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    Philosophy Essay Writing Tips

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    cameron mclaughlin
    The document provides tips for writing a philosophy essay, including structuring the introduction, supporting paragraphs, and conclusion. Supporting paragraphs should each explain one clear idea and anticipate objections. Transitional phrases and citations are important.

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    Philosophy Essay Writing Tips

    Uploaded by

    cameron mclaughlin
    9 views3 pages
    The document provides tips for writing a philosophy essay, including structuring the introduction, supporting paragraphs, and conclusion. Supporting paragraphs should each explain one clear idea and anticipate objections. Transitional phrases and citations are important.

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    © © All Rights Reserved

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    The document provides tips for writing a philosophy essay, including structuring the introduction, supporting paragraphs, and conclusion. Supporting paragraphs should each explain one clear idea and anticipate objections. Transitional phrases and citations are important.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    9 views3 pages

    Philosophy Essay Writing Tips

    Uploaded by

    cameron mclaughlin
    The document provides tips for writing a philosophy essay, including structuring the introduction, supporting paragraphs, and conclusion. Supporting paragraphs should each explain one clear idea and anticipate objections. Transitional phrases and citations are important.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    Philosophy Essay Writing Tips.

    The Introduction

    1. State your position/ construct a thesis statement


    2. Delineate the boundaries of your argument. For instance, given the short nature of the
    essay, you may have been forced to omit examination of other arguments that you really
    do think are important to the debate.
    3. Include an outline/structure of the paper.

    Supporting Paragraphs

    1. You need to organize your points and arguments in a logical fashion. Each paragraph
    should have a clear place in the overall argument. (1) make sure you explicate a view or
    argument, clearly and charitably, before criticizing it and (2) explain key terms, concepts,
    and examples before employing them.

    2. As a rule, each paragraph should explain one idea, related ideas or insight that builds
    toward the next, and each should bring your reader one step closer to accepting your thesis
    and the cogency of your arguments. Develop your point well before moving to the next
    point.

    3. Use topic sentences, just as your thesis statement acts as the controlling idea behind your
    entire paper, a topic sentence acts as the controlling idea that binds together the sentences
    within a paragraph. The sentences within a paragraph should explain, develop, or support
    the idea/claim that was introduced in the topic sentence. (Although most paragraphs should
    have a topic sentence, not every paragraph needs one. For instance, a topic sentence won't
    be needed in a paragraph that continues to develop an idea that was introduced by the topic
    sentence of the previous paragraph.

    4. Anticipate objections, if your position is worth arguing for, there are going to be reasons
    which have led some people to reject it. A good way to demonstrate the strength of your
    position is to consider one or two of the best of these objections and show how they can be
    overcome. You must argue that these criticisms miss the mark as far as your case is
    concerned, or that they are in some sense ill-conceived despite their plausibility. It takes
    considerable practice and exposure to philosophical writing to develop this engaging style
    of argumentation, but it is worth it.

    5. Remember it is not about how many objections you present rather it is about how well
    those objections are developed and respond to and damage the moral theory you are
    looking at.

    Conclusion

    1. Restate your main argument very concisely, and reflect briefly on its larger implications
    and/or new questions that may arise.
    2. Do not introduce new ideas

    Additional Tips

    1. Make sure that the scope of your essay is limited enough that you can fully explore all of
    the texts you engage in your writing. Do not write an essay that is too broad.

    2. Adequately develop/resolve an idea before you move to the next one. You should revise
    your paper carefully to ensure that you treat each idea fully and include clear transitions
    that explain to your reader the relationships between ideas.

    3. Use transitional phrases, such as: (1) I will begin by... (2) Before I say what is wrong
    with X's argument, I will first... (3) At this point, we need to consider the following
    objection... (4) In this section, I will... In the next section, I will... (5) Having argued for
    the view that... , (6) I now wish to consider rival views. (7) Although I have shown..., I
    still need to prove... (8) Next, I will offer support for what is perhaps my most controversial
    assumption, that... (9) I have argued that..., but someone might object... (10) However, this
    response fails, because...

    4. Give credit, when quoting or paraphrasing, always give some citation. Indicate your
    indebtedness, whether it is for specific words, general ideas, or a particular line of
    argument. Appropriately citing the works of others indicates an awareness of some of the
    relevant literature on the subject. To use another writer's words, ideas, or arguments as if
    they were your own is to plagiarize.

    5. Avoid asking rhetorical questions.

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