Category: Social Science – Philosophy

Analyzing Reasoning on Both Sides

This final writing assignment allows you to present an analysis of the best reasoning on each side of your issue. In the process, you will get to demonstrate some of the key skills you have learned during this course. In particular, you will demonstrate the ability to create high-quality arguments on both sides of an issue, to support your reasoning with scholarly sources, and to provide a fair analysis of the strength of the reasoning on each side. Make sure to incorporate any relevant feedback you got from the instructor on your previous writing assignments.For an example of how to complete this paper, take a look at the paper.

Your paper must include the following sections, clearly labeled:

• Introduction
  • Introduce readers to your topic; include a brief preview of what you will accomplish in this paper. (approximately 150 words)
• First Argument
  • Present the best argument on one side of the issue. (approximately 150 words)
    • Express your argument in standard form, with the premises listed one by one above the conclusion.
• Defense for First Argument
  • Support the first argument as well as you can, using academic sources to demonstrate the truth of key premises. You may also choose to clarify the meaning of key premises and to explain how your reasoning supports the conclusion (approximately 250 words).
• Opposing Argument
  • Present the best argument on the other side of the issue (approximately 150 words).
    • Express your argument in standard form.
• Defense of Opposing Argument
  • Support the opposing argument as well as you can, using academic sources to demonstrate the truth of key premises. You are welcome as well to clarify the meaning of premises and/or to explain the reasoning further (approximately 250 words).
• Analysis of the Reasoning (approximately 350 words)
  • Evaluate the quality of each argument, addressing whether key premises are true and whether the conclusion logically follows from them.
  • Analyze arguments for any fallacies committed or for any biases that may influence either side. Do you feel that one argument makes a much stronger case than the other and why? (There is no need to take sides, only to assess the quality of the arguments.)
  • Support your analysis with scholarly sources.
• Conclusion (approximately 150 words)
  • Provide a brief conclusion and summary of your issue and how it can best be addressed by critical thinkers.

     

Write an essay of about 750 words, double-spaced, Time New Roman 12. 

Structure your essay in response to all the questions in the same sequence. 

(please read all the attached files)

This essay is not looking for your opinion, but please justify your argument. 

 

Assignment Instructions

Goal: Students will create a detailed outline of your Philosophical Essay due in two weeks.

Details:

You will pick one of the following topics only to do your paper on:

• 1.  According to Socrates, must one heed popular opinion about moral matters?  Does Socrates accept the fairness of the laws under which he was tried and convicted?  Would Socrates have been wrong to escape?
• 2. Consider the following philosophical puzzle: If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make a sound? (1) How is this philosophical puzzle an epistemological problem? And (2) how would John Locke answer it?
• 3. Evaluate the movie, The Matrix, in terms of the philosophical issues raised with (1) skepticism and (2) the mind-body problem. Explain how the movie raises questions similar to those found in Platos and Descartes philosophy. Do not give a plot summary of the movie focus on the philosophical issues raised in the movie as they relate to Plato and Descartes.
• Socrates asks Euthyphro, Are morally good acts willed by God because they are morally good, or are they morally good because they are willed by God? (1) How does this question relate to the Divine Command Theory of morality? (2) What are the philosophical implications associated with each option here?
• 4. Explain (1) the process by which Descartes uses skepticism to refute skepticism, and (2) what first principle does this lead him to? (3) Explain why this project was important for Descartes to accomplish.    

What you are submitting now is your outline (not the full assignment) for your next week Philosophical Essay (not the actual paper – that is due in two weeks). There is a Word file marked Outline Template for your use that is provided in transitional form to walk you through mainly doing the paragraphs.  Please download it and use it for this assignment, if you like, or use your own Word format.  

In two to three full pages you need to include the following:

I. Your rough draft introduction with a clear thesis. How to Write a  

The following is an example (do not copy/paste and use) of a thesis statement/beginning introduction:

Thesis Statement:

In this essay, I evaluate the philosophical puzzle: If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?  In my evaluation, I explain that this question raises the epistemological problem of how a subjective experience, such as sound, relates to what can be known of reality. I demonstrate that this question is a puzzle because it exposes the limits of what we can claim to know based on sensory experience. Lastly, I will explain how the empiricist, John Locke, would evaluate and answer the puzzle.

II-IV. A list of three or more body paragraphs with transitioning sentences. This is just an outline of three or more body paragraphs.  You are not writing the entire paragraph here.  Just the outline.

