Articulating the Argument: Worksheet

Project

Argument

Claim Claim Claim Claim Claim Claim Claim

Evidence for Claim Evidence for Claim Evidence for Claim Evidence for Claim Evidence for Claim Evidence for Claim Evidence for Claim

Strategies that Strategies that Strategies that Strategies that Strategies that Strategies that Strategies that
support claim support claim support claim support claim support claim support claim support claim
 Example: Articulating the Argument: Pinker’s “The Moral Instinct”
Project
Pinker explores a new science that has developed around morality, which shows us that humans have an inherited moral sense, though its universal spheres (based
on harm, fairness, community, respect of authority and purity) are variable depending on cultures.
Argument
Despite beliefs to the contrary, the scientific findings do not make moral reasoning and conviction obsolete, but can advance it by allowing us to see through the
illusions that evolution and culture have saddled us with and to focus on goals we can share and defend.
Claim Claim Claim Claim Claim Claim Claim
We all have a moral We use reason to Morality has Morality is universal Morality is variable Morality, like any This science on
“switch” (8) rationalize our evolutionary roots (28) (37) other sense, is prone morality can help us
morals, an emotion (5) to illusions and can better ourselves (62)
(16) actually bar us from
making the right
decisions (63)
Evidence for Claim Evidence for Claim Evidence for Claim Evidence for Claim Evidence for Claim Evidence for Claim Evidence for Claim
Differs from other Haidt’s hypothetical Joshua Greene and Trolley Problem Shweder/Fiske Morality, prone to Facts about DNA
thinking, as we think examples plus neuroscience (22-23) survey (36) illusion (4, 63) (48)
they’re universal and explanation (17-20) findings (24-27)
desire retribution for
rule-breakers (9-10)
Paul Rozin’s study Hypothetical Morals at work in Anthropologists Haidt’s five moral Kass-moral Trivers works on tit
on vegetarians/ examples, re: animal kingdom (39) Donald E Brown list foundations plus blindness in public for tat (50)
Smokers indicate God/platonic realm of human universals examples (37) discourse (64)
moral judgment (11- (55-56) (29)
12)
Social history full of Morals outgrowth of Early childhood Cultural examples: Moralization over Non-zero sum
moral “switches” reciprocal/ nepotistic work by Turiel and Japanese, Muslims, global warming games (58)
(13-14) altruism (40-41) Smetana (30) etc. (42) issues (67)
Genetic variation in Circumstantial Subculture Ratioanlity gives us
personalities (52) evidence for examples: Liberals interchangeability of
genetics (31) v. conservatives (43) perspectives (59)

Strategies that Strategies that Strategies that Strategies that Strategies that Strategies that Strategies that
support claim support claim support claim support claim support claim support claim support claim
Definition, logos, Rebuttal (20) Analogy to Definition (36) Pathos (65) Rebuttal (46, 54)
pathos, ethos Chomsky’s grammar
(28)
Tone/word usage Tone Definition (47)