Intro. to Philosophy
First Argument Summary
Argument Summary Assignment
Due on Blackboard. See Blackboard for specific time and date. The link is in the
"Assignments" folder.
Read "Why Doesn't God Intervene to Prevent Evil?" by B. C. Johnson. You can find this reading in
the textbook on pages XXXXXXXXXX.
You will be writing a two page (i.e. about 500 words) double-spaced summary of the main argument
found in "Why Doesn't God Intervene to Prevent Evil?" Please note you are summarizing the
argument and not the entire essay itself. There may be parts of the essay that are not relevant to the
main argument or you may need to write the summary in a different order than it appears in the
essay.
Your summary should include a clear identification of the main conclusion of Johnson's argument.
You will also need to identify the main premises. If those premises are supported by another
argument you will probably need to include it as part of your summary but be careful to show that
the argument is separate from the main argument.
This assignment is intended as a test of your ability to summarize difficult material accurately and
objectively. This material might be emotional charged for some of you. You need to look beyond
that and summarize without adding any opinions of your own. Only after you have mastered this
skill can you begin to formulate and provide objections that are relevant and free from bias.
Here is an outline of what should be in your summary:
1) The primary conclusion of the "Why Doesn't God Intervene to Prevent Evil?". If you
have some trouble identifying the conclusion you should ask yourself this question: What is the
main point Johnson is trying to prove in this essay? Put that point into your own words and see if
you can find a co
esponding passage in the text (usually near the beginning or end) that matches.
2) Identify the premises that are directly connected to the conclusion. Here you are looking
for the main reasons Johnson uses to show that the conclusion above is true. Please note that there
are several secondary arguments within the essay. These are mainly used to support the premises.
You should try to separate these secondary arguments from the primary argument.