Writing Exercise I: Explicating Arguments

Posted: Wed, Sep 10, 2025

Due: Monday, September 22, by midnight, to CourseWorks.
Format: No more than 300 words (excl. bibliography), any sensible spacing/font/margins, any citation style so long as you consistently apply it (use Chicago Author-Date if you don’t have a favorite).

Please explain, step by step and in your own words, how Judith Thomson uses the fictional case of a violinist to argue for the moral permissibility of abortion.

Advice:

Audience: Imagine that you are writing to a friend not enrolled in the class rather than to me as the professor. Don’t presume familiarity with the reading. Use clear, direct, and simple prose. Never mistake obscurity for profundity. Accessibility is a virtue of philosophical writing.
Explication: An argument, as philosophers use that term, has two components—the conclusion (what the argument aims to establish) and the reasons oﬀered in favor of that conclusion (called “premises”). In presenting an argument, then, you should be sure to explain not just what the conclusion is but more importantly how the premises—the proffered reasons—are supposed to justify that conclusion.
Sources: To do so, you should cite relevant textual evidence to support your reading of the text. For the kind of philosophical writing we’re doing for this class, you should integrate your sources into your exposition through paraphrases except where direct quotations are absolutely necessary.
Structure: Try to set up your exposition in a logically progressive way. The diﬀerent claims and ideas involved should build on each other, contributing to the development of a coherent, overarching line of thought.

This writing exercise is ungraded and you will receive written feedback from your TA. We are also happy to meet with you to answer questions and discuss ways in which you could improve your writing.