web%20page/meaning%20of%20property%20rights.pdf 4) Click on the following link to a different article that discusses the definition of “property rights”. Read the entire article. Although the author of this article denies that there is one universal definition of “property rights”, he offers a definition and a discussion of its components. (4 points) 4a) What type of definition do you think he is offering here, and why? Make sure to justify your answer. You may draw on the article we read for class by Hurley, “On Definitions”. 4b) Try to create a definition of “property rights” using Aristotle's approach, based on some of the material found in this article. Be sure to label your species, genus and difference. http://urbanext(dot)illinois(dot)edu/lcr/propertyrights.cfm 5) Find a lexical definition for “fungibility”, copy it into your answers for your homework assignment, including your citation. Explain what a lexical definition is and what it either eliminates or reduces. (2 points)