Question 1: Logical Outlines
Construct a logical outline for the following two arguments, observing these points:
- Include all of the statements that are made in each passage in your logical outline.
- Think carefully about whether any given sentence might contain more than one statement, which should be listed separately.
- Make sure that the POC (point of conclusion) and premises are written out as complete and independent statements.
- Paraphrase as much as you need to in order to achieve this, but do not omit relevant content.
- Identify any nested conclusions and side-comments, using the methods taught in this unit.
- You are not being asked to identify assumptions in this assignment.
- There is no enforced word limit on this question—just use as many words as you need to do a good job.
Please see the project rubric for further guidance on how this question will be assessed (25 marks each argument, 50 marks total).
Argument 1:
“I want to have a beautiful holiday this year so I will go to Bali, because it has a wide range of yoga classes which will make me fit, gorgeous organic locally grown food which will make me healthy, and cheap massages which will make me very relaxed.”
Argument 2:
“Elon Musk’s DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) has been making global headlines, sparking questions around why the world’s richest person has decided to center himself in US politics. US President Donald Trump signed an executive order enforcing all Federal agencies to cooperate with DOGE, which means that Trump has given Musk unchecked legal authority. This action is unacceptable and must be. Many DOGE appointees are political supporters who lack relevant skills and training, yet they have accessed sensitive personnel data, so this work is creating profound security risks which cannot be allowed to continue. Meanwhile, shares in Musk’s businesses have lost billions in value over the past week. The man should shut down DOGE and return to running his own businesses.”
Question 2: Evaluating Complex Arguments
On the next page is a letter that was sent to NSW Premier Dominic Perrotet on March 3, 2023.
Provide an evaluation of this letter as an argument. Is it a good argument? If so, why? If not, why not?
Your response to this question should be written as a short essay, and you may draw on any of the concepts we have learned so far in the course. There is no need to end your short essay with a reference list, although you may provide URLs to justify labelling certain statements as FACT.
For this question, you are not being asked to submit a logical outline. However, it may help you to make one for yourself before beginning to write. This question has a strict word limit of 300 words (+/- 10%). The word limit is strict to encourage you to develop clear and concise writing skills.
Please see the project rubric for further guidance on how this question will be assessed