Arguing Your Philosophical Claim

PHIL 100: PHIL 100 Final Project Stage 3: Arguing your Philosophical Claim 

For the Final Project stage 3 you will present the answer to your philosophical question in the form of a speech. You will write this speech on a Word .docx to submit. Stage 1 and 2 are attached as files. you will find my philosophical question in stage 1.

Your speech will take the form of what is known as the Classical Style:

The Classical Style is divided into four (4) parts:

(1) The Introduction and Narration: In the first part of the classical style, you, as the speaker, introduce the question that is going to be answered by making the speech relevant to the audience. You can do this by contextualizing the speech and narrating the problem that the question brings. Philosophers often use narration, stories, analogies, and events to introduce problems or controversies that the question elicits. Common devices for introducing philosophical questions to an audience are: “Have you ever asked this question?” or “Many people have debated this topic.” The aim of the first part is to make the audience feel comfortable before beginning the argument proper. The more relevant the introduction is to the audience, the better the argument. A very short introduction will not be persuasive, but neither will an overly long one.

(2) Arguments supporting your Claim: In the second part of the classical style, you present your  arguments and evidence to back up or substantiate the main points of your claim. Your arguments and evidence are connected together in a chain of reasoning that link the facts and examples, and testimony that support the arguments you are making. Remember, it’s important to faithfully present the arguments of the philosopher(s) you are studying in order to bolster your claim. When presenting your arguments, it is most persuasive to present your best argument and evidence first, your worst argument and evidence second and your middle argument and evidence third (if you have one). You have already done this step in the Final Project stage 2 assignment. Now, put your arguments and evidence into a convincing speech.

(3) Addressing the Counter-Claim: In the third part of the classical style, you concede and/or refute the arguments that support the counter-claim. The aim of the classical style is to persuade, and your persuasion will be more effective if you take into account these arguments: “Some people say this….but they are wrong because of XYZ” etc. You can anticipate and respond to objections before they are stated, or concede a particular point in order to make another point stronger (as long as you don’t undercut your main claim). You have already identified the arguments that support the counter claim in your Final Project Stage 2 assignment. Now, address these arguments in your speech; your strongest refutation first, your weakest refutation second, and your middling refutation third (if you have one).

(4) Conclusion: In the fourth part of the classical style, you tie everything together, creating a sense of finality or closure to the question, convincing the audience that the question or problem stated in the Introduction has been answered. Often, speakers will include an emotional or ethical appeal in the conclusion in order to help sway the audience to their opinion.

There is no minimum word count or minimum time for your written or oral speech. Your speech will instead be graded on the elements of the Classical Style and your speech’s overall persuasiveness.

Student’s name: Emmanuel Domenech

Professor’s name: Dr. Tina Wood

Topic: Organizing the Claims and Counterclaims

Institution: University of Maryland University College

Date: April 28, 2019

Does God really exist?

Claim: God does exist

First, it is imperative that the complexity of the universe indicates there is a designer who put it in place. Scientists have for long tried to convince humanity that an explosion of energy and light led to what we can see today including the universe as well as flora and fauna. However, this view leaves numerous gaps and disconnects. For instance, what led to the explosion? How did organisms start to be? Was there matter before the explosion happened? These are some of the questions that scientific models will not answer which only gives us one alternative; to believe there is an extraordinary power that led to the creation of the universe and all that it contains.

Additionally, the world is diverse and made up of thousands of cultures and subcultures. Interestingly, all these cultures and subcultures believe there is a supernatural power that balances the forces of nature. It is imperative to note that these cultures do not share language or behaviors, but both have firm beliefs about supernatural power. The fact that these cultures had believed in a supernatural power, it is an indicator that the supernatural power had manifested itself to the cultures which makes their beliefs durable. On the other hand, there are faith situations that indicate the existence of supernatural power. There are medical cases where doctors have ruled out the survival of a patient, but they miraculously survive. This is one of the situations where science is unable to explain some are making one believe that there is a supernatural power that controls nature.

Counter-claim: God does not exist

First, it is imperative that there is no proof or evidence that God exists. In most cases, God’s existence is only associated with various natural happenings and creation which cannot amount to absolute proof that God exists. From ancient times, there is no recorded evidence that God ever manifested Himself to people; hence no evidence supporting His existence. This explains why science has failed to prove that God exists because His existence is only associated with happenings.

Additionally, there are atrocities faced by humans such as hurricanes, fires, hunger, and earthquakes among others. For a long time, individuals who believe in God characterize him as a protector and the provider of humans. However, this is not seen as the world continues to face more and more atrocities (Rhodes, 2014)., and even people believing in God would ask, “Where was God?” This means He was not there in the first place.

Further, the number of people who do not believe in God is increasing by the day. Why wouldn’t God express Himself and show humanity that He exists? This is a significant question that has been widely asked. Other than letting people who believe in Him facing an uphill task trying to prove His existence, He should manifest Himself. If God exists, He should express Himself to all generations. This should happen mainly due to competing for belief systems that currently exist in the world. Why would He create billions of people who then turn to other gods to worship them? It is seen as illogical which also supports the fact that God does not exist.

Reference

Rhodes, J. H. (2014). Debating the Existence of God: God Exists. Inquiries Journal 6(3), 1-11.