Locate an article that offers an argument in support or against a controversial ethical topic, and then write a 2 to 3 page paper in response to the argument
offered by the author.
This is not a research paper! The goal of the essay is to critically analyze the argument presented by the author of your article. You should analyze the
argument in an effort to determine if it passes the criteria of a good argument, commits fallacies, and is valid, invalid, sound, unsound, strong, weak,
uncogent, or cogent.
Your essay should follow this format:
Section 1- Introduction: Begin with an introductory paragraph that a) presents your thesis, b) identifies the name of the article and author you will discuss,
and c) prepares the reader for the organization of your paper. Your THESIS is a clear and exact statement of the claim you will support in your essay (what
you will argue). Be very specific about what you will argue—tell the reader what specific fallacies you will argue the author commits and/or what criteria the
author does not satisfy. Stay focused on the author’s specific argument, not on the topic in-general.
Section 2- Exposition: The body of the paper should begin with a focused discussion on your chosen reading. Your paper should provide a clear exposition of
the argument in the article on which you focus. Take the time to walk the reader through the author’s argument step by step. Do not offer criticism of the
author’s argument in this section. This section should be dedicated to explaining the author’s argument in detail—again, walk the reader through the author’s
argument step by step.
Section 3 – Objections: Following the exposition, point out the fallacies committed by the author and/or which criteria of a good argument the author fails to
satisfy. Be sure to offer an argument defending your claim that the author commits these fallacies or fails a specific criteria—just saying the author commits
fallacies or fails a specific criteria is not enough. Be sure that your objection(s) are specifically linked to the arguments given by the author whose work you
have exposited.
The following are things to address:
a. What sorts of fallacies does the author make?
b. Is the author’s argument invalid? Weak? Unsound? Uncogent?
c. What criteria does the author fail to satisfy?
d. Be sure to explain in detail why!
Section 4 – Responses and Rebuttal: Anticipate possible responses to your argument and offer an effective rebuttal. Think carefully about what one might
say in response to your objections in an effort to show that your objections fail. Present these responses, then offer a rebuttal showing that the responses do
not hold, and your original objections stand. Remember, a rebuttal needs to offer an effective response to a potential issue with your specific argument.
Section 5 – Conclusion: The concluding remarks should reiterate briefly the structure of your foregoing argument and the conclusion(s) you have reached.
But, crucially, concluding remarks should say something more than this. What kind of modifications could be made to the author’s argument to solve the
issues?
Be sure to include a citation page and the relevant information (the link) needed to locate the article (or a copy of the article).
Note: Make sure you offer arguments! Do not simply give mere opinions. You need to offer rational justification for the claims you make. Do not simply say, I
think James is wrong because I don’t agree or I don’t like what he says etc. Offer a rational argument in defense of your claims. Review the notes on
Arguments and Good Arguments if you have forgotten.
You need not do additional research. Focus on the specific article you have chosen.
Your work must be your own, original writing. There are severe penalties for
plagiarism and cheating. See the syllabus for details.
Your paper should be double-spaced in 10 or 12-point font. Use standard margins. Do not use a cover page.
Spell-check your paper. Proofread and edit your work to check for mistakes that computer programs cannot catch.
At the top of the first page provide the following information single spaced:
Student Name
PHI 1103: Critical/Creative Thinking Date
Give your paper a title. DO NOT USE A COVER PAGE!
Quote and cite the text to support your discussion. (footnotes or parenthetical citations)
All verbatim quotation must use quotation marks. Citations are also required for paraphrases of the text. The goal is to point the reader to the appropriate
passages of text where the claims are made. Use quotations selectively; most of the paper should be written in your own words.
The exposition should provide a clear, accurate, precise, and selective account of the author’s position.
CLEAR: Write in complete, grammatical sentences. Organize your thoughts. ACCURATE: Give a fair and reasonable representation of the author’s position.
PRECISE: Avoid offering vague claims and mere generalities. Make your discussion detailed, specific, and focused on the exact claims the author gives in
support of the particular arguments you will examine.
SELECTIVE: In a short paper you cannot cover all of the arguments or claims the author gives. Select only those ideas, reasons, arguments that are directly
Section 5 – Conclusion: The concluding remarks should reiterate briefly the structure of your foregoing argument and the conclusion(s) you have reached.
But, crucially, concluding remarks should say something more than this. What kind of modifications could be made to the author’s argument to solve the
issues?
Be sure to include a citation page and the relevant information (the link) needed to locate the article (or a copy of the article).
Note: Make sure you offer arguments! Do not simply give mere opinions. You need to offer rational justification for the claims you make. Do not simply say, I
think James is wrong because I don’t agree or I don’t like what he says etc. Offer a rational argument in defense of your claims. Review the notes on
Arguments and Good Arguments if you have forgotten.
You need not do additional research. Focus on the specific article you have chosen.
Your work must be your own, original writing. There are severe penalties for
plagiarism and cheating. See the syllabus for details.
Your paper should be double-spaced in 10 or 12-point font. Use standard margins. Do not use a cover page.
Spell-check your paper. Proofread and edit your work to check for mistakes that computer programs cannot catch.
At the top of the first page provide the following information single spaced:
Student Name
PHI 1103: Critical/Creative Thinking Date
Give your paper a title. DO NOT USE A COVER PAGE!
Quote and cite the text to support your discussion. (footnotes or parenthetical citations)
All verbatim quotation must use quotation marks. Citations are also required for paraphrases of the text. The goal is to point the reader to the appropriate
passages of text where the claims are made. Use quotations selectively; most of the paper should be written in your own words.
The exposition should provide a clear, accurate, precise, and selective account of the author’s position.
CLEAR: Write in complete, grammatical sentences. Organize your thoughts. ACCURATE: Give a fair and reasonable representation of the author’s position.
PRECISE: Avoid offering vague claims and mere generalities. Make your discussion detailed, specific, and focused on the exact claims the author gives in
support of the particular arguments you will examine.
SELECTIVE: In a short paper you cannot cover all of the arguments or claims the author gives. Select only those ideas, reasons, arguments that are directly
relevant to your discussion.
As a guideline, your first, introductory paragraph should not be more than 1⁄2 a page. The exposition should take about 1 page and the presentation of your
objection(s) and response(s) should take about 1 page.
NOTE: This paper assignment focuses on exposition AND on critical thinking. The first goal is to demonstrate that you have a solid understanding of the text,
that you can explain specific arguments from the text, and that you can appropriately cite and quote the text in support of your discussion. The second goal
is to critically evaluate the text. In formulating
your objection(s) to the text, you are attempting to provide reasons why we might reject the author’s argument or claims. These reasons should identify
specific problems with the author’s claims, not merely a general difference of opinion or view. The reasons you offer in formulating your objection should be
reasonable, clear, intelligent, and as convincing as possible.1
1 Portions of this document were excerpted from Dr. Brook Sadler’s “Guidelines for Writing