Leibniz argued that we must be living in the best of all possible worlds. What does this mean and how
did he defend this view? Argue whether or not you believe he is right. You must use quotes from the
assigned texts to back up your claim
Structure
• Intro & Conclusion paragraphs.
• Briefly outline what it is that you will be addressing in this paper (intro), and briefly wrap it
up in the end, to remind the reader of key points that you raised or challenged (conclusion).
• Your introduction must include a clearly articulated thesis statement (e.g., in this paper, I
will argue that…..)
• You may use as many body paragraphs as you require.
• Each separate idea/thought/theme should have its own paragraph.
• Aim to reconstruct the arguments, rather than merely summarizing them (show your
reader how the claims are connected, or why accepting certain assumptions leads to the stated
conclusion, rather than just telling them what the assumptions and conclusions are).
• Aim for about (or at least) 30% of your space devoted to your argument.
Style
• Keep it formal, but simple.
• Don’t use conjunctions
• Avoid superfluistic verbiosity (simple, clear words are best)
• Short, clear sentences are generally more effective
• Feel free (or even encouraged) to use 1st person attributions (I-statements)
• Just be careful, sharing and defending your beliefs is absolutely fine, but the mere fact that
you believe it does not count as evidence, or reasons why anyone else should believe it too.
Make sure to back up your opinions, they do not count as evidence on their own.
• All quotations and paraphrasing require citations.
• Use any format, as long as you are consistent and include page numbers.
Content
• Be true, charitable and faithful to the authors you engage with. Represent their ideas fairly and
accurately.
• When developing your argument, make sure that it is your unique contribution. It can be tempting to
restate reasons already given by the authors, but this approach will not get you very far. Really think
about it and figure out what your opinion really is. Once you do that, then your argument will truly
be yours.
• Find an interesting twist on the issue, if you can. The more interested you are in the topic, the easier
it will be to write.
• Examples can be very useful in developing your points (just make sure they actually work as intended)
Instructions: make sure to provide reasoned support for your view. You must
include quotations from the assigned texts to back up your view.
Note: Only assigned texts are permitted as resources for this assignment. The nature of the task is for you to
engage directly with the material covered as a group. Therefore, only primary sources (i.e., those assigned
for the course) will be permitted. In other words, secondary sources will not be permitted.
This paper must be 3-5 pages in length, 12pt font, double spaced, standard margins, and must be submitted
to Brightspace in either .docx or .pdf file formats (.pages files will not be accepted). You may use any
referencing style that you wish, as long as you use it consistently, and make sure to include page numbers
when quoting and paraphrasing.
If you wish to receive feedback on your assignment, you must clearly indicate this request
