PHI 210 Critical Thinking Class

Assignment 1.2: Conflicting Viewpoints Essay -- Due Week 4, Worth 100 points

When looking for information about a particular issue, how often do you try to resist confirmation bias by seeking out sources that might contradict your own point of view? This assignment asks you to engage in this aspect of critical thinking. The assignment is divided into two parts.

The Believing Game is "believing" what you don't believe.To play the Believing Game, read either the Pro section or the Con section on the www.procon.org website – whichever argument is in opposition to your position on the chosen issue.

Ask yourself the “believing” questions suggested by Elbow, such as "What's interesting or helpful about the view? What would you notice if you believed this view? … In what sense or under what conditions might this idea be true?" Jot down your answers to refer to later when you write your essay.

The Doubting Game is "doubting" what you do believe. To play the Doubting Game, read either the Pro column or the Con column on the www.procon.org Website – whichever argument is in agreement with your position. Ask yourself the “doubting” questions suggested by Elbow, such as the journalistic questions who, what, when, where, why, how. Jot down your answers to refer to later when you write your essay.

In Part II of the assignment, you will write an essay geared towards synthesizing your ideas. As author E.M. Forster said, “How do I know what I think until I see what I say?”

Paragraph 1: State your position on the topic you selected and give three reasons for why you believe as you do.

Paragraph 2: Write about what happens when you play the “Believing Game” – Explain your reactions to the three reasons you identified from the procon.org website that are against your position. Refer to your notes from Part I.

Paragraph 3: Write about what happens when you play the “Doubting Game” – Explain your reactions to the three reasons you identified from the procon.org website that are in agreement with your position. Refer to your notes from Part I.

Paragraph 4: Refer to the specific types of biases discussed in Chapter 2 of the Webtext.     Identify and explain at least three types of biases that you likely experienced when you read the reasons for and against your position on the topic.

Paragraph 5: Now that you have played the “Believing Game” and the “Doubting Game,” explain whether or not your position on the topic has changed. Explain whether your reasons for supporting or not supporting the issue have changed.  

Click on Assignment 1.2 or refer to the Course Guide for more details on the assignment format and for the grading rubric. Submit your essay to Week 4 in Blackboard.

Please remember that your paper undergoes a Safe Assign review for plagiarism. Please check your Safe Assign score after you submit your paper. If it indicates plagiarism is present, then use the report to make corrections in your paper, and submit a clean paper that avoids plagiarism problems.

The Safe Assign score for the final submission should be 0%, or as near to 0% as you can get. Higher scores indicate that plagiarism is present. If plagiarism is present, even if unintentional, it is a violation of the academic honesty policy. Papers with unacceptable Safe Assign scores may receive substantial point deductions, an automatic failing grade, or be reported to university administration for disciplinary action.