Writing an argumentative essay about an ethical issue – How to!

An ethical issue is a moral dilemma, and there are many different types. Some examples are abortion, euthanasia, animal testing, pornography, and racism.

An ethical argument is a strong persuasive essay that seeks to prove something. It has two sides usually called the pro side (those who want it legalized) and the con side (those who don’t).

Choosing an Ethical Issue for Your Argumentative Essay

Writing an argumentative essay requires you to choose an ethical issue that you care about or one in which you can reasonably argue both sides. This will make your writing easier because you don’t have to research every aspect of both opinions; plus it makes your arguments more credible when you’re able to present evidence for them.

1. Choose a topic you’re familiar with

You should choose an ethical issue that’s easy for you to research and one in which you have enough knowledge about both sides to write them persuasively. If you simply can’t find what you’re looking and then end up taking a side, it will probably cause your essay to lack key facts or other information on the opposing argument. For example, if you’ve only got some background information about animal testing, it would be difficult to write an effective paper arguing for or against it (more on this below).

2. Choose something current

Ethical issues tend to be widely debated — especially when they concern public policy — so if the subject is current, there are more sources of information available. Even though there are a lot of ethical issues that people have never heard about, they’re hard to argue for or against because it’s difficult to find enough information on them.

3. Avoid controversial topics

Ethical issues that stir up strong emotions such as abortion and sexual orientation are difficult to write about because you’ll need more time to analyze both sides and their evidence than if you picked something neutral. In addition, your audience may be less receptive to your argument if they disagree with your point of view or think poorly of you because of it; plus, it will be easier for the opposing team in the debate round (if you choose this route) to tear apart your argument since these types of arguments don’t show any sort of neutrality.

4. Don’t choose an ethical issue that’s too simple

Ethical issues that are too simple to write about make poor topics because they’re not controversial or interesting enough to attract the audience you’ll need to read your argument. They will also be boring and dull for them which isn’t good since it means they won’t understand why you’re arguing for one side over another, thus making it a lot easier for them to just dismiss what you have written as uninteresting or useless information.

5. Choose a topic you care about

If you don’t really care either way about any given ethical issue, it will be hard for you to write an effective essay defending it; plus, if there’s nothing at stake, it will be a lot less motivating for you to read up on that particular issue. This means that you’ll have to spend more time researching than if you’d chosen an ethical issue with which you already had some background knowledge of the pros and cons (see above).

Writing an Argumentative Essay

After choosing your essay topic, it’s important to know and understand how to write an effective argumentative essay. It’s not easy since persuasive writing is different from other types of writing — plus, it requires research on both sides of the debate in addition to critical thinking skills.

1. Do enough research

It’s necessary to do a considerable amount of research for each side of the ethical debate because it supports your arguments well when you can back up your points with compelling evidence from reputable sources. If you don’t have enough information on both sides of an ethical issue, it is likely that you will lose credibility in the eyes of your readers when you only touch on important matters.

2. Take a side

In argumentative essays, there is usually one “right” answer to the question posed at the beginning; therefore, you must decide which side holds more merit and write your essay to convince others to agree with you. This means that when doing research for both sides, it’s best to discover what arguments are strong and which ones are weak before writing anything down — this way, you’ll know whether or not to include specific facts or evidence that may help support one side or another, and you won’t have to spend time on information that isn’t beneficial.

3. Be persuasive (but not manipulative)

If readers don’t agree with your perspective before reading a word of what you wrote, it will be hard for them to change their minds if they still disagree at the end of the essay. Therefore, you must use facts and logic as well as emotional appeal in order to convince people to think like you do about an ethical issue. This means it’s important to know how logical fallacies work so that you can avoid using them when making your own arguments; a fallacious argument is one that uses poor reasoning such as ad hominem attacks which are attacks against the person instead of their argument or faulty generalizations which are too broad since they don’t take into account all the variables.

4. Don’t let your emotions get in the way

It’s a good idea to think about an ethical issue before making your decision on how you feel or what you believe it means for you, your family, and society as a whole; however, once you’ve come up with your own opinion, it can be hard to see past that and try to see things from another person’s perspective. Remember that there are always multiple sides to every story so if you can appreciate this fact then it’ll be easier for you to write an argumentative essay without letting your personal feelings cloud your judgment.

5. Organize ideas logically

It’s important to write an argumentative essay in a logical way so that readers can follow along with your points — this means that you should have an introduction which states the thesis of your essay, a body section where you present evidence for and against each side of the ethical issue, and a conclusion summarizing why you think one side is more valid than the other.

