Phi 103 week 1 dq 1

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Ashford 2: – Week 1 – Discussion
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Your initial discussion thread is on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Reference the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated..
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Standard ÿÿForm Arguments
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The central tool of logic is the ÿÿargument. Accordingly, constructing good arguments is the central element of ÿÿthis course. Each writing assignment in this course will give you an ÿÿopportunity to construct and improve upon an argument that you will develop as ÿÿthe course progresses. This discussion post allows you to begin the process ÿÿof developing your argument by presenting good reasoning on both sides of an ÿÿissue.ÿ
The requirement for this ÿÿdiscussion is a minimum of four posts on four separate days, including at ÿÿleast two substantive responses to peers. The total combined word count for ÿÿall of your posts for this discussion, counted together, should be at least ÿÿ400 words. Answer all the questions in the prompt, and read any resources ÿÿthat are required to complete the discussion properly. In order to satisfy ÿÿthe posting requirements for the week, complete your initial post by Day 3 ÿÿ(Thursday) and your other posts by Day 7 (Monday). We recommend that you ÿÿget into the discussion early and spread out your posts over the course of ÿÿthe week. Reply to your classmates and instructor. Attempt to take ÿÿthe conversation further by responding substantively to the replies that ÿÿothers make to you as well. Keep the discussion on target, and analyze things ÿÿin as much detail as you can.
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Prepare: To prepare for this discussion, make sure to read the ÿÿassigned chapters of the primary text and to review the required resources, ÿÿincluding the videos about arguments (in the ?Lectures? link on the left). ÿÿBefore responding to the prompt, make sure as well to participate in the ÿÿinteractive scenario at the top of this page titled The Raise to gain more appreciation of the importance of ÿÿconstructing good arguments in life.
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Reflect: Choose a topic from the PHI103 Final Paper ÿÿOptions ÿlist. It should be a topic ÿÿthat you find interesting, but also for which you will be able defend a ÿÿposition with careful logical reasoning. Construct the strongest argument ÿÿthat you can on each side of the issue. Strengthen your arguments by ÿÿcontemplating possible objections to each ÿargument, and revise your ÿÿarguments in light of the objections. Continue this process until you feel ÿÿthat your arguments for each side are as convincing as you can possibly make ÿÿthem.ÿ
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Write: Present your two arguments (one on each side of the issue) ÿÿin standard form (with each premise and conclusion on a separate line) ÿÿon the topic you selected from the PHI103 Final Paper ÿÿOptions list. The two arguments should ÿÿdefend different positions on the topic. For example, if your topic was the ÿÿexistence of Santa Claus, then you would present one argument for the claim ÿÿthat Santa Claus does exist and another argument that Santa Claus does not ÿÿexist. The premises of each argument will present reasons for thinking that ÿÿthe conclusion is true.ÿ
Here is an example of what an ÿÿargument in standard form looks like:Premise 1: If Santa Claus exists, then he lives at the North Pole.Premise 2: No one can live at the North Pole.Conclusion: Santa Claus does not exist.
For each argument, provide a brief ÿÿexplanation of the strengths and weaknesses of the argument. You might ÿÿexplain whether the argument is inductive or deductive, or you might provide ÿÿa diagram of the argument. Think about how the two arguments compare to each ÿÿother. Is one better than the other? If so, what makes that one better? Is ÿÿeach a fair presentation of what someone taking that position would say? Are ÿÿthe premises reasonable? How might each argument be made better?
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Guided Response: Read the arguments presented by your classmates, and ÿÿanalyze the reasoning that they have presented. Whether you agree with their ÿÿposition or not, see if you can help them to improve their arguments. In ÿÿparticular, point out any respect in which a reasonable person might disagree ÿÿwith the truth of their premises or with the strength of their reasoning. ÿÿConsider addressing the following questions: Did your classmate present a ÿÿconvincing argument? Why, or why not? Which part of the argument might ÿÿsomeone dispute (e.g., premise, conclusion, structure, etc.)? How might the ÿÿargument be strengthened? Make sure that your posts for the week include at ÿÿleast two substantive responses to classmates.
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Respondÿ