ADVICE ON WRITING PHILOSOPHY PAPERS

Structure | Argumentation | Things to Avoid

I. Structure

1. The argumentative structure of your paper must be very clear to your reader. This begins with a concise thesis statement in which you:
    
   1. State the problem or topic you will address, specifying the work and author in question.
       
   2. Indicate what central thesis or contention you will advance.
       
   3. Indicate the procedure you will follow to carry out your task.
       
2. Your thesis could be interpretive (e.g., arguing for a specific interpretation of what Plato means by "recollection"), comparative (e.g., claiming that Kuhn's notion of a "paradigm" differs in two fundamental respects from Toulmin's parallel concept), critical (e.g., arguing that Descartes' attempt to doubt all of his beliefs in fact leaves some basic beliefs intact and unquestioned; but one might instead defend a philosopher's views against some plausible but mistaken objection), internally critical (e.g., arguing that a philosopher's view is inconsistent with other views she holds, which are more important or more adequate than the one you are criticizing), or clarificatory (e.g., showing which assumptions are necessary in order to defend a philosopher's claim, and which are optional).
    
3. Example: In Descartes' Meditations, he introduces the hypothesis of an evil genius as a means of advancing doubt to its furthest extreme. It is not obvious, however, that there is a coherent possibility of such global deceit as the evil genius instigates. In this paper I shall examine Descartes's reasons for supposing that this possibility is coherent, and shall argue that he fails to grasp the problematic implications of the evil genius hypothesis. By examining what this hypothesis entails, I shall show that skeptical doubt cannot be taken to the extreme he suggests.

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II. Argumentation

1. Try to explain how Descartes' arguments work, rather than merely paraphrase what he says.
    
   1. Try to figure out why sentence A is followed by sentence B; that is, what was Descartes' thought progression?
       
   2. For example, think about whether A is supposed to be a premise for B, or vice versa, and think about how B follows from A, or vice versa.
       
2. The same point applies when you give your own arguments. Before you write down something like, "A follows from B," THINK about HOW and WHETHER A does in fact follow B.
    
3. The use of examples helps illustrate your point and strengthen your argument:
    
4. Plato uses "knowledge" meaning knowledge of forms, which are universal unchanging concepts such as Beauty and Justice. Opinion, on the other hand, concerns only particulars. The knowledgeable person would see a Picasso painting as beautiful because it partakes in the form of Beauty, while the opinionated person would see a Picasso as beautiful and a stick figure as ugly.
    
5. It is always wise to apply the Principle of Charity to philosophical texts, giving authors the benefit of the doubt in interpreting their arguments.
    
   1. Consider whether your interpretation might be based on a misunderstanding of their views, assumptions, procedure, or aims.
       
   2. This means that it is hardly ever appropriate to claim e.g., "Descartes blatantly contradicts himself here," or "his theory of knowledge is completely misguided."
       
6. VERY IMPORTANT: Try to anticipate and rebut possible objections to your thesis. Use your imagination. The defense of your thesis will not be compelling if the reader can immediately think of obvious and plausible objections to your view to which you present no clear or adequate response.

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III. Things to Avoid

1. Avoid colloquialisms, clichés, or slang: e.g.,"beating around the bush", "know- it-all", "shooting himself in the foot."
    
2. Avoid overstatement: e.g., "Socrates employs a stunningly brilliant [or utterly despicable] metaphor which is intended to save all of mankind."
    
3. Avoid repetition: e.g., "Socrates explores and examines the idea of justice."
    
4. Use SHORTER words and phrases INSTEAD OF LONGER ones; and use the ACTIVE RATHER THAN the PASSIVE VOICE: e.g., "Plato must show that..." rather than "It is necessary for Plato to establish that..."

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