Philosophy
Paper Writing
Guidelines
Below are
some basic guidelines for writing a philosophy paper.
Adhering to all of the following does not guarantee
an A, mind you.
But it will help you avoid some of
the common mistakes that
students sometimes make when writing a paper.
1. Support
you claims! The point
of a philosophy
paper is not merely to
tell me your opinion on a certain topic. Rather, the point is to
explain
to me why
you
think what you
do. So make
sure that all of your substantial claims are
supported.
Otherwise, leave them out!
You should have one main point--or thesis--to your paper. Make sure
that this point is clearly stated, and is
supported with arguments.
2. Do not use empty terminology. Often, when we are unclear what is
going on, we think that adopting empty jargon will help express what we
are trying to say. Resist the temptation! Anytime you
feel yourself
using an "ism" or any type of jargon, ask yourself: Do I know what this
means? If you do, then clearly spell out the definition for me
(jargon-free). If you don't, then leave it out.
When writing a paper, you need to pretend that I have never been to
lecture, and that I do not know what you are talking about. Take time
to
explain the views, and elaborate on them. Be clear
and explicit.
Remember, this is my only way to find out what bits of the course
material you know and understand. So, be clear. And show off, please.
3. Do not use hyperbolic, empty phrases. For example: "since the dawn
of time, man has worried about the mind/body problem....". Or: "since
man first roamed the
earth, he has wondered whether God exists...". Or
"throughout all of
history, human beings have grappled with issues of personal identity".
First of all, it is doubtful that any of these
statements are true.
Second, even if some of them are true, it is unlikely that any of them
are provable. Third, and most importantly, even if some of
them were
true
and were
verifiable,
they would be
irrelevant to any topic I have posted for any of my classes. This is
philosophy, not anthropology. I don't really care what has been going
on since the beginning of time. (Unless God has been
going on since the
beginning of time. That would be kind of cool to know. But I bet it
would be really hard to prove in a 4-6 page paper. Still, if you
think
you can swing it, then by all means...)
4. Stop
using MSW thesaurus! Anything you can say with big words you
can probably say much more clearly with small, simple words.
5. Do
not use elaborate intro and concluding paragraphs. This is a 4-6 page
paper. You do not need to spend a half page telling me what
you are going to say, several pages saying it, and then a half
page
telling me what you just said. Your first and last paragraphs should be
doing some real work. They should say something, or make a point,
argument, etc., that is not simply restated
elsewhere in your paper. So
if your first and last paragraph aren't doing any work, take them out.
6. CITE YOUR SOURCES. All of them. Failure to do so will likely
result in charges of plagiarism, as well as a life fated for nothing
but despair, misery, and unendurable, impending doom. Don't
do it.
Related,
wikipedia is not
always reliable when it come to its philosophy-related
entries. Check with me first to make sure a source you're using is
reputable.
7.
Never use a dictionary to answer philosophical questions. You
should only use a dictionary when you don't know the meaning of a word,
not when you are trying to discover the metaphysical
nature of
something--e.g.,what is mind? God? Evil? Knowledge? Personhood?
Property? Etc. These questions are for us, the philosophers. Not
dictionary.com. Besides, if
living the examined
life simply involved looking up words in the
O.E.D or dictionary.com, I seriously doubt it would make life worth
living.
8. Avoid
circularity. Consider the following circular explanation, circular
argument, and
circular definition:
- Circular Explanation: Bob needs a job so that he can pay for his
car; he needs a car so that he can get to his job.
- Circular Argument: The Bible says that God exists, God wrote the
Bible and wouldn't lie, therefore God exists.
- Circular Definition: Freedom means having the liberty to do what
I want; having the liberty to do what I want means having the freedom
to do as I please.
All three of these examples use the very thing they are trying to
explain, prove, or define in
the
explanation, argument, or definition itself. This is BAD.
9. Make
sure that your paper is composed of both quality exegesis and
some of your own (supported)
ideas. I need to see that you've
understood the class material, so a nice summary of the course
material
and relevant arguments we've discussed in class is necessary. However,
I also need to see that you've thought about some of the material on
your own, and that you have something
original to contribute. So your
grade will take into consideration both (i) how will you can summarize
the course material and (ii) your ability to assimilate the material
and come up with some of
your own ideas in response. Doing only one of
these things well will not be enough to get you an A.
10.
Quotes, like drinks, are fine in moderation. Too many, however, and
it will be impossible for me to tell if you really understand the
material. Also, I've already read the material many times. I
don't need
to see it again in your papers. So please summarize the material in
your own words, using quotes sparingly.
11.
Beware of Ad Hominems. Anytime you find yourself attacking the
author, or any particular person who is giving an argument, rather than
the argument itself, this is called an ad
hominem fallacy.
For example,
imagine that Bill Clinton gave a stellar, valid argument on the merits
of fidelity. In response, someone points to his less-than-saintly
personal life as a way of refuting Clinton's
argument. Attacking the
person giving the argument rather than the argument itself--while often
rhetorically
effective--is
irrational. Stick to evaluating the form of the argument, or the truth
of it's
premises, but never attack the person giving
the argument.
12.
PLEASE read the paper assignment instructions carefully.
13.
Double-space, normal margins, 12-point font.
Look. I know
that using Courier New and messing with the margins will turn 2 pages
into 5. But I'm not fooled. Besides, I am more concerned with content
than paper length anyhow. Varying
the font and format (and ink
color!), while fun for you, is annoying for me. I would like to be
able to read your paper clearly, with plenty of space to write
comments. So stick to the
standard paper format. Thanks.
Page Last
Updated: Aug. 25, 2009