6. Edit properly

Drafting is necessary when writing an argumentative essay because it gives writers time to organize their thoughts before presenting them to others; however, sometimes people find themselves stuck in drafting mode too long and end up spending hours (or even days!) rewriting sentences or rewording paragraphs without ever getting into the final version. Therefore, it’s important not only to plan out the order in which you’re going to present your information but also to write an outline of what each paragraph will say before writing anything down (this is where the research comes into play). Once you have all your ideas on paper, then it’s time to do the final draft!

7. Be careful not to plagiarize

It’s unlikely that someone would plagiarize an argumentative essay about a relatively straightforward issue such as whether or not schools should institute uniforms so the chances are slim; however, if you plan on taking this topic and looking at different points of view, there might be some overlap between what one author states and what another says. Even though many ethical issues are similar — for example, they usually involve making judgments regarding who gets what and why — it is still important to avoid plagiarism, not only because it’s dishonest but also because the Internet makes it easier than ever for teachers to find out if students haven’t done their own work (and don’t forget — there are some pages that can help teachers identify plagiarized essays). So remember: be ethical!

8. Consider opposing points of view

When writing an argumentative essay, you should always consider both sides of a controversial issue; however, sometimes writers tend to think about one point of view more often than another which means they’re not open-minded enough during the drafting process. Writing an argumentative essay isn’t easy since there will always be two or more perspectives on any given topic so as long as you keep that in mind, you’ll have an easier time not only coming up with your own ideas but also defending them as well.

9. Think about how you want to organize information

When writing an argumentative essay, it’s important to think about how you want to present your material; for example, if you believe one perspective is valid and another isn’t, then you might choose to write your opening paragraph using the Socratic method of debate which leads readers through the evidence step-by-step so they can come to their own conclusions regarding who is right or wrong. On the other hand, if there are several perspectives on a single issue (for example, whether or not school uniforms should be required) then it may be best to use the Aristotelian method of debate and present both sides before coming to your own conclusions.

Remember that there are many types of argumentative essays — for example, some deal with a controversial issue (as explained above) while others simply compare and contrast two things or ideas. No matter which type you’re dealing with, if you follow through on the steps listed above then you’ll be well on your way to writing an exceptional argumentative essay.

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The Enlightenment Influence on the American Revolution

The Enlightenment was the key to the many philosophies of the American Revolution. This movement streamed its focus mostly on equality, religious tolerance, freedom of speech, and freedom of press. The American Revolution happened when America tried to gain its independence from Great Britain-England. Philosophers were the greatest influencers of the social movement as discussed in this essay. The core inspirations for American Colonies to become independent was the Enlightenment idea.

Most American Revolution leaders were influenced by Enlightenment ideas such as, religious tolerance, freedom of press, equality, and freedom of speech. Due to lack of these rights, American colonists rebelled against England for independence. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson was the primary author who drafted about the American’s natural rights to “the pursuit of happiness, liberty and life.” All these ideas arose from the Enlightenment, the principles led to the American Revolution soon after (Fisk). “Many philosophers consider the American Revolution an anticolonial war for independence, a war of freedom and liberation from overseas rule. The American Revolution is considered to be a social movement that aims at acquiring more property and businesses” (Morris, 3).

Montesquieu is one of the authors who firmly believed that everything was made up of rules and laws that never changed. In his book, The Spirit of the Laws, he wrote about how separation of power is crucial in balancing the control of the government. England demonstrated the separation of powers clearly in its three branches, legislative, executive, and judicial. They separated these three branches to make sure that no one had any absolute power. Therefore, citizens of England could have a say in the government actions, hence giving citizens much more control of power and freedom in the government. The Spirit of the Laws book was translated into English, so that American Colonists could read and understand it’s Enlightenment ideals, such as a balance of power that provided greater freedom and liberty to citizens. American Colonists wanted to have liberty and also strongly believed they can’t be controlled by England (Fisk).

The most influential philosophers during the time period of the Enlightenment was Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Rousseau published The Social Contract book in 1762, which became one of the most powerful works of intellectual political thought. It focuses on how a government could exist and protect its society and all citizens. Rousseau also emphasized in his book that Man was/is born free; and everywhere he is in chains. He was a great influence to the entire America and these ideas were important for the American Revolution.

In the history of the world, John Locke was believed to be one of the most essential and influential philosophers. He was a dedicated writer of political thought and philosophy. the American Revolution founding fathers strongly believed in his ideals. John Locke said “The power of any king or government is derived from people who contract to obey their rules in exchange of law and security. Individuals have a natural right to hold property and this can never be taken from them without their own consent. If a ruler infringes the terms of the contract that empowers him or seizes property without consent, the people can resist and depose him” (John Locke). American colonists wanted to have all these but control of England hindered them. This made American colonists want their independence from England.

