3. Th e creationists have no right to impose their mistaken, ignorant, superstitious beliefs on others. Th ey claim the constitutional right to the free exercise of religion. How about the rights of the majority of people who want their children taught the scientifi c truth about evolution—not fallacious myths and superstitions from primitive societies.

Th e following selections were taken from the letters to the editor section of a newspaper.

Each can be interpreted as expressing one or more arguments. Begin by identifying the conclusion of each. Th en disengage the covert assumptions, value claims, and other cognitive assertions from the emotive language and translate them into emotively neutral premises. Use the two examples in the text as models.

Finally, evaluate the restructured arguments. Some may turn out to be good ones.