Answer the following prompt in a 2 to 3 page paper (aim for something in the area of 600-750 words). Your submission should be double-spaced, using a standard 12 point font (e.g., Times, Arial) and normal margins (your word processing application’s defaults are fine).
The prompts allows for a creative approach to the topics. That said, while you will not be writing a formal essay, make sure not to sacrifice clear, concise, informative writing or rigorous argumentation! You must still defend a claim in your writing assignment and you must make it clear what claim you are defending. Make sure you address all parts of the prompt.
- Write a dialogue in which an Aristotelian and a Cartesian attempt to persuade a neutral, third-party listener of the superiority of their own conceptions of nature, or worldviews (the teleological, essentialistic worldview in the case of the Aristotelian, the mechanistic philosophy in the case of the Cartesian). Make sure each character outlines the basic features of their conceptions/worldviews, and make sure to have each character put forward the best arguments you can think of in support of their views. You should also make it clear which character wins over the third-party listener, and why.
