RULES:

2-3 pages (excluding bibliography)

12pt font; 1inch margins 

READINGS:

1- Singer, P. The Singer Solution to World Poverty New York Times Magazine (1999)

2- Unger, P. Living High and Letting Die: A Puzzle about Behavior Toward People in

Great Need, (1996)

THE ASSIGNMENT:

1. For each of the two texts assigned for Feb 17^th and Feb 22nd (readings by Singer and Unger) explain as clearly and precisely as you can the respective conclusions about our obligation (or lack of) to aid people in great need that they each argue for. Identify the conclusion and the premises. Ask yourself: What is ultimately being argued for in the passage? What claim is the author trying to establish? Please note that one of the readings will be discussed in class before you submit your assignment the other one will not). Answer separately for each text.
2. Set out the core argument. You can do so in numbered premise/conclusion format or in paragraphs form.  Explain exactly how the argument is supposed to work; you are not asked to discuss the steps but to identify them. Ask yourself: How does the ultimate conclusion follow from the premises? How are the premises themselves established? Are they merely stated, or is an argument given for them? The point is to make clear what the main argument is by exposing its core elements and showing how they are logically related to each other. As you reconstruct the argument try to be as faithful as possible to the text.
3. Assess whether the arguments are valid and sound [recall that an argument is valid if the premises necessarily lead to the conclusion and sound if it is valid and you can accept the premises as true] and explain why.