What are some points to keep in mind when writing for a philosophy class? I just finished a course where every thing I wrote seemed to be wrong.

Comments

A. Read James Pryor’s and Peter Horban's very helpful advice on writing philosophy papers at http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/writing.html and at http://www.sfu.ca/philosophy/writing.htm .

B. Follow the general writing advice of the Harvard Writing Center at http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/documents/Overvu.html

and the Dartmouth Writing Center at http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/toc.shtml .

C. Understand that different professors will have different expectations. Here is the advice that I offer my own students in a handout entitled, "Writing a Philosophy Paper":

1. What to do. Your paper must include:

(a) A clear statement of the problem you are trying to solve. Getting a clear statement of the problem is more than half the battle. You may not be able to decide on one solution; if not, say why not.

(b) A clear statement of the solution you propose, if you believe that a solution is possible

(c) Arguments supporting your solution or claim that a solution is impossible: State all of your arguments fully -- never trust your reader to supply missing premises, no matter how obvious they may seem to you. Include a discussion of possible objections to your solution and your replies to these objections.

2. Organization: An abbreviated form of (a) should be included within the first paragraph of your paper. Every other sentence in the paper should contribute either to a more detailed explanation of the problem you are trying to solve, to a solution of the problem, or to an explanation of why the problem as it is standardly conceived is irresolvable.

3. No waste and no drift. Make sure that your reader can tell why every word, statement, and paragraph is relevant and important. After you finish your first draft, ask yourself about each paragraph what single point it makes and what single function it serves within the paper as a whole. If the answers to these questions are unclear to you, it’s likely that your paragraphs lack sufficient unity and coherence.

4. Back up your claims with textual evidence. When you refer to one of the philosophers we have read, try to state precisely what he or she said, and give references to the text (and, when needed, quotations from it) in order to support your paraphrase. Sometimes authors don't state their views clearly. If one of the passages in which you are interested is ambiguous, show how it is ambiguous. Then follow up the consequences for the author's views of each possible interpretation, and, if you can, argue for one interpretation as the one he or she is likely to have intended.

5. Clarity. It is very important to be as clear as possible. If you use any semi-technical language (e.g., "relativism", "objective", "absolute") be sure to explain exactly how you are using it, in language that is simple and clear. It is much better to write simply and clearly, than to get too complicated and convoluted. To ensure clarity, it's a good idea to write your paper, then let it rest for a few days, then return to it with a fresh mind. If you do just one draft, it probably won't be as clear as it would have been if you had gone over it several times.

6. Proofread. Readers tend to be put off by a paper with numerous spelling and grammatical mistakes. It makes them think (even if this inference is unjustified) that the paper was put together at the last minute; they are less likely, therefore, to give you the benefit of the doubt when your points are not altogether clear.

7. Criteria of evaluation. Your paper will be evaluated on the basis of:

(a) the cogency and relevance of your arguments,

(b) the clarity of your exposition,

(c) how deeply you dig into the problem, and

(d) how interesting your insights are.

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