Assignment

Assignment 3  

In this assignment you will discuss an argument from any reading assigned in the course through September 15.

You may choose any argument you like, with the following exception.

The argument mustn’t be one that I have discussed in detail in a lecture by writing it out in a manner that shows its logical form, as in the following two examples.

1. A tree owner’s pruning a tree’s unhealthy branch benefits the well-being of the tree as a whole.
2. The tree owner’s pruning of a tree’s branch is a morally acceptable action.
3. A government’s killing of a dissenting citizen benefits the well-being of a nation as a whole.

Therefore,

1. a government’s killing a dissenting citizen is a morally acceptable action.

1. All humans have a right to liberty.
2. Each woman is a human.

Therefore,

1. Each woman has a right to liberty.

The argument should be one that you find interesting and/or relevant to the course’s focus on American political thought.

Write the argument, first quoting it directly, as it appears in the text. You may cut out parts of a passage and add phrases, if you deem it appropriate, as follows.

Suppose the passage is:

“All songbirds are dangerous. For, all songbirds are birds, and all birds are dinosaurs, and all dinosaurs are dangerous. Each and every dinosaur is dangerous, BELIEVE me. Now, a Northern mockingbird is a songbird. A BEAUTIFUL songbird, that’s what my tailor tells me. GREAT tailor. The best! Hence, a mockingbird of that species is dangerous.” [Don Dumkoff, Posts of a Jenius, p. 2, Cosa Nostra Press, Queens, N.Y., 2021.]   

You can skip using repetitive and irrelevant parts in your discussion. You can also skip such parts in your quotation. You may also add to the quotation for enhanced clarity or for aesthetic reasons. Just indicate what you have done as follows.

“All songbirds are dangerous. For, all songbirds are birds, and all birds are dinosaurs, and all dinosaurs are dangerous…. [A] Northern mockingbird is a songbird. Hence, a [Northern] mockingbird…is dangerous.” [Don Dumkoff, Posts of a Jenius, p. 2, Cosa Nostra Press, Queens, N.Y., 2021.]   

Next, put your argument in a form that more clearly displays its logical form, numbering premises and the conclusion, listing the premises first, as follows.  

1. All songbirds are birds.
2. All birds are dinosaurs.
3. All dinosaurs are dangerous
4. All songbirds are dangerous. (From 1-3.)
5. A Northern mockingbird is a bird.

Therefore,

1. A Northern mockingbird is dangerous.

(Your argument does not have to be this long. It of course must have at least two propositions: a conclusion and at least one premise.)

Once you have interpreted and transcribed the argument, as indicated above, state, in one or two sentences, why the argument is interesting/relevant, in your view.

Due 9/17, 11:59 PM, in Argument Assignment Discussion. 2 points.