The aim of the assignment 'Een sluitend bewijs' ('a rigorous proof') is that students practice with writing propositions that are derived from definitions and axioms. Additionally, students learn about the notion of freedom in Spinoza's Ethics and the impossibility of ethical propositions in Wittgenstein's Tractatus.
Assignment
A rigorous proof
An exercise in deriving propositions from definitions and axioms, following the method of Euclid, Spinoza and Wittgenstein.
| Author / creator | Curator | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Floris Velema | Floris Velema | 10/2019 |
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Aims and objectives
Content
In order to get acquainted with the axiomatic method, the assignment contains source readings from Euclid's Elements, Spinoza's Ethics, and Wittgenstein's Tractatus logico-philosophicus.
Materials and resources
The writing assignment, including various excerpts from primary sources, can be downloaded as a PDF file and printed as an A5 booklet. There are online editions available of all used texts:
The Elements of Euclid (Dutch)
Multilingual publication of Spinoza's Ethics
Wittgenstein's Tractatus (side-by-side edition)
Wittgenstein's Tractatus (hierarchically nested edition)
Assessment
The writing assignment can be evaluated by using the rubric on page 20-21 of the booklet.
Rationale
By practicing with the argumentative structure of definitions, axioms and propositions, students will become more proficient in written argumentation. This competence is useful for other written tasks, as well as for answering exam questions.