writing an argumentative essay about the effects of digital technology on human thought, using Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making us Stupid” and Clive Thompson’s “Smarter Than You Think

Length: at least 2 pages or around 600 words
Format: MLA with Works Cited
Using Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making us Stupid” and Clive Thompson’s “Smarter Than You Think” as your sources, write an argumentative essay about the effects of digital technology on human thought.
Your introduction should introduce your topic, and highlight what is important or interesting to you about it. Let your reader know why they should care about the topic. (You can begin with a fact, an example, an anecdote, or a quote regarding the topic, which helps you to explain its importance, but it is up to you to introduce it). The introduction should end with your own speculative claim about what effects digital tech has on our capacity for thinking.
The body of your essay should begin by addressing what you see as the single most important opposing argument to your own claim (from Carr or Thompson). And then lead to a direct argument for your claim using evidence from Carr or Thompson and your own ideas, examples and evidence. You should develop your argument by quoting and paraphrasing important information from your sources. As you evaluate the causal arguments of Carr and Thompson, you will be expected to have a strong understanding of the nature of causal argument from Everything is an Argument, Chapter 11, on “Causal Arguments” and in particular the guidelines on page 274 on “Supporting Your Point”; asking yourself about the probability of a particular cause or effect; whether the link between cause and effect is strong or weak, and whether there are other plausible explanations;
Your essay will then conclude with a one or two paragraph argument about why the evidence and arguments that support your claim are more important than the evidence and arguments that oppose your claim.
Quick Pointers:
Reread both Carr and Thompson before you start your draft.
Reread Chapter 11 on “Causal Argument” (its short) and notes from class.
Review MLA Format Guidelines on Purdue Owl Website
When editing, pay attention to excess use of “to be” verbs, passive verbs, and redundant language.
Substitute precise language for general or vague language whenever possible.
Remember, most causal arguments are complex by their very nature. There are not many causal arguments you can make that are obviously true on the topic of Digital Tech effects on human thought, precisely because it has so many effects. This means you need to qualify your argument by arguing that despite some strong contrary evidence, overall your claim is the best one based on the evidence provided by Carr and Thompson.