Structure

The essay is structurally similar to the style adopted in most philosophy essays, where a careful layout of the argument is followed by a consideration of and response to several objections. While Singer does not delineate parts of the essay with headings, the essay can be loosely divided into four structural components: a series of introductory remarks to lay the groundwork for the argument, followed by the argument itself, then a series of objections and his responses, and concluding remarks.

As is fitting of a philosophy essay, it is also arranged dialectically: most of the essay structurally embodies a question-and-answer format, where Singer poses a series of questions he anticipates against his argument, and then addresses them accordingly. Additionally, even though it may not appear to be the case due to the casual tone of the essay, Singer’s argument has a definite logical structure, in that...