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Would you trust the assertions of someone who dogmatically pushes his own view and ignores or dismisses out of hand anyone who dis- agrees? \Remember that a logical argument is not a quarrel or spat and that a truly productive debate is not a competition or shouting match. In ethics, written and oral approaches to […]

WRITING AND SPEAKING ABOUT MORAL ISSUES A common view about ethics is that arguing about morality is unproductive, unenlightening, frus- trating, unsatisfying—and therefore pointless. A typical moral disagreement can go like this: “The university should ban alcohol everywhere on campus,” says X. “Drinking is immoral, whether on campus or off.” “You sound like the administration

Why is the state constantly executing inno- cent people? Arguments by analogy are common in moral reasoning. For example: 1. When a neighbor needs your help (as when he needs to borrow your garden hose to put out a fire in his house), it is morally permissible to lend the neighbor what he needs. 2.

Arguments by analogy are common in moral reasoning. Arguments by analogy are common in moral reasoning. For example: 1. When a neighbor needs your help (as when he needs to borrow your garden hose to put out a fire in his house), it is morally permissible to lend the neighbor what he needs. 2. Britain

Emotions have a role to play in the moral life. In moral arguments, however, the use of emotions alone as substitutes for premises is a fallacy. We commit this fallacy when we try to convince some- one to accept a conclusion not by providing them with relevant reasons but by appealing only to fear, guilt,

Two rules of thumb should guide your use of expert opinion. First, if a claim conflicts with the consensus of opinion among experts, you have good reason to doubt the claim. Second, if experts disagree about a claim, you again have good rea- son to doubt it. Slippery Slope Slippery slope is the fallacy of

AVOIDING BAD ARGUMENTS Recall that a good argument has true premises plus a conclusion that follows from those premises. A bad argument fails at least one of these conditions— it has a false premise or a conclusion that does not follow. This failure, however, can appear in many different argument forms, some of which are

Does gay marriage undermine the institution of heterosexual marriage? ASSESSING NONMORAL PREMISES Sometimes the sticking point in a moral argument is not a moral premise but a nonmoral one—a claim about a nonmoral state of affairs. Often people on both sides of a dispute may agree on a moral prin- ciple but differ dramatically on

Are African Americans underrepresented among executives in corporate America? ASSESSING NONMORAL PREMISES Sometimes the sticking point in a moral argument is not a moral premise but a nonmoral one—a claim about a nonmoral state of affairs. Often people on both sides of a dispute may agree on a moral prin- ciple but differ dramatically on

When does a fetus become viable? ASSESSING NONMORAL PREMISES Sometimes the sticking point in a moral argument is not a moral premise but a nonmoral one—a claim about a nonmoral state of affairs. Often people on both sides of a dispute may agree on a moral prin- ciple but differ dramatically on the nonmoral facts.