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and defending philosophical arguments to answer them in turn. Good philosophy proceeds with modest, careful and clear steps. Structuring a Philosophy Paper Philosophy assignments generally ask you to consider some thesis or argument, often a thesis or argument that has been presented by another philosopher (a thesis is
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- Read The Texts Carefully, Asking Questions
- Organize Your Ideas Into A Logical Structure
- Augment Your Thesis with A Road Map That Reveals The Structure of Your Argument
- Show Your Understanding Through Clear and Accurate Exposition
- Critically Evaluate A Philosophical Theory
- Develop Your Own Answers to Philosophical Questions
Before you write a paper, though, you need to understand the course texts and recommended readings. Philosophical works need to be read slowly and with focused attention. As you read, ask yourself the following: 1. What philosophical question(s) is the author addressing? 2. What exactly is meant by key ideas or concepts in the text (e.g., Plato’s “...
Take notes as you read. Then put your ideas for the essay into a logical order. Because philosophy papers proceed by logical argument, creating a point-form outline that captures the structure of your argument is generally a good strategy. An outline will allow you to spot problems in your argument more easily.
Most assignments will require you to present a clear thesis statement that sums up the position for which you are arguing. In the introduction you should also provide a ‘road map’—a few sentences that announce in sequence what you intend to accomplish in each of the key stages of your paper. Road maps often rely on first person (“First, I will anal...
Try to make your expository writing as clear and accurate as possible, and try to show the logical connections between the different parts of a philosophical system. Avoid vague or overly brief exposition, serious omissions, or misunderstandings. In some first year courses, an early assignment may ask you to write a short paper expounding but not e...
When studying a philosophical theory, you will need to think about both its strengths and weaknesses. For example, is a particular theory of art (such as the view that art is the expression of emotion) comprehensive: does it apply to all the arts and all types of art, or only to some? Is it logically consistent or does it contain contradictions? Ar...
In the type of critical assessments above, you are already, to some extent, articulating your own philosophical positions. As you read texts in a course on, say, philosophy of mind or philosophy of art, you should be asking, based on what you have read so far, which theory is the best? Don’t be content to just understand theories and know their str...
Your topic will determine what kind of research or preparation you need to do before writing, although in undergraduate philosophy courses, you usually don’t need to do outside research. [6] Essays that defend or attack entire theories tend to be longer, and are more difficult to write convincingly, than essays that defend or attack particular arguments or objections: narrower is usually ...
In structuring your philosophy essay, you might be guided by the following: 1. Introduction: state what your argument or inquiry is going to be, and briefly indicate your method of attack. 2. Exposition: Set out the views, theses or claims that you will be advancing AND/OR examining.
essay-related problems. The intention is to explain and illustrate a handful of recommendations that address some of the most common mistakes students make when writing philosophical essays. There are numerous resources available to you if you are concerned about your essay-writing skills, beginning with your supervisors.
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This fifth edition of How to Write a Philosophy Essay: A Guide for Students (previous editions titled A Guide to Researching and Writing Philosophy Essays) was prepared in consultation with members of the Philosophy program, the University of Melbourne. For advice and assistance on this and earlier editions, thanks are due to Graham Priest, Barry Taylor, Christopher Cordner, Doug Adeney, Josie ...
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ical writing or the product of philosophical writing. On the one hand, there are the activities involved in producing some bit of philosophical writing. A guide that focused on these activities might say things like: ‘Don’t wait till the last minute!’ ‘Make an outline.’ On the other hand, there is the bit of philosophical writ-ing itself.
