Analyze 
Use the basic features.

A Probing Analysis: Exploring Moral Arguments

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Although common ground essays seek ways to bridge differences, sometimes the analysis does nothing more than reveal how deep the disagreement is because it is based on fundamentally different values or ways of thinking about the issue.

ANALYZE & WRITE

Write a couple of paragraphs examining Mae’s analysis in “Laying Claim to a Higher Morality”:

  1. What does Mae mean when she characterizes Johnson as “seeing torture in terms of moral absolutes” and Bagaric and Clarke as taking “a situational view of torture” (par. 10)? How does this characterization help explain why Mae cannot find common ground between her authors?
  2. How does Mae use the news report about the Douglas Wood hostage situation and the ticking time bomb scenario to analyze the main differences in their points of view?

    Question

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