philosophy

Belief Paper 1 Outline Part 1: Construct an argument from your belief: Take a look at the belief worksheet you did in class. Remember that a belief can be seen as a subjective acceptance of a claim. Write out your belief more formally and any reasons you have for it, all in premise/conclusion format. Read that again, I said premise/conclusion format, exactly as it’s discussed in the reader. Your belief is the conclusion, and the reasons you have to believe it are the premises. Next, explain and clarify each of your premises/reasons. You can add, subtract, or modify premises that you put on the worksheet. Each premise should be fully explained and addressed in a separate paragraph. Note that if some of your premises are based on faith or personal experiences, they still require some explanation/clarification. For example, if one of your reasons for believing in God is faith, then you should consider that your faith may conflict with others’ faith. Does your faith establish that God exists for everyone, or just for you? The same goes for personal experiences since they can also conflict with others’ experiences and with scientific evidence. People can draw different conclusions from very similar experiences. If your premises refer to outside sources (like studies or articles), you should cite them according to MLA, APA, or CMS formatting. You may also need to define terms in your premises and conclusion. Words like God, the soul, democracy, evil, selfishness, and many more, are not often clearly defined. Part 2: Categorize your argument as inductive or deductive: As discussed in the course reader, an inductive argument is based on the likelihood of the conclusion given the premises; a deductive argument is based on the certainty of the conclusion given the premises. Take a look at your premises and conclusion together, and determine if your argument is inductive or deductive. Make sure to explain in detail why your reasoning fits the category it does. This will help me to see that you understand the categories and the nature of your own reasoning.

Very important note about part 2!: Are you going to say that your belief is deductive because you are certain of your premises? Or inductive because you are not certain of your premises? If so, you will lose points. The probability of inductive reasoning refers to the whole argument, to the relationship between premises and conclusion. It does not refer to individual feelings of certainty about particular premises, or to the premises themselves. The same is true of deductive arguments and certainty. If this is not clear, reread Two Types of Reasoning from the course reader. To put it simply, if your premises prove the truth of your conclusion, then your argument is deductive. But if your premises only support your conclusion, then your argument is inductive. What should the final product look like?: You should turn in a 2-3 page, double-spaced, 12-point font paper that addresses parts 1 and 2 above. There is no need to write a formal introduction and conclusion. Please begin your paper by clearly stating your argument in premise/conclusion format. Then move on to parts 1 and 2. How will you grade my paper?: I will not be grading you on your opinion, but on the following criteria:

• Organization: The paper has a logical flow where each paragraph contributes to the next. The paper is succinct and defines terms clearly.

• Understanding: The paper exhibits a thorough understanding of the type of reasoning being discussed, accurately and clearly presenting it.

• Connections: The paper makes accurate and apt connections between the argument from the belief and the type of reasoning discussed.

• Format: The paper is flawlessly presented, with no spelling errors or grammar errors. It properly references the ideas and words of others, and is presented in the form stipulated either by APA, MLA, or CMS.

Important Notes: It is not always easy to subject our beliefs to judgment, which is partly what you're doing with this assignment. If you're uncomfortable with discussing a more personal belief, don't discuss it. Instead, discuss another belief that you are less emotionally attached to. On the other hand, if your deep personal belief is truly strong, what are you afraid of?