Assignment

• Should athletes be allowed to use performance-enhancing drugs (such as steroids or EPO) or techniques (such as blood doping or oxygen tanks)?

Construct the strongest argument that you can on each side of the issue. Strengthen your arguments by contemplating possible objections to each argument, and revise your arguments in light of the objections. Continue this process until you feel that your arguments for each side are as convincing as you can possibly make them.

Write: Present your two arguments (one on each side of the issue) in standard form on the topic you selected. The two arguments should defend different positions on the topic. For example, if your topic was the existence of Santa Claus, then you would present one argument for the claim that Santa Claus does exist and another argument that Santa Claus does not exist. The premises of each argument will present reasons for thinking that the conclusion is true.

Here is an example of what an argument in standard form looks like:

Premise 1: If Santa Claus exists, then he lives at the North Pole.
Premise 2: No one can live at the North Pole.

Conclusion: Santa Claus does not exist.

For each argument, provide a brief explanation of the strengths and weaknesses of the argument. You might explain whether the argument is inductive or deductive, or you might provide a diagram of the argument. Think about how the two arguments compare to each other. Is one better than the other? If so, what makes that one better? Is each a fair presentation of what someone taking that position would say? Are the premises reasonable? How might each argument be made better?

Task

Prepare:

• The topic Should athletes be allowed to use performance-enhancing drugs (such as steroids or EPO) or techniques (such as blood doping or oxygen tanks)?

• Construct an argument for a position on the topic. This is the position that you will defend in your Final Paper. Make your argument as high quality as possible: In particular, make sure that all of your premises are true and that the truth of the conclusion is demonstrated by your premises.

• Consider possible objections to your argument, and revise it several times until you have an argument that is as strong as possible.

• Search in the Ashford University Library for quality academic sources that support some aspect of your argument.

• Constructing quality arguments is harder than it sounds; you may find that your first few attempts have problems and that it takes quite a bit of time and effort to revise an argument to a point that the premises adequately support the conclusion. You will be revising this argument for each of the remaining assignments in this course.

Write: In your paper,

• Present a main argument in standard form with each premise and the conclusion on a separate line. Here is an example of what it means for an argument to be presented in standard form

All men are mortal.
Socrates is a man.
Therefore, Socrates is mortal.

• Provide support for each premise of your argument. Explain the meaning of the premise, and provide supporting evidence for the premise. [One paragraph for each premise]

o Pay special attention to those premises that could be seen as controversial. Evidence may include academic research sources, supporting arguments, or other ways of demonstrating the truth of the premise.