Did the experience of articulating an argument for both sides help you see your own side in a new way?
Write a paper in which you (1) summarize an argument (see Prompt 1), (2) present an objection to that argument (see Prompt 2), (3) reflect on the argument and the objection (see Prompt 3). The paper should be centered on presenting and responding to one and exactly one argument. You may choose to use an argument you’ve already written a short paper on, or you may opt to use a different one.Prompt 11.) First identify any claim then find what the author says to support that claim, note there could be many claims in one paper, you only need to pick one2.) Do not merely summarize the paper. This will not necessarily show an argument for any of the claims.Prompt 21.) First repeat step one from the first prompt for the argument you are objecting to, identify the claim and the support for the claim2.) Then explain why you disagree with the reasoning in this support. Do not simply object to the final claim, but explain why their reasoning does not work. Feel free to use the tools of soundness and validity here3.) Make sure your opponent would take your objection seriously. So, for example, if you are objecting to an atheist who believes in the Problem of Evil do not say “God exists because I was raised Catholic.” The atheist will not take this seriously as an objection to their argument. You need to give a reason that they would have to consider.Some guiding questions for reflection:Which side do you agree with? Why?Did the experience of articulating an argument for both sides help you see your own side in a new way?Did you have a perspective on this topic before this class? If so, how did thinking about and discussing the argument you wrote on affect that perspective?You should strive to give a charitable summary of the argument, and your objection should also reflect a charitable understanding of the argument under consideration. Make sure to be concise, accurate, and thorough. Avoid any unnecessary preamble – get straight to the point.
