Argument Analysis Initial Post

https://ethics.mattcleaver.com/topics

1. (10 points) Choose an ethical or moral topic. Explain just a bit of background about your topic. Maybe even link to a relevant news article about the topic. I suggest looking in these places if you need inspiration:

• Last week’s .
• The list of
• I compiled.
• Check your social media feeds. There is almost always someone sharing a news article and making a moral judgment about something.

1. (20 points) State a specific, prescriptive, moral position. A moral position should be a morally prescriptive statement that someone can either agree or disagree with.

• Your moral position should be moral, specific, and prescriptive.
• Moral: it should state a moral position, not a legal or religious position.
• Specific: it should be a specific moral issue, not a general moral topic. General moral topics would be something like “racism” or “hate” or “greed.” Rather than stating a position about these general topics, state a position about a specific instance of these things, such as:
• “It is morally bad to perform traffic stops based on racial profiling.”
• “It is morally good to defend the free speech rights of hate groups.”
• “It is morally bad for businesses to raise prices on essential goods during a natural disaster, such as a hurricane.”
• Prescriptive: it should state that something is good, bad, or permissible, not just talk about a topic.
• It could take something like the following form:
• “It is morally [good/bad/permissible] to [fill-in-the-blank-action].”
• “[Fill-in-the-blank-action] is morally [good/bad/permissible].”
• Morally good actions are actions that we want people to perform. For example, “It is morally good for individuals to donate money to charity.”
• Morally bad actions are actions we do not want people to perform. For example, “It is morally bad for a spouse to have an affair.”
• Morally permissible actions are actions that we think are acceptable, but that we don’t want to either encourage or discourage people from performing. For example, “It is morally permissible for individuals to drink reasonable levels of alcohol.”
• Note: your moral position should be one that people disagree about. There should be people who both agree and disagree with your moral position.

1. (60 points) For your chosen moral position, try to construct two opposing valid arguments: one in agreement with and one in disagreement with your moral position. Lay out the arguments as I did in the lectures (), with a series of premises, and then a conclusion that follows from those premises.

• Note: you are not picking or defending which side you think is “right.” You are simply laying out both sides of the argument.

1. (10 points) Grammar and formatting. In general, your tone can be conversational (rather than rigid and academic), but you must use proper grammar. This assignment does not require specific academic formatting (such as MLA or APA), but you should use conventional formatting: black text, normal-size font, left-aligned text, and proper separation between sections.

Submission Format

• You must submit your initial post as a text entry or as an uploaded document, below.
• Immediately after you submit your assignment, here, you must also copy and paste your initial post in the discussion that is the next item in the module.

Due dates

• See the due date within Canvas

Example Initial Post

(The following is an example submission that fulfills all of the above requirements of the assignment)

(1. Introduce the topic) 1. Abortion is a divisive topic, and many states are passing restrictive bans on abortion (“

“). The heart of the debate revolves around whose rights deserve to be given the most weight: the mother or the fetus. It seems like you can’t have both.

(2. State a moral position) 2. Position: Abortion after six weeks of gestation is morally bad.

(3. Try to construct two valid arguments, one that agrees, and one that disagrees)

3. Agree

• Premise 1: A human fetus has a heartbeat at six weeks of gestation.
• Premise 2: Stopping a beating human heart is murder.
• Premise 3: Murder is morally bad.
• Conclusion: Therefore, abortion after six weeks of gestation is morally bad. (note: the conclusion of your argument in agreement should be the same as your moral position in part 2)

Disagree

• Premise 1: It is morally bad to restrict an individual from making decisions relating to their own body.
• Premise 2: Getting an abortion is a decision relating to an individual’s own body.
• Conclusion: Therefore, it is morally bad to restrict an individual from getting an abortion.