Winners of Annual Outstanding Philosophy Essay Prize Announced

Sayer was recognized for his essay on Gottfried Leibniz’s Principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles. He wrote the essay for Philosophy 4435 – Metaphysics, taught by Mike Roche. Leibniz’s famous principle stipulates that two objects, in order to be distinct, must differ in one or more of their properties. Max Black proposed an influential counterexample to the principle in the 1950s, but this counterexample has itself been the subject of recent criticism by Michael Della Rocca. Sayer's essay defends Black’s original counterexample by making subtle modifications that allow it to avoid Della Rocca’s objection. Sayer is pursuing a B.A. in Philosophy, along with a B.B.A in Economics and Marketing, at ISU. He presented this essay at undergraduate philosophy conferences this spring at both Utah Valley University and Pacific University.

Robinson was honored for her essay on the stoicism of Epictetus. The essay was written for Philosophy 1103 – Introduction to Ethics, taught by Jim Skidmore. What role do ‘negative’ emotions, such as anger and fear, play in the life of a virtuous person? Stoics, such as Epictetus, are notorious for defending the view that we should strive to eliminate these emotions entirely; but Robinson argues that there is a better alternative, namely embracing the experience of these emotions, when appropriate, while striving to keep them under rational control. Robinson is pursuing an A.S. in Nursing at ISU.

Clinton was recognized not for a single essay but for the exceptional final exam he wrote for Philosophy 1101 – Introduction to Philosophy, taught by Melissa Norton. The comprehensive exam covered a variety of topics, including Socrates’ account of virtue as knowledge, Immanuel Kant’s argument for the unconditional worth of our rational nature, and J.S. Mill’s utilitarian account of happiness. The awards committee was impressed by the depth and clarity of Clinton’s analysis of these topics in the context of an in-class exam. Clinton is a sophomore at ISU, majoring in philosophy and psychology.

The Outstanding Essay in Philosophy prize was created to recognize annually the best undergraduate student work in philosophy at ISU.

For more information about the ISU Philosophy Programs, please visit isu.edu/philosophy.