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The Problem of Evil Debate: Home

How to Use This Guide

Welcome to the Problem of Evil Debate Research Guide. This guide has been created especially for you to help you conduct scholarly research for your debate project. Click on each tab to find information, tutorials, and even sample papers to give you the resources you need as you conduct original research. Stop by the library or email us  if you have any questions. 

Ethics Debating in Four Steps

1. Identify the moral dilemma

  • Identify, in detail, the moral position (how one ought to act) you must defend.
  • Identify, in detail, the moral position you must oppose.
  • Show how these positions support contradictory moral judgments.

2. Identify the arguments in favor of your position

  • Identify those ethical theories that support your position
     
  • Identify those reasons why the principles involved in your moral position are more important or stronger than those of your opposition.

     

3. Identify the arguments in favor of your opposition’s position

  • Identify those ethical theories that they might use to support their position. 
  • Identify the arguments and theories they might use to suggest that their moral position is stronger or more important than yours.

4. Identify the objections to each position.

  • Identify the objections you might make to your opposition’s moral position and their ethical arguments.  Anticipate possible responses.
  • Identify the objections the opposition might make to your moral position and ethical arguments.  How do you respond to these objections?

The Problem of Evil

Intelligent Design

Holocaust Memorial in South Beach. Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest. 

Big Six Research Steps

1. Task Definition

  • Define your assignment & identify information needed to complete it.
  • Restate the assignment in your own words. What are you interested in learning?
  • Gather basic information about your topic by reading articles, web pages etc.
  • Talking with teachers, parents, or your librarian is also helpful.

2. Information Seeking Strategies

  • Make a list of all possible sources & select the best ones.
     
  • Choose from nonfiction, news articles, reference books, web pages, databases, directories and multimedia encyclopedias.

3. Location and Access

  • Locate sources (intellectually and physically) & find information within the texts.
     
  • Consult the library catalog, library reference section, search engines, and web-based references on this Research Guide.
     
  • Use a graphic organizer to map out your topic and sub topics

4. Use of Information

  • Read, hear, view & extract the most valuable information
     
  • Use skimming and scanning to find information
     
  • Look for key words, pictures, read headlines and first & last paragraphs of articles to help find the “right” information
     
  • Take notes & cite your sources  - remember to summarize, paraphrase or quote

5. Synthesis

  • Choose the format of your project and organize your research notes according to how you will share the information.
     
  • If your format is a paper, begin by writing an outline.

6. Evaluation

  • Judge the product and the process.
     
  • Make a rubric to evaluate your work. Did you meet the objective?