Argumentative essay: The Myth of Immortality, Clarence Darrow and Dualism Defended, J.P. Moreland

Read: The Myth of Immortality, Clarence Darrow and Dualism Defended, J.P. Moreland and respond to the following prompt:

Which is the superior conception of immortality—Darrow’s or
Moreland’s? Or, do you have your own conception of immorality which you
think is superior to both?

For
this assignment, you should, at a minimum: (a) explain Darrow’s view of
immortality, (b) explain why Moreland would reject it, (c) explain
Moreland’s view of immortality/dualism, and (d) argue either that (i)
one of these views is superior to the other or (ii) your own view of faith is superior to both.

The nature and structure of your paper will depend on whether you choose (i) or (ii).

Option (i)

You may agree with Darrow. In that case,
you’ll want to criticize some aspect(s) of Moreland’s argument. Try to
make it clear to the reader exactly what you find objectionable
with Moreland’s argument. On the other hand, you may agree with
Moreland’s argument. In that case, you could develop a criticism on his
opponent’s behalf and defend his view from that criticism. (If you take
this tack, be careful to not just recapitulate the article. This
assignment is an argumentative essay so, naturally, you should be doing
some arguing.)

Option (ii)

Alternatively, you might think that both
Darrow’s view of immortality, as well as Moreland’s, are misguided. In
that case, you’ll want to develop criticisms of both and offer your own
view as an alternative. You could also just develop criticisms of both
without offering your own view. Supplementing your position with
an article or video from this module is also welcome.

These are not research papers. I want to know what you think
about the above puzzle, not what others think. Thus, the sources of
information you are allowed to use will be very limited. You can use:

• your book;
• notes;
• a dictionary/encyclopedia (e.g. for definitions); and
• any materials from the model are allowed.

Any other source of information must be approved by me before you
write the paper. Failure to comply with this requirement constitutes
plagiarism.