Argumentative essay

For this assignment, you will need to refer back to the Ethical Intuitions Survey from the first quiz of the term. Review the statements for , and base the thesis of your essay on one of these statements. Your essay should contain three sections.

1. Introduction & Narration. First, clearly state your thesis, defining any key terms. If you completely agree with the statement, then you might simply quote it as your thesis. If, however, you have some other position on the issue, which isnt perfectly captured by the statements on the survey, then you will need to write your own, clear thesis statement on that same TOPIC.

Your thesis must be a MORAL POSITION on the one of the topics from items 7-20 from the Ethical Intuitions Survey, but it need not be one of the specific positions written on the Survey itself. There is no right or wrong thesis; I am not concerned with whether or not I agree with your position on the statement or your reasons for choosing it. I just want you to clearly describe what your moral position is regarding one of those same topics appearing on the Survey. If you are not sure how to state a clear MORAL position on these issues, feel free to talk to me about it during office hours, via e-mail, or even during class. Do bear in mind that the position you state here is the one you must ultimately give the most support in your essay. If, after writing your essay, you think your best arguments ended up supporting a different thesis than the one you had in mind, then CHANGE YOUR THESIS to the one you actually ended up supporting in your essay.

This section of your essay must also inform the reader of any key definitions or background facts about the topic that they will need to know in order to properly understand your thesis. Any part of your thesis that a person unfamiliar with the topic might not understand should be clearly defined and explained. You also will want to say something about why the topic is even a matter for MORAL debate, highlighting what one or more of the core disagreements are.

2. Affirmation and Argumentation. This is where you provide an argument in defense of the thesis you described in the previous section. Imagine a reader who has no opinion one way or the other on the statement you chose, and try to use logical argumentation and objective moral principles (the ideas we study in Sections A and B) to rationally convince them that your position is the one they should adopt.

That is, tell me WHY you have the position you do on this statement, and why I, the reader, should adopt the same position, using the skills and principles we have discussed and developed in class. Make sure that your argument includes both moral principles and factual claims in support of the conclusion you described in the previous section. If you use any sources at all to assist you – whether they are the assigned readings for this course or some other readings you researched – make sure you cite them properly. You are not REQUIRED to utilize any of the moral principles or theories we discuss in class, but it is highly recommended, as they are generally quite good principles for supporting these types of arguments.

The important part here is to formulate at least one clear, concise, coherent ethical argument in defense of your thesis.

3. Challenge and Response. This is where you provide a challenge to your own thesis, and respond to that challenge. That is, put yourself in the shoes of someone who disagrees with your position on this topic, and thinks some other position is better. Clearly state at least one strong challenge or objection they might make to your thesis or the argument you used to support it, and then respond to that challenge or objection in a way that further supports your thesis. The challenge might simply be an opposing position on the same issue. It might be a follow-up question or potential problem that your position entails. It might be a disagreement with the moral principles or factual premises of your argument. Your response must bring something NEW to the table. You cannot respond to the challenge or objection merely by repeating the thesis and argument you already made. You must add something to the conservation that directly addresses the challenge without contradicting any part of the argument you already gave. Once again, cite any sources you use, and focus on clear, logical argumentation.

After completing your essay, re-read these instructions, and make sure you have completed ALL THREE SECTIONS as instructed, doing everything you were asked to do in each. Sections 1 and 3 might only be two or three sentences long, and might be much longer, but Section 2 will definitely require at least one full paragraph to complete. The key is not to write a certain number of words or pages (1,500 words is the LIMIT, not a goal you should try to reach), but rather to COMPLETE THE ASSIGNMENT AS INSTRUCTED. Also, DO NOT FORGET TO CITE YOUR SOURCES. While it is possible to sit down with the Ethical Intuitions Survey and write this entire essay using no other resources, many of you will choose not to do that. If you use any other sources to help you, it is absolutely imperative that you cite them properly, using both a works cited/references page AND in-text citations of some kind, as you were taught in your English courses before now.