PHILOSOPHY G115 – LOGIC AND CRITICAL THINKING Worth up to 100XP

PHILOSOPHY G115 – LOGIC AND CRITICAL THINKING
Worth up to 100XP
Note on the papers in this class: The goal of the papers in this class is to give you experience writing a successful paper from start to finish, making you go through all of the steps you might have to go through for any paper you write. This takes time, and each draft will add a little bit to your project. Don’t get ahead of yourself – focus just on what is necessary in this draft.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Papers are to be NO MORE THAN 500 WORDS typed, double-spaced, in Times New Roman 12pt (it’s the prettiest – and smaller – font), and with reasonable margins. Please be sure to put your name and page numbers on your assignment and create a title. Remember to make use of the critical thinking and logical concepts and techniques covered in the course. Make sure to cite any quotations or references to other works (IN A WAY THAT I CAN TRACE YOUR SOURCE). ANY form of plagiarism will result in an F and appropriate reporting. Don’t do it. If you’re unsure what constitutes plagiarism, look it up or refer to this web page for more information: http://www.goldenwestcollege.edu/admissions/honesty.html . If you are thinking of cheating, please just talk to me before you do it and we could work something out.

Paper tips/guidelines: Make your paper an actual essay, and not a series of short answers or statements. Structure the paper so it all runs together and makes sense. The most important thing to do is back up your arguments with good reasons. Create a clear thesis in your paper and make clear, reasoned arguments supporting your thesis.

Example of a thesis statement: “I agree with Socrates that Philosophers should rule us.” If you want to add more, then put your strongest and most important reason into it as well, such as by saying, “I agree with Socrates that Philosophers should rule us because they are so amazingly brilliant and kind.” These would be reasonable thesis statements in response to a question like, “Do you agree with Socrates that Philosophers should be rulers? Why or why not?” THEN you would go on to elaborate in good detail giving good reasons supporting your thesis statement.

Part of your grade will be based on how well you recognize the important philosophical aspects in your topic, break down the issues, and discuss them. You should first identify the important aspects of your issue – doing so will help you organize your thoughts and make your arguments. When you proofread your paper (and you should do this) you should always think that the person grading it will be constantly asking “Why?” and you should be sure you have answers to these “Why?” questions. If you need more help, read your paper aloud to a friend (seriously, despite how bad of an idea this sounds) – you’ll get some good feedback and notice problems for yourself.

Make sure you CONNECT all of your ideas to each other and always be sure that everything you say leads back to your thesis. If something you are saying doesn’t help you make your case, then you should probably leave it out.

One aspect of making a good argument is anticipating a strong objection to what you are saying and addressing it. Consider what an opponent to your view might say, make it as strong as you can, and then respond to it. You don’t have to completely destroy the argument, but you need to make a convincing case that your answer is better than your opponent’s answer. (TIP: If you don’t know where to begin, you can structure your paper by presenting the counterargument and using that to set up your own arguments, like “Some people say the death penalty is wrong because killing is always wrong. However, this is not a good argument and killing, especially in capital punishment, is permissible because…”)

Remember that this is only supposed to be a 500-word paper (NO, a works cited pages DOES NOT count in this limit), so only present what is necessary for making your arguments. Be sure to properly cite the authors. The most important things to accomplish in this paper are making your position and arguments clear and well-reasoned. While you will state your opinions, you must be sure to back them up with arguments. An argument is NOT simply stating something – you must say WHY it supports what you say it does.

(Example of a very simple successful paper format: State your thesis. Say why you like it. Give your reasons that support your thesis and then support these reasons clearly using relevant sources. Consider one or more good counter-arguments to your claim and say why those don’t work. Keep it on point and use the best arguments and counterarguments you can. If you’re unsure how to structure or start your paper, try this format.)

Topic:
(Be sure to read and follow the instructions and guidelines for answering the question!)

You may choose to talk about any topic you want as long as you are taking a position that requires significant defense. You are to pick your topic, describe it, pick your side, explain your side, defend it, and state and respond to an objection for your argument (such as, “Someone might disagree with me because I’m not a nuclear scientist, but they’re wrong because…”). For example, you cannot choose to argue that Double Stuf Oreos are better than regular Oreos because everyone would agree with that. You can, however, argue for one side in classic debates such as abortion or free will. This first draft will also be a test of whether or not you have a project worth pursuing.

You will be expanding on this paper in the subsequent papers. For those papers, you will begin to flesh out your arguments in more detail. You don’t need to worry about saying all that you can here – brief statements and arguments will work fine. I want to see that you have a good argument structure and good reasons to support your claims.
GRADING
The following is a very rough breakdown for how you will receive points on this paper. Every category overlaps with every other category, but this is the general distribution of points.

Strength of arguments – 65 pts
– This includes giving good reasons and evidence for your arguments as well as ensuring that your points are relevant for your overall argument and are clearly connected to your thesis
Clarity – 65 pts
– This includes clearly laying out your thesis and presenting your thoughts and arguments clearly, directly, and orderly
Objection and response – 20 pts
– You must explain one objection to your thesis and clearly and directly respond to it

 
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