Touchstone 4: Contrasting Normative Arguments in Standard FormScenario: In this assignment, you will make two contrasting normative arguments about what one ought to do. Both arguments will be about the same topic; thus, at least one of the arguments will contradict your personal opinion. You will compose the arguments in standard form. That is, your argument will be a numbered list of statements ending in a conclusion. Each statement, including the conclusion, will be a single sentence that asserts something is true or infers a truth from earlier statements. Do not write your arguments as an essay.Assignment: Download the submission template below, which further breaks down the steps involved in this assignment. You will upload the completed template as your Touchstone submission.Critical Thinking Touchstone 4 Template.docxIn order to foster learning and growth, all essays you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any plagiarized or recycled work will result in a Plagiarism Detected alert. Review this tutorial for more about plagiarism and the Plagiarism Detected alert: Touchstones: Academic Integrity Guidelines. For guidance on the use of generative AI technology, review Ethical Standards and Appropriate Use of AI.
A. Directions
Step 1: Choose a Topic
Choose one topic from the following list:
- Should people eat meat?
- Should marijuana be legal?
- Should pet cats be kept indoors?
- Should zoos exist?
- Should customers leave a tip in a coffee shop?
- Should seat belt wearing be mandatory?
- Should children be required to take gym/physical education?
- Should public roads be used for private car parking?
Step 2. Develop Logically Contradictory Normative Conclusions
Develop two normative arguments that contradict each other. You do not need to agree with both (or either!) conclusions, but you should be able to logically support both of them. Please note that the conclusion should only be one sentence, as shown in the example below.
The conclusions need not be phrased exactly the same as they are phrased in the topic list, but they do need to be logically contradictory to one another.
EXAMPLE
If you selected the topic “Should people eat meat?”, your conclusions might be:
- People should not eat meat.
- People should eat meat.
But it would also be acceptable to choose:
- People should reduce their meat consumption.
- People need not reduce their meat consumption.
Another option could be:
- It is morally permissible to eat fish.
- It is not morally permissible to eat fish.
You do not need to state your personal position on the conclusion. An omnivore might write an excellent logical argument for veganism, or vice versa!
Step 3: Write Normative Argument for First Conclusion
Choose your first conclusion and write a normative argument in standard form to reach that conclusion. This requires knowledge of the standard form of logical arguments, which you can find in 2.1.1 What Is an Argument?, and understanding of normative arguments, which you can find in 2.1.2 Identifying Arguments and Statements.
big idea”Standared form” means your argument should look like a list of numbered statements, each one a single sentence. The last numbered sentence should be your conclusion, which wraps everything up. You don’t need to label the statements, but remember, everything before the final sentence is building up to your main point.
Because normative arguments rely on standards of human behavior, you should also review 4.3.3 Moral Frameworks. The directions in the template will give you further instructions.
Step 4: Write Normative Argument for Second Conclusion
Repeat Step 3 for your second conclusion.
