Argumentative paper

CREATING AN ARGUMENT

This exercise will guide you through the prewriting, organizing and writing stages of producing a philosophy paper. (It will also apply more broadly to any argumentative paper in the humanities.)

Step One: Gut reaction

Think about the philosophical issue or argument that your paper will be about (either one you choose, or one that is given to you). In the space below, write one sentence—one complete sentence—that states your position on the issue or argument. Write your gut feeling about the issue, what you would tell a good friend as you think about it.

Sentence:

     

Step Two: Basic reasons for your reaction

Now write two or three complete sentences, each of which clearly and fully expresses a distinct reason you believe in the position you have taken.

1.      

2.      

3.      

Step Three: Anticipating response in your view

Now think of what someone whose gut reaction is totally opposite from yours would think of your gut reaction and your reasons. Pretend you are such a person, and write a sentence that expresses what that person’s position would be. If you can, think of an actual person (or reading), since that will make things more concrete.

THEIR gut reaction, in a sentence:

     

Step Four: Objections

Think of two or three reasons that this person who disagrees with you might have for THEIR view.

1.      

2.      

3.      

Step Five: Replies to objections

There are two ways to reply: (a) engineer a reply to each of their reasons for believing their view, to show that there is, as far as you know, no good reason IN FAVOR of their view (or less reason than one might have thought); or (b) try to show that in fact there are good reasons AGAINST their view. You can do either (a), or (b), or both.

(a) Reply to 1 from Step Four:

     

Reply to 2 from Step Four:

     

Reply to 3 from Step Four:

     

(b) General reason(s) not to believe to believe the view in Step Three:

1.      

2.      

Step Six: Research

Get different perspectives that might further your reflections. Read from journals or books on the topic; talk to other people; continue to think about the reasons and replies you have come up with on your own. As you go, add reasons you find convincing on one or the other side of the issue to the lists above.

Step Seven: Seeking reflective equilibrium

In light of your work in step six, ask yourself whether you still stand by your gut reaction, all things considered. Your research may have made you see things differently, in ways you could not have anticipated. If so, modify your reaction accordingly—add a qualification or two, even change sides. Write your new or modified reaction in a sentence below. This will become your thesis statement.

Your thesis statement:

     

Revise your work in steps 2-5 to support your new thesis statement, as necessary. E.g., if you changed sides, your reasons in step two for your old view will become objections to your new view, etc.

Step Eight: Developing your reasons, objections, and replies

On a separate piece of paper or on a file on the computer, think about how you can develop each of the sentences on Steps Two, Four and Five above more fully. ‘Developing’ a point means adding what “brings the point home” to you: try to ground the point in even more fundamental principles that support (e.g., this follows from the principle of beneficence); give examples that illustrate it (remember or create them); show what obvious points cannot be true if the point isn’t taken, or what bad consequences might follow if it isn’t, etc. In short, convince your reader that the point you are making is both true and important.

****CAUTION: If your paper is short (4-5 pages), you may want to develop and use only your strongest point for your view, and reply to only the strongest objection against your view. If the paper is longer, develop more points for and against. But, overall, strive for depth over breadth.****

Step Nine: Organizing the argument

You now have all the thoughts you need to create a full argument for your thesis. Order them in a way which makes sense to you. You might prefer to provide the positive argument for your view developed in step 2 first, and then dispense with objections to it; or vice versa. Just follow whatever order helps you think about the case for your view most clearly.

Step Ten: Organizing the paper; finishing touches

You have just created the body of an argumentative paper. Now add an introduction and a conclusion.

· An introduction should definitely state your thesis. It is generally helpful to briefly explain how you will argue it (“I will first recount and dispense with objections to my view; and then argue positively for it”).

· A conclusion should remind the read of where you have been and suggest where things might go from here. You can search for a fresh perspective on the significance of your conclusion, or gesture at some practical implications of it that you have not had a chance to mention yet, etc.

Re-read the paper at least once out loud to check for flow and errors, and, if possible, have a friend or two read it for suggestions. Correct, spell check and hand it in!

If you AGREE with the author’s main point, you might want to try to do some or all of the following: (1) anticipate objections someone who disagrees with the author might make and offer solutions to those objections; (2) show how she could strengthen the argument; or (3) offer a new argument of your own for the conclusion. If you DISAGREE with the author’s main point, you could (1) emphasize why it is not valid or sound; (2) offer a counterexample, i.e., possible situations in which the premises are true but the conclusion isn’t; or (3) argue that the consequences of the author’s position are unacceptable.

Note well: Plagiarized papers will fail, and I will file a complaint about them with the University’s Academic Judiciary. .