Lecture 2 - Why We Believe AND Introduction To Essay Writing (Part 1)
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wokky77Lecture 2 - Why We Believe AND Introduction To Essay Writing (Part 1)
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wokky77Lecture
2 – Why we Believe AND Introduction to Essay
Writing (Part 1)
Different reasons for belief
• Social/Cultural Reasons
• Psychological Reasons
• Religious Reasons
• Philosophical Reasons
Social/Cultural Reasons
Psychological Reasons
Religious Reasons
Philosophical Reasons
Questioning our Reasons
Social/Cultural Reasons
“Ignorance is a curable disease. The bad news is that it takes effort. The good news,
again, is that our effort will be rewarded.” (James Sire, Why Should Anyone Believe
Anything at All – p.47)
The distinction between causes of belief and reasons for belief
Psychological Reasons
Are their problems with chasing good feelings?
The problem of religious experience
Religious Reasons
Which authority is to be believed?
What is it that makes a belief worth believing in?
Essay Writing (Part 1)
What is an essay?
A structured piece of writing which seeks to answer a question (or explore an issue)
by providing a coherent argument in connected prose.
Working through the definitions:
A structured piece of writing
• Learning the rules of the game
• Essays involve good ideas expressed appropriately
Answers a question
• Not about writing everything you know, but using what you know to
answer a question
• Unless you answer the question, you fail.
Providing a coherent argument
• Essays involve arguments
• It is about convincing me of your position, based on your use of
evidence.
• The difference between an assertion and an argument
In connected prose
• You can’t write an essay in point form
• Your paragraphs must fit together.
Structure of an Essay
Introduction Body Conclusion
Introduction
Body
Conclusion
Working through an example:
The power of the topic sentence
Topic sentences
• Introduce a controlling idea
• All sentences in your paragraph should relate in some way to the
main topic sentence.