Writing Assignment #3
In this writing assignment, take a position on a controversial issue and construct one original complex argument in support of this conclusion a complex argument made up of 3 simple arguments.
(1) State the conclusion as either an A or I categorial statement, making sure that it is a controversial claim, i.e., a claim that a significant number of people would disagree with. (Make sure that the conclusion covers a different issue than the one you dealt with in Writing Assignment #1.)
Example 1: All wars are morally forbidden.
Example 2: Some wars are morally acceptable.
(2) Select an appropriate valid argument structure (i.e., AAA-1 or an A-statement conclusion and AII-1 or 3, IAI-3 or 4 for an I-statement conclusion) and work backwards from the conclusion, assigning S and P in the premises.
Example 1: (AAA-1)
(1) All M are morally forbidden.
(2) All wars are M.
(3) Therefore, all wars are morally forbidden.
Example 2: (AII-1)
(1) All M are morally acceptable.
(2) Some wars are M.
(3) Therefore, some wars are morally acceptable
(3) Find the best middle term you can to connect together the subject and predicate in the conclusion. The middle term should have a significantly different meaning than the subject or predicate – otherwise you aren’t introducing anything new into the argument. Ideally, both premises should be uncontroversially true, but this is unlikely if the conclusion is controversial.
Example 1: (AAA-1)
(1) All acts that cause unnecessary death, destruction, and harm are morally forbidden.
(2) All wars are acts that cause unnecessary death, destruction, and harm.
(3) Therefore, all wars are morally forbidden.
Example 2: (AII-1)
(1) All acts of self-defense are morally acceptable.
(2) Some wars are acts of self-defense.
(3) Therefore, some wars are morally acceptable.
(4) Identify the premise in the argument that is most controversial, and construct another valid deductive argument to support it (repeating steps 2 and 3). Then add the premises to the beginning of the previous argument, renumbering the statements and indicated in parentheses at the end of each conclusion the mood and figure of the argument and which premises support it.
Example 1: Most controversial premise: All wars are acts that cause unnecessary death, destruction, and harm.
(1) All violent hostilities that could instead be resolved through diplomacy are acts that cause unnecessary death, destruction, and harm.
(2) All wars are violent hostilities that could instead be resolved through diplomacy.
(3) Therefore, all wars are acts that cause unnecessary death, destruction, and harm (AAA-1; 1, 2).
(4) All acts that cause unnecessary death, destruction, and harm are morally forbidden.
(5) Therefore, all wars are morally forbidden (AAA-1; 3, 4).
Example 2: Most controversial premise: All acts of self-defense are morally acceptable.
(1) All attempts to preserve one’s life or rights from unjust threats are morally acceptable.
(2) All acts of self-defense are attempts to preserve one’s life or rights from unjust threats.
(3) Therefore, all acts of self-defense are morally acceptable (AAA-1; 1, 2).
(4) Some wars are acts of self-defense.
(5) Therefore, some wars are morally acceptable (AII-1; 3, 4).
(5) Repeat step 4 for the first two premises: Identify the premise the first argument that is most controversial, and construct another valid deductive argument to support it (repeating steps 2 and 3). Then add the premises to the beginning of the previous argument, renumbering the statements and indicated in parentheses at the end of each conclusion the mood and figure of the argument and which premises support it.
Example 1: Most controversial premise: All wars are violent hostilities that could be resolved through diplomacy.
(1) All violent hostilities that one of the parties chose to initiate are violent hostilities that could instead be resolved through diplomacy.
(2) All wars are violent hostilities that one of the parties chose to initiate.
(3) All violent hostilities that could instead be resolved through diplomacy are acts that cause unnecessary death, destruction, and harm.
(4) Therefore, all wars are violent hostilities that could instead be resolved through diplomacy (AAA-1; 1, 2).
(5) Therefore, all wars are acts that cause unnecessary death, destruction, and harm (AAA-1; 3, 4).
(6) All acts that cause unnecessary death, destruction, and harm are morally forbidden.
(7) Therefore, all wars are morally forbidden (AAA-1; 5, 6).
Example 2: Most controversial premise: All attempts to preserve one’s life or rights from unjust threats are morally acceptable.
(1) All acts that one has a right to pursue are morally acceptable.
(2) All attempts to preserve one’s life or rights from unjust threats are acts that one has a right to pursue.
(3) Therefore, all attempts to preserve one’s life or rights from unjust threats are morally acceptable (AAA-1; 1, 2).
(4) All acts of self-defense are attempts to preserve one’s life or rights from unjust threats.
(5) Therefore, all acts of self-defense are morally acceptable (AAA-1; 3, 4).
(6) Some wars are acts of self-defense.
(7) Therefore, some wars are morally acceptable (AII-1; 5, 6).
(6) Diagram the argument.
Example 1: 7 is the ultimate conclusion; 5 and 6 are dependent premises for 7; 3 and 4 are dependent premises for 5; 1 and 2 are dependent premises for 4.
Example 2: 7 is the ultimate conclusion; 5 and 6 are dependent premises for 7; 3 and 4 are dependent premises for 5; 1 and 2 are dependent premises for 3.
(7) Briefly evaluate each of the arguments: (A) Are each of the unsupported premises (i.e., the premises that aren’t preceded by ‘Therefore’) uncontroversially true? If not, why not? (B) If we assume that the premises are true, how well supported are each of the conclusions in the argument?
Example 1: For (A) evaluate premises 1, 2, 3, and 6.
Example 2: For (A) evaluate premises 1, 2, 4, and 6.
Things to Keep in Mind:
(1) The copy you hand in should only include steps 5, 6, and 7.
(2) Make sure that the terms in each argument that are supposed to be the same are stated in an identical manner.
(3) If you have trouble finding a new middle term, go back and revise the earlier portions of the argument.
Grammar and Spelling: Make sure that your papers are clearly written – i.e., that the meaning is clear enough that any other student would be able to understand it. Papers will be downgraded for spelling, grammatical, and stylistic errors if there are more than 2 per page.
Citations: You shouldn’t have used any sources, since the arguments are supposed to be original. But if you did, you need to cite all sources that influenced your work, using any standard citation method that includes all of the relevant information (including exact page numbers if it is a printed source). Otherwise you are engaging in plagiarism.
Format: 12 point type, double-spaced, 1-1.5 inch margins, minimum 1 full page of content. Number and staple pages if more than one page.