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Due date: Sunday 11/06/2016
Length: 550 – 700 words (1-2 double-spaced pages). INCLUDE A WORD COUNT
Citations: You do not need to consult any outside sources. However, if you do, you MUST
cite them. Also, every direct quotation MUST have quotation marks.
Title: Title your paper: “THOMSON Your Name” or “MARQUIS Your Name”
For this assignment, you will choose one of two arguments to assess. You will then:
(a) Explain the author’s justification for the key premise. Why does the author think this
premise is true? What argument is given to support this premise?
(b) Come up with the best objection that you can to the key premise.
(c) Come up with the best reply that you can to that objection.
(d) State clearly whether you think the objection succeeds, or whether the reply defeats it.
OPTION 1:
Your introduction should be as follows:
Judith Jarvis Thomson offers the following argument for the moral permissibility of
abortion:
1. Nobody has a right to the use of another’s body without consent.
2. Therefore, nobody has a right to life at the expense of another’s control of her
own body.
-------------C: Therefore, a fetus doesn’t have a right to life at the expense of its mother’s
control of her own body.
Then, in your own words, address the following:
(a) What is Thomson’s justification for premise 1?
a. HINT: think about Thomson’s analogies!
(b) Come up with the best objection to premise 1 that you can.
a. HINT: think about the following questions: Why might it be false that no one has
a right to use another’s body without their consent? Can you think of a
counterexample, or a case in which it would be okay to use someone’s body
without their consent? Are there any moral theories that we’ve discussed that
would entail that it might sometimes be ok to use another’s body in this way?
b. Important: Make sure your objection directly relates to premise 1. For example,
it wouldn’t be enough to simply say something like “Thomson’s analogy is not
really analogous to the case of abortion.” You’d have to why this disanalogy
undermines the first premise.
(c) Come up with the best reply to the objection that you can: What could you say on
Thomson’s behalf?
(d) State your opinion: Clearly state whether you ultimately think your objection from (b)
succeeds in undermining Thomsen’s argument, or whether the reply from (c)
undermines the objection. You do not need to explain why.
OPTION 2:
Your introduction should be as follows:
Don Marquis offers the following argument against the moral permissibility of abortion:
1. It is wrong to deprive any determinate individual of having a “future like ours”
(FLO), that is, of the future valuable experiences that its future may contain.
2. To have an abortion is to deprive a determine individual (a fetus) of a FLO.
--------3. Therefore, it is wrong to have an abortion.
Then, in your own words, address the following:
(a) What is Marquis’s justification for premise 1?
a. HINT: Why does Marquis think that it is wrong to kill people?
(b) Come up with the best objection to premise 1 that you can.
a. HINT: think about the following questions: Is it always wrong to deprive
individuals of a FLO? In what cases isn’t it wrong to do so? Can you think of a
counterexample, or a case in which depriving someone of a FLO is morally
permissible? Are there any moral theories that we’ve discussed that would
entail that it might sometimes be ok to deprive someone of a FLO?
(c) Come up with the best reply to the objection that you can: What could you say on
Marquis’s behalf?
(d) State your opinion: Clearly state whether you ultimately think your objection from (b)
succeeds in undermining Marquis’s argument, or whether the reply from (c) undermines
the objection. You do not need to explain why.
GRADING RUBRIC:
- You have followed all of the assignment instructions accurately,
including the instructions about the introduction:
- You have accurately summarized the author’s justification for the
premise, in your own words:
- You have come up with a strong objection, and have clearly explained
why this objection undermines the premise:
- You have come up with a strong reply that directly relates to the
objection you discuss:
- You have clearly stated your opinion for part (d):
- Your paper is clear, easy to read, well-organized, and grammatical:
10 points
20 points
30 points
20 points
5 points
15 points