PHL273

Paper Prompt #1 (Due October 27 at 11:59pm on Quercus)

In “The Radical Egalitarian Case for Animal Rights” Tom Regan argues for the complete dissolution of commercial farming on the grounds that it violates the right of animals in the sense of reducing them to the status of “mere things” . That is to say, it violates their right not to be treated as though their value is exhausted by their usefulness to others.

In a paper of 3-4 pages (double-spaced), critically evaluate Regan’s argument.

Here are some suggestions for what you might do with this paper:

•    Argue in a different way from Regan for his conclusion about farming.

•    Argue that Regan is wrong to think that commercial farming violates the rights of animals.

•    Defend Regan’s view or argument against a compelling criticism.

Some notes:

•    I am not asking you to go out and read what others have to say about the topic of animal rights. In fact, I discourage you from doing so. Not only would this take valuable time, but you would run the risk of writing a report on what others have to say rather than a philosophical paper. I want to see an original take on the issue at hand, not a summary of what some other people think.

•    I am not asking you to appeal to any other readings on our syllabus.

•    Write as though your reader has no familiarity with the subject matter (e.g., Don’t assume that your reader knows what Regan’s argument is) Your paper should be accessible to any reasonably intelligent adult.

•    All students must upload their essays to Quercus by 11:59pm.

•    If you need an extension, contact me (not your TA).

Assignment Breakdown

A complete essay will contain all of the following (we’ll talk about this in class):

•    A short introduction. This is your opportunity to introduce your reader to the topic and your thesis.  Briefly explain the topic you will engage and give your reader a sense of   how your paper is structured.  What can he or she expect to encounter in what follows?

•    An explicit thesis statement. This is the claim that you will be arguing for in the essay. Be as clear and explicit as possible.  (E.g. “In what follows, I will argue that

_____________”)

•    An argument for your thesis statement.

•    A well-motivated worry or criticism pertaining to your argument

•    A reply to the worry/criticism

Formatting guidelines:

Please observe standard university formatting guidelines for the essay. Failure to do so may cost you points.

•    12 point serif font (Times or Times New Roman)

•    Double spaced

•    1 inch margins all around

•    Your name at the top

•    Page numbers

•    Citations where necessary

•    A bibliography

•    Adescriptive title (“Paper #1” is not a descriptive title). Feel free to have fun with it!

Assignment Submission

To submit your assignment, visit the Assignments section of our course’s Quercus site.