Writing Papers in Philosophy

 

During the term you will be asked to write several papers on some "philosophical problem." The purpose of these assignments is to make you think through the problem, to help you see why a philosopher would see it as vexing, and to have you explain what you think about the problem in a coherent manner.

Philosophy papers often involve at least some exposition, i.e., explaining some one or more positions clearly.  Philosophy papers are also argumentative.  By this I mean that one takes a position, provides arguments for that position (see paragraph 8 below), and then shows what important consequences follow from this position.

You will be graded on organization, clarity, thoroughness, thoughtfulness, and the amount of support you provide for your position.

 

Length and Format of Papers:

Papers are to be relatively short. Philoso­phical problems should treated in a well-organized, carefully argued manner.  By "short" I mean approxi­mately four to five typed, double‑spaced pages. The length of the paper is, of course, far less important than what the paper says.  Include a title page with your name, section, and the date.  Please do not put your name anywhere else on the paper except the title page. 

 

  Use of Outside Sources:

Unlike papers written for other courses,  philosophy papers are not, in gen­eral, research papers.  Unless otherwise told by the in­structor, it will not be necessary to con­sult any outside sources. (Secondary sources, especially for beginning stu­dents, are often more confusing than helpful.) If you do borrow ideas from any source other than your own class notes, you must give credit in the form of a footnote.  All footnotes must give the reader of the paper sufficient infor­mation to allow him or her to find the source.  No joint writing is permitted; papers are to be an individual effort.

 

  Use of the Text:

Because one of the primary goals of a philosophy paper is to show the reader how best to understand a philosopher's approach to an issue, it is a good idea to use the text to support your interpretation. For example, if you think that the philosopher you are writing about has contradicted himself or herself, quote the passages you take to be in conflict.

Style:  

You may use, though do not overuse, the first person ('I').   Keep to a formal writing style--avoid colloquialisms.  Proofread!  The final version should be well polished.  Perhaps most important of all: neither overstate nor understate your case, defend a reasonable position.

 

The Opening Paragraph(s):

The purpose of the introduction is to capture your reader's attention, to draw him or her into the problem or issue.  This can be accomplished by outlining what the issue is, indicating why it is an important issue, and what position you are going to take on it.  Present the problem in a concise way. 

 

Your position should be clearly stated in your thesis statement at the beginning of your paper.  A thesis statement includes what you are going to argue and why.  For example: "I will argue that Socrates sincerely tried to defend himself at his trial because: _________________."

 

 

Clarity:

Be sure that the reader will know at each point in the essay why you are saying what you do. The clarity of the paper is of course directly linked to how well the essay is organized. Because you wish to convince the reader of a particular point of view by the end of the essay, you want the reader to be led easily from one paragraph to the next. The paper should contain no grammatical or spelling errors. However trivial such mechani­cal mistakes may seem, they can prevent the reader from understanding your point.  Moreover, they can create the impression that the author has not taken the care with the essay he or she might have. 

 

 

Audience:

Do not write the paper as though your instructor is the only person who will read it. Instead, write as though the reader will be a reasonably intel­li­gent person who may not be familiar with the specific topic.  Thus, it is part of your goal to make clear to such a reader just what the issues are and how they are best approached. Keep in mind that you want to lead the reader to the position you are taking in the paper. 

 

Argumentation:

Philosophy papers typically require you to take a posi­tion for or against some thesis. Thus, they are not merely expositions of some philosopher's views. An argu­ment has two essential ingredients: a conclu­sion, which states what the author desires to show, and a premise or premises, which provide the reasons for accepting the conclu­sion. You may be asked to criticize a philosopher's position. There are, of course, a number of ways to do this. For exam­ple, you may attempt to show that either the conclusion does not follow from the premises offered or that one of more of the premises or the conclusions is false. Alterna­tively, you may also try to show that the position taken leads to a con­sequence that the philoso­pher himself would find unaccept­able. But in whatever way you choose to attack another's position, you yourself must present an argument. Thus, you must give reasons for what you wish to say about the topic under consideration.   (In this connection it is important to keep in mind at the outset that arguing effectively, like any skill, requires care, patience, and practice.)

  

Objections and Rebuttals (This section is relevant only to some papers):

The purpose of this section is twofold: first to show that there is serious opposition to your thesis (otherwise your thesis would be trivial), and second to demonstrate the most serious objection can be overcome (thus a further defense of your thesis).  In formulating your opponents' objection, you need not have a particular person's view in mind.  It might be that no one has ever attacked your position.  The purpose here is, rather, to offer the strongest, most intelligent objection to your thesis that you can muster.  You need not answer every writer's objections; choose the most significant.

 

 

A Final Suggestion:

I realize that some of you may not have written philosophy papers previously. I urge you, then, to discuss the papers with me before you begin writing and‑‑if time allows‑‑to get a first draft to me to look over and criticize. I may be able to offer approaches you may not have consi­dered or to head off difficulties you may not have foreseen.