Essay Topic :
Ruth Millikan gives an analysis of the notion of a natural convention. What is a natural convection according to Millikan, and what role does she take that notion to play in a theory of communication? What is an example of a natural convention that is not mentioned by Millikan? Do you think that natural conventions can play the role that Millikan takes them to play in a theory of communication? Why or why not?
The assignment is to write a paper of no less than 1,200 words and no more than 1,800 words . Your goal in this paper is to write an essay that clearly and critically engages with the prompt above. Your paper should include a thesis statement, a concise summary of the issue you
plan on discussing, and a development of your position and the reasons that you support it.
Evaluation:
Your paper will be graded along four dimensions:
-Understanding. Have you correctly described the views and claims at issue? Have you done so without mixing in your own opinion?
-Clarity & Precision. Have you expressed yourself in a way that is both clear and precise? Have you avoided ambiguity and merely suggestive language?
-Dialectic. Do you understand how the various claims interact logically? Do you understand why some are compatible and others are not? Does your assessment of the claims make sense?
Prose:
-Use plain, clear language, the way you would if you were actually speaking.
-Avoid unnecessary sentences, but make sure that you carefully explain yourself.
-Avoid long, complicated words where there are simpler ones you can use instead.
-Avoid flowery language and fancy sentence structure.
-Avoid jargon.
-Don’t invent new words.
– Feel free to use the first-person pronoun “I”. And you can start sentences with the word “and”.
-You should try to make your writing like a car manual, not like poetry
I just asked my TA what readings I should focus on and this was her response:
“You should focus on the Millikan paper for sure. It may be helpful to review Lewis’ account of convention for a comparison, as well as Burge’s criticism against it, but that will depend on what you decide to focus on in the evaluation part.
I hope this helps!“