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Thomas Hobbes is another great philosopher who is well known of his political thought and his vision of the world. He was concerned on how people can live together with peace and think of no conflict (Williams). He strongly opposes free will determinism which is freedom of one to do whatever he or she desires (Oregon State). Individuals obeying leaders in power is what he believed in, rather than a state of nature (Williams). He said, “Individuals in a state of nature, that is, a state without a civil government,”. Establishing social contract is the only way out of this desperate state, and have the state in peace and order (Oregon State). The American Colonists supported Hobbe’s ideas to defend the passage of the U.S constitution.

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence after America won war from Britain. The Declaration of Independence stated that America had gained their independence by winning the revolution from Great Britain. Therefore, they had total freedom to become their own nation. This evidently shows that the Enlightenment ideals had a great influence on America. The main influences for American Colonies to become their own nation were the Enlightenment ideals. Ideas and thoughts of life that were highlighted by Hobbes, Montesquieu and Locke were a big impact. Rousseau influenced the social contract, Hobbes mainly influenced individuals obeying those in power, Locke mainly influenced natural rights, and Montesquieu mainly influenced the separation of powers. Philosophers and Enlightenment ideas in the United States of America were the core inspirations for American Colonies to become their own nation.

In what ways did the enlightenment lead to the American revolution?

The enlightenment didn’t wholly contribute to the American revolution however it did lead to some extent.

These enlightenment ideas that were provided became the theoretical basis of the revolution itself. The enlightenment encouraged the Declaration of Independence which greatly drew on enlightenment ideas.

To summarize the enlightenment, it emphasizes on the notions of social contract (belief that the government only exists to serve the right of the citizens). The Americans believed that the government of Britain did not have their interests. They used America for ‘unfair’ taxes and trading affairs, due to this, Great Britain government no longer served the American people interests so this led to rebellion.

The enlightenment also focuses on the agreement of the people governed and the separation of powers.

The separation of powers was to ensure no one had absolute power. This being the key idea behind the state of America it led to revolt as people wanted to have a fair government where they all had a say not like the British government where it was legislature and the king. This did influence the government that was to be formed in America after gaining independence.

All stuffs related to tax issues were quite drivel – the United States were less taxed than the British and Irish and had more freedom in matter of practicality: majority had their own constitutions, etc. Many were afraid that these factors might change but the driver was the hope of a better government and, with it, there would be a better life.

The United States was built on idealism. It encouraged the French Revolution years after, to go much further then it might otherwise have done in imitation of the US.

Founders created a better society, with the black spot of slavery that need much war to rectify later. These ideas are now blinding most Americans to the peril their nation is now in with its clown-like president and incapability to address increasingly grim problems of mass imprisonment, shooters, drugs, and the huge parasite of the military.

 

The John Locke’s enlightenment work was very significant in helping drive the flames of Independence. Locke’s influence is most deeply felt in Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. The enlightenment was more noticeable in the constitution than the real revolution though. The works of Voltaire, Locke, Rousseau, and Montesquieu influenced the drafting of the constitution, and that of the bill of rights. It’s evident that, the enlightenment was given structure in the U.S. Constitution.

Many didn’t realize that majority of those within the Enlightenment were Christians. The Church was the step child and under the control of government and European monarchs throughout Europe. The main issue was the strong desire to have the Church removed from the government  controls so that there would be freedom to worship.

Declaration of independence list of criticisms:

1. He has refused to Agree to Laws, that are beneficial to citizens.

Thomas Jefferson is referring to how King George III will not attend to the colonists’ rights.

2. He has banned his Governors to approve Laws of pressing and immediate significance, unless held in their operation till his acceptance; and when so suspended, he has totally neglected to attend to them.

Thomas Jefferson is referring to how King George III will not attend to the colonists’ rights.

3. He has dissolved Representative Houses repetitively, for not supporting the manly determination of his invasions on the rights of the people.

Thomas Jefferson is referring to the Coercive Acts, which dissolved the Massachusetts legislature.

4. He has strived to prevent the population of these States; for that reason interfering with the Laws of Naturalization of Foreigners; raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands and refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and.

Thomas Jefferson is referring to King George III’s anti-immigration policies towards Spanish, Germans, and Dutch, who remain loyal to their native countries.

5. He has made Judges follow his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

Thomas Jefferson is referring to the fact that there is no fair trial by jury.

6. He has established a multitude of New Offices, and ordered hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

Thomas Jefferson is referring to the creation of positions, including soldiers and tax collectors, which result in the colonists needing to provide for them.

 

More Enlightment related questions

 

How did the Enlightenment influence the American Revolution?

 

Was the American Revolution a result of the Enlightenment?

 

How is the American Revolution a child of enlightenment?

 

How did the enlightment influence a revolution?

 

The American revolution was the child of enlightenment. How?

How did the ideas of the Enlightenment influence the American Revolution, and the formation of the American government?