Essay about Philosophy Class

Short Assignment paper

1. Topic: Choose one area that we have considered in our course besides ethics. Choose from: philosophy of religion, mind and body, free will, epistemology, aesthetics, or the meaning of life. 

2. Formulate an Argument: Formulate an argument that you wish to defend using a deductively valid argument pattern. Your conclusion should be the statement that you're trying to establish. Your argument should be in the form of Modus Ponens or Modus Tollens only (see pages 17-23 of our textbook for examples). Here is an example. Suppose I am really interested in philosophy of religion, and I want to argue against God's existence. I might formulate and defend the following Modus Tollens argument:

P1: If God exists, then there would not be an inordinate amount of evil and suffering in the world.

P2: There is an inordinate amount of evil and suffering in the world.

C: Therefore, God does not exist.

3. Evaluation: Think of one solid objection to the argument.

4. Response: Think of a response to the objection in defense of the argument presented.

5. Write: an 1100 word or less short paper that has the structure outlined below. Submit the assignment as a doc,docx, or pdf only.

Your Paper Should Have the Following Structure:

Section 1 Introduction

In the introductory paragraph, using the first person, clearly lay out what your essay is about and what you plan to do in the rest of the essay. Use sentences like: "In this essay I will lay out argument x. Then, I will present an objection to x. I will then respond to that objection...etc." Only one short paragraph for this section. 

Section 2 Present and Explain Argument

Present your argument at the beginning of the section as a deductively valid argument in standard form (MP, and MT only,  premises and conclusion listed in order, see the posted sample paper for an example). Then, explain the rationale and reasoning for each premise clearly and concisely in roughly a paragraph each. Make your reasoning for your argument as explicit and straightforward as possible. Stick to only the content of your own argument, not tangential points. Should be about two full paragraphs, could be three.

Section 3 Objection

In this section, suggest one possible line of criticism that you consider potentially compelling against your own reasoning (not simply against the endorsed position). Describe what you take to be the significance of this criticism. (For example, is it a devastating criticism, or what aspect or portion of your reasoning does it attack?) Should be at least one full paragraph, could be two.

Section 4 Response to Objection

Articulate one possible response to the criticism that you think would defend your view against the criticism. In other words, how would you defend your argument against this charge? Be sure that you're not simply restating your original argument but can respond adequately to the criticism presented in the previous section. Should be one paragraph.

Section 5 Conclusion

Conclude with a brief summary of what you have done and an explicit assessment of what you consider the take-away message to be. (rough template: “In this essay I have used the example of ______ to consider ___________. What we have learned is ____________.”) Should be one short paragraph for this section.

Referring to the work of others:

Whenever you make reference to an existing work you must cite it.  If you bring in outside sources, they should be kept to a minimum and used sparingly, this should be your argument, not someone else's. Include a works cited page at the end. I suggest MLA formatting

 (Links to an external site.)

 (but APA is also fine).

Use internal citations rather than footnotes for in-text citations. The format here should be: (Author, page number).

Sample Citation: Mill argues that "From this verdict of the only competent judges, I apprehend there can be no appeal" (Mill, p. 162).