Writing Exercise II: Assessing Arguments

Posted: Wed, Oct 8, 2025

Due: Monday, October 20, 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.

Thomson argues that Foot’s doing/allowing harm distinction does not work because it gets wrong the bystander version of the trolley case. Please critically evaluate the successfulness of this argument by raising what you take to be the strongest objection to it and then considering what Thomson could say in response.

Advice:

  • Audience: Because this writing exercise focuses solely on the assessment of Thomson’s argument, you can assume that your reader is already familiar with that argument.
  • Objection & reply: In analytic moral philosophy, the most common way to assess an argument is through an objection–reply structure. You can defend a view you find compelling by showing that the strongest objection to it fails, and you can critique a view you have problems with by offering your objection and then arguing that the strongest reply to it does not succeed. For example,
    • An objection could cast doubt on the truth of the evidence/premises cited in support of the conclusion (e.g., “Kant’s project begins with the idea that moral laws can be grounded in rational agency; I argue that this is not in fact possible”);
    • It could suggest that the conclusion would not follow even if all of the evidence/premises were true (so the reasoning commits some kind of fallacy);
    • It could introduce countervailing considerations, alternative positions, or further complications not yet taken into account;
    • It could zoom out to litigate the relative strength of competing views;
    • It could problematize how the question at issue is framed (e.g., “No, personal issues are political issues”);
    • It could draw out an implausible implication of the conclusion defended (i.e., reductio ad absurdum);
    • And there’s so much more you could do!

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.