For example:

I.  Discuss morality:

1. Explain morality.
2. Then a sentence that transitions to your next paragraph such as:  The next area for discussion is skepticism.

Your next paragraph outlines like above and so forth.

V. Your rough draft of a conclusion

VI. Your Works Cited of at least three reliable/scholarly resources

Remember:

• Purpose: Clearly articulated thesis statement of appropriate scope that (1) tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the question, and (2) tells the reader what you intend to accomplish in your essay.   Body paragraphs with transitioning sentences. Conclusion. Works Cited in MLA formatting.
• Support: List of three or more reliable/scholarly resources.    
• Syntax, Style, Grammar, and Formatting: The writing contains sentences that are always complete and grammatically correct, and free of confusion and ambiguity. The essay follows MLA formatting and adheres to the additional guidelines detailed in the syllabus.    
• Looking Ahead: The 4 – 5 full page (not to exceed 6 pages) Philosophical Essay you will be writing due in two Weeks is designed to be a thoughtful, reflective work.  It will be your premier writing assignment focused on the integration and assessment relating to the course concepts.  It is 4 – 5 full pages of text. This does not include a cover page or a Works Cited page.

Read Chapters 2, 10, 22, and 23 in Exploring Ethics (“Morality and Moral  Philosophy”, by William Frankena; “The Nature of Moral Disagreement”,  by Charles L. Stevenson; “Famine, Affluence and Morality” by Peter  Singer; and “A Reply to Singer”, by Travis Timmerman; pages, 2-5, 71-77,  151-165 in Cahn, fifth edition) . 

Then write a one page summary of  Singer’s article, highlighting his argument (if you can formalize it,  great, if not, don’t worry), his main points in support of his premises,  the objections he considers, and how he responds to those. Then  explain, and comment briefly, on Timmerman’s response (another full  paragraph).

“attached all required reading”

 Peggy McIntosh stated, “White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, compass, emergency gear, and blank checks. (Harvey & Allard, 2014, p29). 

Others see advantages to success rooted in dominant culture privilege rather than white privilege.  In other words, the more a person adopts the societal and business norms of the dominant culture, the more likely they are to succeed, no matter their heritage.     

To which (or both) of these theories do you subscribe and why?

Christian servant leaders profess to serve those whom they lead through love and the moral obligation to promote the greater good of others. What leadership behaviors would you expect from a Christian servant leader and how might those behaviors differ from someone who is not a servant leader. Also, although servant leadership is often associated with the Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ, do you believe servant leadership is compatible with other religions or worldviews? Why or why not? 

 

Assignment Instructions

Goal: The goal of this assignment is to get the student started on the Final Paper, with feedback from the Instructor.

Course Objectives:  Create a framework for developing ones own ethical and moral philosophy.

Description: This assignment is a proposal for the Final Paper with an annotated “bibliography.” 

This proposal should include an ethical topic that you will critique with one of our main ethical theories (see below).  The proposal and annotated bibliography together should be about 350 words.  The bibliography should include a list of a minimum of three academic resources you will use to begin your research on the topic.  One of them can be an encyclopedia article (  or ) One should be an academically, peer-reviewed journal article.  One can be from an credible internet resource such as Crash Course videos or other scholarly, video resources. Depending on the topic, you may use websites or other credible online resources (NO Wikipedia).

These resources will form your beginning References (or Works Cited).  The bibliography should be annotated, which means that you should explain in one or two sentences why each resource is helpful and how you plan to use it.  The proposal as a whole does not need to be in a particular style, but your references should be in the citation style you use in your program (APA, MLA, Turabian, et cetera). 

Example of annotated bibliography in MLA formatting: 

Green, Hank. “Aristotle & Virtue Theory: Crash Course Philosophy # 38.” Crash Course 5 Dec, 2016.   Accessed 26 Nov, 2019. 

This video will be used to provide a background understanding of Aristotle’s virtue theory and how to apply the golden mean to various virtues. 

For this assignment, match one of the following ethical theories from Western Civilization with a contemporary topic of your choice.  When considering a contemporary topic, think about current events, some ethical issue you are passionate about, or an ethical issue you know a lot about, or perhaps even encounter in your professional or personal life.  If you have questions regarding selecting an issue please ask your Instructor for guidance.  If you are stumped on a topic, with dozens of topics and cases. If you have writing questions, please see the .

