Standard Form Argument
Standard Form Arguments
Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read the assigned chapters in your textbook, watch the videos Identifying Premises and Conclusions (Links to an external site.), What Is an Argument? (Links to an external site.), What Is a Good Argument? (Part I) (Links to an external site.), and What Is a Good Argument?: The Logic Condition (Links to an external site.), and complete the interactive module PHI 103 Premises and Conclusions (Links to an external site.). In addition, watch the video Standard Form (Links to an external site.)
For further information, review the document Presenting Arguments in Standard Form.
Arguments from Sources
Take a look at the following list of topics for your final paper: List of Suggested Topics. Choose a topic of interest to you, for which you feel you could create a strong argument on both sides. You should pick a topic you’re interested in but that you don’t have a strong opinion about. You will be using this topic for all three of your papers in this course.
Find one source that presents a view on one side of the topic you chose. Your source here does not have to be scholarly, but perhaps an article that you find in a newspaper or on the internet. Present the main argument made by the source. Make sure to put the argument in standard form, with the premises listed above the conclusion.
Without taking sides on the issue, explain whether you feel that the source provides the strongest representation of the reasoning on that side of the issue. Consider the following questions in your initial post:
- How clearly was the argument expressed within this source
- What more could be done to strengthen the reasoning in this source
- What might one do to objectively understand the issue?