- Log per day - 2026
- 2026-03-26
- Work-in-progress
- As discussed in Recommended readings from one of my mentors, 2026-03-13:
- Attila recommended that I read “A World of Ideas” by Lee Jacobus, specifically the two introductions (on critical reading and critical writing), and then the chapter containing a large excerpt from Lao Tzu’s “The Tao Te Ching”, and then the chapter containing a large except from Machiavelli’s “The Prince”
- He said that he’d then give me a prompt for an argumentative essay
- One essay prompt that I imagined and felt very alive, whilst I was reading, is something about the striver/seeker/tanha energy that he recognised in me, and how Lao Tzu and Machiavelli think about this, point at this
- This is what I scribbled in the margin:
- [WIP]
- It’s not the case that Machiavelli’s essay is about this entirely, but definitely that they both point at this particular thing, which feels very alive in my system right now
- A prompt might be something like:
Discuss the desire for self-improvement, through the lens of Lao Tzu and Machiavelli
- Although actually, thinking about it → that’s not very argumentative is it. I imagine an argumentative essay would request that you justify a position a bit more clearly?
“Seeking for growth is the problem”. Discuss the desire for self-improvement, through the lens of Lao Tzu and Machiavelli
- 👆 at least something like that has a more clearly defined claim?
- I’ve probably not written an argumentative essay since I was like, 17!!!
Claude
You’ve done great thinking here already. And you’re right — you spotted the key issue yourself: an argumentative essay needs a claim you’re defending, not just a topic to explore.
Your instinct to add “Seeking for growth is the problem” was exactly the right move. That gives you something to argue for (or against, or in a nuanced way). The difference between "discuss X" and ”X is true — argue for or against” is basically the difference between an expository essay and an argumentative one.
Useful distinction.”Expository” was not a word in my brain
Here’s what I’d suggest as your prompt to yourself:
“The desire for self-improvement is itself the obstacle to self-improvement.” Argue for or against this claim, drawing on Lao Tzu and Machiavelli.
That works because it gives you a clear, debatable thesis to take a position on, it connects naturally to what felt alive for you while reading, and it forces you to do real argumentative work — Lao Tzu and Machiavelli would seem to land quite differently on this, so you’ll have to wrestle with the tension rather than just summarizing both.
As for what to prompt me — now that you’ve read the material and have a topic, something like this would be a good starting point:
“Here’s my essay prompt: [prompt]. Here’s what I think my thesis is, and here’s my rough reasoning: [your thinking]. Can you push back on my argument, point out where it’s weak, and help me figure out how to structure it? Don’t write it for me.”
Basically: come to me with your thinking, not just the prompt. Even if it’s messy and half-formed — that’s the raw material. My job is to help you sharpen it, not replace it.