From p. 11 of James Rachels’ ‘The Challenge of Cultural Relativism’: The section entitled ‘Why, Despite All this, Thoughtful People May Be Reluctant to Criticize Other Cultures’
In 500 words, reconstruct and critically evaluate the argument found in your chosen passage. A successful reconstruction makes the argument easily understandable to someone seeing it for the first time. It clearly and accessibly defines technical terms. (A good rule of thumb is to ask: would my roommate—who’s clever, but has never taken a philosophy course—understand what I’m writing? If not, further explanation is needed.) It makes clear what the structure of the argument is: what is the conclusion? What are the supporting premises? Why are the premises plausible? You don’t necessarily need to include numbered premise–conclusion form, but that is one good option. It also does not include any irrelevant information. It gives the reader just what is necessary to understand the argument.
Sample Solution
