Martha Nussbaum “Cultivating Humanity” in Exploring Philosophy pp. 496-498.

 2-Page Argumentative Essay General Instructions: Please write a two-page argumentative essay, following the guidelines below. Remember that even a well-written essay that is not explicitly on one of our course readings could receive a very low grade. Also, follow these general writing guidelines: It should be in MLA format. It should have proper parenthetical citations (to author and page) with a proper list of works cited (there should be at least two entries in this list: the argument and the objection). It should be free of grammatical errors and typos. It should have 1-inch margins all around and absolutely no extra spaces between paragraphs or headings. It should have 12-point standard font, like Arial, Cambria or Times New Roman. It must be on topic (see below): You cannot just write a general research essay, or your own thoughts, on the topic. You must engage an argument from our reading. It should have a professional tone and be concise without wordiness. Avoid colloquial expressions and name-calling (do not refer to an opposing position on the issue as “ridiculous”, etc). Do not include the phrase “totes cray” or anything like it. As you’ll see in the topic below, you must write about one of our readings. You are expected to summarize the portion of the text that you’re writing about. Approximately a third of your essay should be summary (exposition), and two thirds should be your argument. Remember, that you feel something about the issue is no reason for anyone else to believe your conclusion. Attempt to rationally convince your reader that s/he should adopt your position on the issue! Essay Prompt: Find one argument from one of the readings in our third or fourth modules that you do NOT agree with. The argument from the reading does not have to be the entire full reading, it can be a small argument from a portion of a reading. For example, you might think that Descartes has not written a convincing argument that the mind is not the body, or you might think that Ryle is wrong that dualism commits a category error. Once you find the argument that you disagree with, write a principled argumentative essay explaining carefully what’s wrong with the argument from the reading. You are providing a direct refutation. You should spend about 1/3 of your essay faithfully summarizing the argument from the reading, and then about 2/3 of the essay on your rational and careful refutation of that argument. You must engage directly with an argument from one of our readings–do NOT just write on the topic without confronting one of our readings.