Choose a side: Is capitalism compatible with democracy?

The purpose of this assignment is to help you grow as a thinker and writer—and to center your thinking and writing on issues and practices in Applied Philosophy.

This assignment is not seeking a summary. Instead, you will be asked to make an argument.

Your argument should be well organized whereby the main idea is never remote. An argument consists of premises and a conclusion. Premises are reasons or evidence that support the conclusion. The conclusion is an assertion that you are trying to persuade people to accept as true. This is not a report on an article or chapter from the book. This is not a research paper.

This essay should show your own thinking.

Step 1: Write your essay by narrowing down your topic to something inside one of the following chapters:

Chapter 6: Political Theory and Practice

Chapter 7: Logic and Computer Programming

Chapter 8: Scientific Method/Medical Research

Chapter 10: Theories of Knowledge and Elementary School Education

Chapter 12: Minds, Bodies, and Artificial Intelligence

Chapter 14: Mysticism and Cosmic Consciousness

Next, construct a thesis statement. For this essay make your thesis statement explicit in the first paragraph: “I will argue ______ .” While your thesis statement appears early in the essay it is often last in terms of the writing process. Modify your thesis as your writing unfolds. Build your entire essay around a single thesis statement. Your thesis statement will be your conclusion.

Here are some poor thesis statements:

“I will argue that humans need to drink water in order to stay alive.”

(what adult needs to be convinced of this?)

“I will argue that the Art of War is the greatest book ever written.”

(this is too ambitious—the kind of evidence needed to support this conclusion would be vast)

You may use the first person (I will argue X) or you may write (This essay will argue X).

Step 2: Write an introductory paragraph that includes your thesis statement. Start with a hook such as a rhetorical question or bold statement. Draw your reader into your topic. Your thesis statement should be in this first paragraph. Your first paragraphs should identify your topic, indicate your topic’s importance, and lead to your carefully worded thesis statement.

Step 3: Carefully organize the body of your essay. The structure of your essay is just as important as its subject. Carefully plan your paragraphs—each one should serve the goal of supporting your thesis statement.

The organization of your essay is assigned to you by your professor—at least in general outline. Details below.

Paragraph 1: Introduction

Paragraph 2: Explication. What does the reader need to know in preparation for your argument? Are definitions, terms, history, famous thinkers, or conceptual distinctions necessary for the reader to move forward?

Paragraph 3: Write one paragraph devoted to one piece of evidence or one main line of reasoning that supports your thesis.

Paragraph 4: Write a second paragraph devoted to an additional support for your thesis.

Paragraph 5: Write a minimum of three separate paragraphs where you argue in favor of your thesis.

Paragraph 6: Reflect on paragraph 3. Think of objections to your evidence or reasoning. Would anyone deny your support or weaken it? Describe their objection.

Paragraph 7: Reflect on paragraph 4. Think of objections to your support. Describe a possible objection that would refute or weaken your reasoning.

Paragraph 8: Reflect on paragraph 5. Describe a possible objection to what you claimed in paragraph 5.

Paragraph: 9: Consider the first objection that you described in paragraph 6. Respond to this objection? Try to overcome this objection. Try to defeat it or weaken it. Use evidence or reasons in your reply to objection 1

Paragraph 10: Reply to the second objection.

Paragraph 11: Reply to the third objection.

Paragraph 12: Review your argument and the objections you faced. Which objections were strongest? Why should someone still be persuaded to agree with you? Conclude by repeating your thesis. Conclude with some additional thinking: if your thesis is correct, then what? Think about how the world would be different or how more research is needed, etc.

Step 4: Craft clear topic sentences. Each paragraph in the body of your essay should begin with a topic sentence that introduces the idea of the paragraph and ties it to the main thesis.

Step 5: Populate your essay with evidence and logical reasoning. Avoid gratuitous statements. Back up your assertions with solid evidence. Avoid generalizations. Keep your writing focused on essentials. Use textual evidence to back up your points. Use may use secondary sources to back up your points if you prefer. Use footnotes as necessary to cite your sources. If you prefer to use MLA for citations, then you may do so. Footnotes would be included if you adopt the Chicago Manual of Style (Turabian).

Step 6: Make your argument stronger by discussing objections (anticipated objections) to your thesis. Who would argue against your thesis? What parts of your thesis would they attack? What other views compete with your view? Make space in your essay for contrasting opinions. Bring up contrasting arguments and then refute them. This will strengthen your own argument. The Cohen chapters contain opposing points of view that lend themselves to objections.

Step 7: Summarize your analysis in a concluding paragraph. Recap what you did. Do not introduce new evidence. However, you may indicate the implications of your view—if your thesis is true… then what? Remind your readers of the most important parts of argument while leaving them with something to think about.

Grading Rubric

Explicit Thesis 10%

Supporting evidence and/or reasoning 35%

Objections to your thesis 15%

Replies to those objections 15%

Conclusion 15%

Word count: 1200-1500 words

Style: MLA or Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition

Go to Purdue’s OWL website for help formatting your footnotes by copying/pasting into your browser:

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