Posted: January 4th, 2017

Why Gay Marriage Should Remain Illegal in Certain States

Gay Marriage

1. Locate the arguments in the passages provided. Rewrite the argument clearly and identify the explicit premises. Then, determine whether the conclusion follows from the premises.

It is clear that we should legalize gay marriage. It is a core value of our society that marriage is an important institution. As such, we believe that there should be more marriages, not fewer. If we legalize gay marriage, there will be more marriages than there are now. So, if we value marriage, we should legalize gay marriage.

2. Identify whether there are any implicit premises in the arguments provided. If there are, add them to the argument. Then, determine whether the conclusion follows from the full set of premises, both explicit and implicit.

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3. Read the following passage entitled Why Gay Marriage Should Remain Illegal in Certain States, and then answer the following questions.

Why Gay Marriage Should Remain Illegal in Certain States

If we prohibit marriage between same-sex couples, we will maintain the institution of marriage as it was intended to be—between a man and a woman for the purpose of love, commitment, and reproduction. It is clear that the institution of marriage is maintained, as people are getting married out of love, to express their commitment for each other, and are having children at a faster rate than ever. Because these are valuable goals, we should continue to ban gay marriage to continue our success in maintaining this important institution.

What requirements must this argument meet to be sound?

4.Define the argument that is presented. Explain how it differs from a deductive argument. Explain the requirements that must be met for it to be successful.

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