Posted: September 16th, 2017

Anselm of Canterbury and the Ontological Argument

Anselm of Canterbury and the Ontological Argument

Order Description

All sources must academic sources.
Essay Prompt
“Christian history is human history, incorporating all of the dimensions of human experience from institutions to economics to wars. But at its foundation, Christianity is a way of thinking about reality, and the varied ways Christian thinkers have articulated and explained the faith have been at the heart of some of the most important developments of Christian history. Although no idea is the product of a single isolated mind, one person can usually be identified as the main innovator or spokesperson of a particular idea. Select one such Christian thinker (not including Jesus or any of the New Testament writers) and make the case that his/her thought had a drastic effect on the course of Christian history. To do this, you will need to (1) describe the thinker and his/her main idea in historical context; and (2) argue specifically how this idea effected historical developments in the thinker’s own time and in later history. This might entail how later people implemented this idea, elaborated on it, or reacted against it. Note—you do not have to write on an “orthodox” Christian thinker; feel free to pick a “heretic,” because often heretical thought is more historically important (and more fun!) than orthodox thought.”

Christian history is human history, incorporating all of the dimensions of human experience from institutions to economics to wars. But at its foundation, Christianity is a way of thinking about reality, and the varied ways Christian thinkers have articulated and explained the faith have been at the heart of some of the most important developments of Christian history. Although no idea is the product of a single isolated mind, one person can usually be identified as the main innovator or spokesperson of a particular idea. Select one such Christian thinker (not including Jesus or any of the New Testament writers) and make the case that his/her thought had a drastic effect on the course of Christian history. To do this, you will need to (1) describe the thinker and his/her main idea in historical context; and (2) argue specifically how this idea effected historical developments in the thinker’s own time and in later history. This might entail how later people implemented this idea, elaborated on it, or reacted against it. Note—you do not have to write on an “orthodox” Christian thinker; feel free to pick a “heretic,” because often heretical thought is more historically important (and more fun!) than orthodox thought.

You will turn in your essay electronically through CANVAS. Use—and cite—at least three sources other than your textbook to help you grapple with this question. Use footnotes, with complete bibliographic information on first reference, but do not include a separate bibliography. For guidelines, see http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citationguide.html.

Your essay should be 1,000-1,500 words, double spaced, and have a clear beginning, middle and end, meaning:
1.    An introduction that states the issue you are addressing and states briefly what you will argue;
2.    A body of at least three paragraphs that makes claims based on historical data in conversation with secondary sources (are you agreeing or disagreeing with other scholars? Disagreeing with scholars is certainly acceptable, but you should also cite at least one scholar who agrees with your conclusions);
3.    A concluding paragraph that concisely restates your main points and perhaps makes a broader observation about the overall importance of the subject you have treated (i.e., how does your discussion bear on biblical interpretation, or spiritual life, or our understanding of Christian history?)

Other things to bear in mind if you want a good grade:

Use academic tone. The language of this paper should be something close to the language you would use for a professional speech. Use words you are comfortable with, but do not write as if you were speaking with a friend. This means no contractions (don’t, can’t, etc.), and no pointless filler words or phrases, such as “literally,” “really,” “I feel that” or “in my opinion.” MAKE EVERY WORD COUNT!

A well-organized outline is the foundation of a good paper. Before you start writing, it is good to have an idea of the entire scope what you want to say. Without an outline, you are likely simply to write until you have met the page requirement and then stop, thinking that you have done your job. But you may have left out some very important parts of a strong argument. I encourage (but do not require) you to show me an outline in the early stages of your writing.

Essay Grade Rubric

Please note that plagiarism or cheating on this assignment will result in a minimum punishment of a “0” for the assignment or a maximum of an “F” in the course.
Excellent    Good    Adequate    Poor    Score
Thesis

10 points    Clearly stated thesis with explanation that generates interest and reflects thoughtful reading.    Clearly stated thesis with some explanation, indicates some originality and reflects thorough reading.    Thesis is fairly clear but has minimal explanation or is simplistic, indicates minimal thought or reflection on the readings.    Thesis is not clearly stated or explained, it is unclear whether the author has read or reflected on the readings.
Development

50 points    Thesis is clearly and strongly maintained throughout the work, paragraphs contain fully developed explanations of the points of comparison/contrast and are insightful, main points are strong, legitimate, based on the sources, and establish relevance.     Thesis is maintained throughout with minimal lapses, most paragraphs contain developed explanations of the points of comparison/contrast, main points are almost always strong, legitimate, based on the sources and establish relevance.
Thesis is usually maintained but may have significant lapses, some paragraphs contain developed explanations of the points of comparison/contrast, but the connection to the thesis is not always clear, main points are usually strong, legitimate, based on the sources, and attempt to establish relevance.    Thesis is not maintained, paragraphs are not developed, full explanations of the points of comparison/
contrast are usually not provided or the connection to the thesis is often not clear, there is inadequate use of sources or points of comparison, main points are often weak, or not based on the sources.
Writing Skills

20 points    Proper grammar is used throughout, sentences are clear, essay has been proofread and edited.    Proper grammar is used throughout with minimal lapses, essay has been proofread and edited with minimal mistakes.    Proper grammar is usually used but with noticeable lapses, essay contains mistakes that proofreading and editing should have corrected.    Lapses in sentence structure and grammar interfere with reading the paper, meaning is often unclear, essay has not been proofread or edited.
Documenta-tion

20 points    All quotations and ideas from other sources have been indicated in the text and precisely documented.    All quotations and most ideas from other sources have been indicated in the text and documented with minor exceptions.    All quotations are indicated in the text and documented with few exceptions, most ideas have not been documented.
Most quotations and ideas have not been adequately indicated in the text or documented, plagiarism is suspected.