For example: Say you want to look at climate change. To do this properly, you would need to evaluate it through the lens of one or more ethical theory. Possible thesis statement: “I will first examine Aristotle’s Virtue Theory and explore his golden mean for establishing what constitutes a virtuous action. Then I will use this information to address the need to do more concerning climate change. Specifically, I will discuss three virtues – modesty, temperance and magnanimity – as virtues that lead us to respect and work to save the planet.”

When considering what ethical theory to apply to that topic, here is a short list, but it can be expanded in conjunction with your Instructor’s approval. 

• Aristotelian Virtue Ethics
• Immanuel Kant’s Deontological Ethics
• Jeremy Bentham/John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism
• Social Contract Theory
• Divine Command Theory Or Natural Law Theory
• John Rawls’ Theory of Justice
• Ethical Egoism (not psychological egoism)
• Evolutionary Morality
• Care Ethics
• Ethical Relativism
• Prima Facie Duties (W. D. Ross)

  If you need help coming up with an idea of an ethical issue to critique with your ethical theory, you can begin by taking a look at the following website, but don’t feel constrained by this list.  This is an opportunity for you to be creative in your thinking and to do something that you are interested in learning more about!

ETHICAL ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY CULTURE Adam Blatner, M.D. Revised … The list below is meant to be evocative rather than comprehensive.

 

1. n this section, introduce the problem. Explain Platos rules regarding poetic censorship. What does he want to censor and why? What needs to be removed from poetry and why? What kind of poetry is acceptable? What are his rules for good poetry?
2. In this section, choose a passage from the Iliad that we have read in class and rewrite it using Platos rules for good poetry. This section should include the original passage as a reference.
3. A conclusion that contains 3 differing reflections, that reflects on Platos rules, how they transform poetry. Each reflection should answer the following questions:
   1. Is Plato right to censor poetry? Are his reasons good/valid reasons?
   2. Will eliminating the aspects of poetry that Plato wants to eliminate help to create his perfect society? Why/why not?
   3. Do we perhaps want/need poetry to show us the things that Plato wants to eliminate? Why/why not?

  

Final presentation

– statement about the topic

– talk about how it is connected to your main academic discipline (or the one that primarily informs the paper)

– comment on which particular theories, concepts, methods, research, perspectives of your discipline

– how you tied in one or more other disciplines in your discussion, either directly or by implication

– it is incumbent upon you to demonstrate the interdisciplinarity and integrative component of your article

– some excerpts from your paper that illustrate all of the above

– 7 to 9 minutes for presentation; Use of PowerPoint or overhead projector permissible.

Article should be between 650 to 900 words. Strict limit on both ends. Please give word count. 

The purpose of this activity is for you explore how much bullshit you encounter. To do so, you will need to build a bullshit inventory (BSI) that captures all of the bullshit that you encounter over the duration of 10-14 days. The idea is to make note of each bit of bullshit that you see, read, or hear, and to record some information about it. This activity is open-ended and Id like you to be creative. You might consider tracking things like:

Bullshit that is forced upon you

Bullshit that is merely exposed to you

Bullshit that you produce yourself

Bullshit that you debunk or try to debunk

To complete this activity, youll have to determine and describe some key parameters such as:

Concept Definition: What constitutes bullshit in your mind? For example, does a deliberate lie count? Does the bullshitter have to be aware that he or she is bullshitting? And so forth.

Measurement Definition: How are you going to measure bullshit? Are all instances of it considered equal (e.g., 25-page white paper versus a 140 character tweet)? Should you consider the amount of time that one spends dealing with it? Are some forms of bullshit more significant than others?

Measurement Technique: How will you track your daily encounters with bullshit? What if theres so much bullshit out there that you cant (or dont want to) sit down and recall it every evening? How much information do you feel comfortable providing? How will you make the data anonymous enough that it can be discussed without getting you in trouble?

Reporting Approach: You will need to report your findings. You can do however you see fit (e.g., tables, graphs, figures, etc.). For inspiration, take a look at the Dear Data project (www.dear-data.com/theproject), which has examples of lo-fi data visualizations of everyday life. Or, if youre a user, see Tableaus gallery (https://public.tableau.com/en-us/s/gallery). Again, be creative and display your data however you would like an interactive applet, data viz software, in PowerPoint, a stack of 3×5 cards, a hand-drawing, etc.

The deliverable for this activity is a short synopsis of the above 4 parameters: your concept and measurement definitions, your measurement technique, and (obviously) your summary reporting of the findings.