Questions We Can Help You To Answer

Final Paper Topic: What is Environmentalism?

The Nature Conservancy and the Foundation for Deep Ecology both take themselves to be leading environmentalist organizations. The mission statements of these organizations are importantly different, however: The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. (One of its slogans is, “Protecting nature, for people today and future generations.”) http://www.nature.org/about-us/vision-mission/index.htm
 (Links to an external site.)
 

The mission of the Foundation for Deep Ecology (FDE) is to support education and advocacy on behalf of wild Nature. http://www.deepecology.org/mission.htm
 (Links to an external site.)
 

You must defend the mission statement of either the Nature Conservancy or the Foundation for Deep Ecology and explain why this mission statement captures the true essence of environmentalism. Alternatively, you may defend the position that neither of these organizations captures the true mission of environmentalism. Whatever position you choose to defend, you must provide an argument in support of your position that explicitly draws on the work of at least one of the authors we have read in this class (examples below). You should clearly articulate your thesis statement in your introduction, which is the conclusion of your argument (i.e., the position you defend in your paper).

After presenting and defending your argument, you must provide a strong objection to this argument and a response to this objection. You are encouraged to explicitly draw on the work of another author we have read in this class in making an objection to your argument, or you can come up with an objection that is your own. Be sure to make the strongest objection you can. After presenting this objection in as strong a light as possible, you must then give a response to this objection in light of your main argument. This response might either explain why the objection does not undermine your argument or it might explain how and why your argument needs to be altered in light of the objection. (Hint: In most cases the former strategy is best.)

Your essay should be somewhere around 850 words; you must include a word count of the body of your paper. Papers falling outside this range will be penalized.

Sample possible thesis statements (note there are many other possibilities not listed here):
* Thesis A (Biocentric Individualism Argument): The mission statement of the Nature Conservancy captures the true essence of environmentalism since it recognizes the intrinsic value of all living beings while prioritizing the importance of protecting nature for future generations.
* Thesis B (Deep Ecology Argument): The mission statement of the Foundation for Deep Ecology captures the true essence of environmentalism since its mission is to protect Nature for its own sake rather than merely for the sake of humans.
* Thesis C (Ecofeminist Argument): Both the Nature Conservancy and the Foundation for Deep Ecology capture important aspects of environmentalism, but neither of these organizations fully captures the essence of environmentalism since they are too narrow in their conceptions of what perspectives matter morally.

Basic Requirements:
1. Include your name and the word count of the body of your essay.
2. Include a title for your paper.
3. Underline your thesis statement.
4. The body of your essay should be between 820 to 850 words; answers outside of this range will be penalized. (***Follow this word count guide, not what is mentioned in the assignment video - assignment updated since video was made.***)
5. Be sure to not only state/articulate your argument, objection, and response to this objection but also defend all of the claims you make. This will require explaining WHY your reader should accept your argument, WHY the objection you identify undermines your argument, and WHY you respond to this objection in the way you do.
6. Turn in the final version of your paper on time. Late papers will not be accepted!!!
7. Cite all of the sources you refer to or draw on in your answer. I am not particular about what citation format you use, as long as you include all of the relevant information (author, title, date, page number, etc.). Adequately citing sources requires including a works cited or references list at the end of your paper. A link to the UW library's website on citation is provided on the "Links" page if you need guidance about possible citation formats.

Paper Evaluation Parameters: 
Argument(s): Your paper should contain one main line of argument in which you weigh in on the paper topic in an interesting way. You should clearly summarize your argument in a thesis statement, which you underline, somewhere on the first page of your paper (usually in the first paragraph). Every paragraph of your paper should somehow contribute to the development of your main line of argument. Try to avoid superficial or inappropriate lines of argument (e.g., making an inconsequential addition to an author’s argument or criticizing an author as a person rather than their work).
You should discuss at least one of the required readings for this course in your paper. You are welcome draw on additional sources, though this is not required. All of your sources should be clearly cited. (See the handout on philosophical writing for more information about acceptable citation formats.) Your exposition should clearly and accurately report on the relevant ideas/arguments in the paper(s) that you discuss. Your paper should not contain any extraneous exegesis that does not directly contribute to the development of your main line of argument. You should focus on trying to explain the ideas/arguments you draw on in your own words. Use quotations sparingly and only when there is no appropriate substitute for the author’s words.
Objection: You must present one objection to your main line of argument as a way of further developing your main argument. This objection should address one of the most significant challenges to your position that you can think of. Posing and then responding to superficial objections (e.g., irrelevant or inconsequential objections) will detract from your paper. Addressing too many objections superficially (rather than in depth) will also detract from your paper.
Reply to objection: After presenting an objection to your argument you must provide a reply to this objection in such a way that furthers your argument.
Writing: Your paper should be clearly and thoughtfully written. Expressing philosophical ideas requires excelling in all of the following areas: The first is simply mechanics. Philosophical thoughts are often complex and subtle. Clearly presenting such thoughts requires skillfully managing the grammaticality of sentences. The second is diction. Word choice is very important to expressing philosophical thought. It is also important that terminology is clearly defined so that is it clear how words are supposed to be interpreted. The third is clarity. Philosophical writing demands clarity. Your readers must be able to fully understand what you are saying on their own; what matters is not what you meant to say but what you actually write. Clear philosophical writing enables readers to quickly understand the content of all claims. There are many ways to write clearly, yet this is a surprisingly difficult task. Finally, good philosophical prose is subtle and well developed. While this feature is hard to qualify, prose that lacks this feature is “thin” and “sketchy.” Your writing should not merely gesture towards an idea but should fully and clearly articulate each of your ideas. “Thin” prose may contain good ideas, but it is often hard to tell exactly what these are because they are not adequately developed.