PHILO 103

Essay #1

We are all aware of the horrible events of Tuesday, September 11 of this year. We are all also aware the there are indications that the United States will attack Afghanistan – in fact, that the United States will likely attack Afghanistan even if the Taliban decides to hand over Osama bin Laden. There are many real and troublesome questions involved in such an attack, one of which is that innocent civilians will almost certainly be harmed along with those the US really wants to hit.

You are to write an essay answering the question, “Would it be morally acceptable for the U.S. to attack Afghanistan, even though innocent civilians will be harmed?” The essay is to be an argument in which you will take a position and defend it. Your essay will be evaluated on the quality of your argument (make certain you commit none of the informal fallacies), the breadth of your considerations, and the quality of your presentation (spelling and grammar).

Your essay is to be typed, 750 words (about 3 pages) long.

The format is to be as follows:

1. Your first sentence is to state your conclusion to the argument. It should be something like “It would be immoral for the US to attack the nation of Afghanistan and risk innocent lives” or “ It would be morally permissible for the US to attack the nation of Afghanistan, even though there would be a loss of innocent lives.”

2. Present your argument. That is, lay out the reasons why someone should accept your position. Argue thoroughly and sanely – don’t rant and rave.

3. State your opponent’s position, including the sort of reasons your opponent might give in defense of that position.

4. Show that your answer is better than your opponent’s answer.

WARNING: In your argument you may not use either religion or the law as your justification. This is a fatal error!

The essay is due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, 2 October.

NOTE: I will not accept late papers.