· The arguments which are developed in a philosophy essay are supposed to take the reader to an unapparent conclusion from an apparent true ground through many indisputable logical steps. In a philosophy essay, you will generally be asked to think about an argument or thesis which, usually, has already been established by another philosopher Writing philosophy essays is a key part of studying philosophy. Make sure first to understand the assignment, looking out for the questions asked and paying attention to prompts such as “outline” or “evaluate” or “compare”. Most philosophy assignments will ask you to demonstrate your understanding of the subject through exposition Write so that you could be clearly understood by a student who has taken some classes in philosophy but not this particular class. (Think of this imaginary reader whenever you need to decide how much you need to say to set up a discussion, or to judge the overall clarity of your work.) sIf necessary, motivate your thesis (i.e. explainFile Size: 90KB
Writing a Philosophy Essay | Writing Advice
Is there a God? Are there objective, universal moral norms or rules? Do we have free will? In studying philosophy, writing a philosophy essay, students aim to do the following:. Writing philosophy essays is a key part of studying philosophy.
Most philosophy assignments will ask you to demonstrate your understanding of the subject through exposition of arguments and theories, and many writing a philosophy essay also test your ability to writing a philosophy essay these arguments and theories by writing a critical evaluation of them. Write your paper so that the reader understands how your exposition and evaluation answer the questions and address all parts of the assignment.
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:. 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 writing a philosophy essay 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. 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 evaluating a concept or theory.
In some courses, assignments may call for detailed interpretation of a text rather than an assessment of it. Such questions are posed when there is disagreement among scholars about how to interpret a philosopher.
In such essays, you will need to examine texts very closely, find passages which support a yes or no answer, choose where you stand in the debate, and defend your answer. 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? Are there counterexamples to it? As you think about your topic, read the course materials, and take notes, you should work out and assemble the following:. Finally, ask yourself how you would evaluate those replies: do they work or not? Be selective, especially in a shorter paper. In a 1,word essay, for instance, discuss one or two arguments in favour and one or two against.
In a 2, or 2,word paper, writing a philosophy essay, you can include more arguments and possible replies. Finally, writing a philosophy essay, plan carefully: leave enough space for your assessment.
A different type of critical evaluation assignment may ask for writing a philosophy essay comparative appraisal of two or more theories. You might argue that each has different strengths and weaknesses. In the type of critical assessments above, you are already, to some extent, articulating your own philosophical positions. As you read writing a philosophy essay 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?
Push yourself to think out your own account of mind or art. Here, you will present your own answer, giving reasons, answering objections, and critically evaluating alternative approaches. Now you are not only expounding theories or critically evaluating them; you are also developing your own philosophy! Search for. Printable PDF Version Fair-Use Policy.
How to Write a Philosophy Paper
, time: 36:02How To Write A Philosophical Essay Guide: Example, Topics, Structure | EliteEssayWriters
Write so that you could be clearly understood by a student who has taken some classes in philosophy but not this particular class. (Think of this imaginary reader whenever you need to decide how much you need to say to set up a discussion, or to judge the overall clarity of your work.) sIf necessary, motivate your thesis (i.e. explainFile Size: 90KB · The arguments which are developed in a philosophy essay are supposed to take the reader to an unapparent conclusion from an apparent true ground through many indisputable logical steps. In a philosophy essay, you will generally be asked to think about an argument or thesis which, usually, has already been established by another philosopher Writing philosophy essays is a key part of studying philosophy. Make sure first to understand the assignment, looking out for the questions asked and paying attention to prompts such as “outline” or “evaluate” or “compare”. Most philosophy assignments will ask you to demonstrate your understanding of the subject through exposition
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