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Conflicting Viewpoints Essay

Conflicting Viewpoints Essay

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. This assignment is divided into two (2) parts. In
> *Part
> I* of the assignment, you will read a book excerpt about critical thinking
> processes, review one (1) Website in order to gather information, and
> engage in pre-writing to examine your thoughts. 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?”*
>
> *Part I*
>
> Preparation and Pre-writing: *Follow the steps below to explore an issue
> through reading and writing –*
>
>    1. Read “The Believing Game and How to Make Conflicting Opinions More
>    Fruitful” by Peter Elbow at
>    http://www.procon.org/sourcefiles/believinggame.pdf. Devise strategies
>    for playing the “Believing Game” and the “Doubting Game,” which are
>    discussed in the Elbow article. According to the article, “the doubting
>    game represents the kind of thinking most widely honored and taught.
> It’s
>    the disciplined practice of trying to be as skeptical and analytic as
>    possible with every idea we encounter. The believing game is the mirror
>    image of the doubting game or critical thinking. It’s the disciplined
>    practice of trying to be as welcoming as possible to every idea we
>    encounter.”
>    2. Select one (1) of the issues from ProCon.org that your professor has
>    approved as a topic choice for your essay. Go to www.procon.org, scroll
>    to the list of issues, click on the issue you selected, and read the
>    background information section on the issue.
>       1.
>          1. 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. Consider at
>          least three (3) of the premises (reasons) listed in that
> section. Apply
>          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?”
>          2. 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. Consider at least three (3) of
>          the premises (reasons) listed in that section. Apply the
>          “doubting” questions suggested by Elbow, such as the
> journalistic questions *who,
>          what, when, where, why, how.*
>
> *Part II*
>
> Synthesizing and Writing: *Now that you have examined your thinking about
> an issue by pre-writing about your ideas –*
>
> Write a four (4) page paper in which you:
>
>    1. Present an argument on an issue by stating your conclusion and
>    identifying your premises.
>    2. Identify three (3) premises of the argument in *opposition* to your
>    conclusion, and describe your reactions to these premises, based on 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?”
>    3. Identify three (3) premises of the argument in *agreement* with your
>    conclusion, and explain your responses to the journalistic questions you
>    asked in order to probe these premises, based on the doubting questions
>    suggested by Elbow, such as the journalistic questions *who, what, when,
>    where, why,*and *how*.
>    4. Examine at least three (3) types of biases that you likely
>    experienced when you read the premises on the Pro side of the argument
> and
>    the premises on the Con side of the argument. (*Note:* Refer to the
>    specific types of biases discussed in Chapter 2 of the Webtext.)
>    5. Describe whether or not your position on the issue has changed.
>    Indicate whether or not your premises supporting the issue have changed.
>    Explain why or why not.
>
> The paper should follow guidelines for clear and organized writing:
>
>    – Include an introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph.
>
>
>    – Address main ideas in body paragraphs with a topic sentence and
>    supporting sentences.
>
>
>    – Adhere to standard rules of English grammar, punctuation, mechanics,
>    and spelling.
>
>
> Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
>
>    – Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with
>    one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA
>    Style format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
>
>
>    – Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the
>    student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date.
> The
>    cover page and the reference page are not included in the required
>    assignment page length.
>
> *You must follow these submission guidelines:*
>
>    – Submit the essay to Turnitin.com and then submit the originality

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Conflicting Viewpoints Essay                          

Should abortion be legal?

Introduction

Abortion is a critical topic that has elicited many debates on whether the practice should be legalized or should not be legalized since various people have different perceptions on the topic. There are pro-choice proponents who have the notion that the choice to abort should be a woman’s fundamental choice and they should be given the ultimate decision to pursue without being limited by religious or governmental authority. On the other hand, pro-life activists argue that a person’s life begins at conception and the termination of this life leads to the immoral and unacceptable killing of a person’s life. According to………………..

APA
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