Hints for Writing a Philosophy Paper

1. First paragraph 
- Avoid overly broad or grandiose stage-setting  
For example, do NOT begin with something like: 
“The abortion debate is one of the most important and contentious issues gripping our nation today.  Ever since the landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade in 1973, the controversial questions surrounding abortion have occupied politicians, philosophers, and theologians alike…  ”
Instead, you should cut to the chase:
“Could abortion be morally permissible, even if fetuses have a right to life?  J. J. Thomson says yes; she argues for this conclusion via a series of thought-experiments about famous violinists and people seeds. I will argue that her argument is unsuccessful, because the mother and fetus are genetically related, yet this morally important feature of the relationship does not appear in Thomson’s thought-experiments.”

- Give a thesis statement: conclusion and reason(s)
State clearly BOTH your conclusion (the main claim you’re arguing for in the paper), and a brief statement of your evidence/ reasons for your conclusion.
In the above example, the claim is that Thomson’s argument is unsuccessful, and the brief rationale is that the genetic relationship between mother and fetus is morally significant but not captured in her thought experiments.

NEVER write a philosophy paper in which your conclusion only appears at the end.

2. Explaining other people’s views
- Who’s talking?  You?  The author?  Or the author’s critic?
Always be as clear as you can about whether what you are writing is (a) your explanation of someone else’s view, (b) your assessment of what the author says.
In a philosophy paper, you may use ‘I’ statements (e.g. ‘Thomson says that such an action would be “indecent”; I believe that this is incorrect, because… .’).  However, the fact that you believe some claim is not evidence for that claim.

- Don’t rely heavily on quotes
I can’t tell whether you understand an author if you just quote all the important material.  You might have understood perfectly, but you have not demonstrated that perfect understanding until you put it in your own words.  
	So: (a) Avoid quotes when possible (instead, paraphrase and cite), and (b) EVERY time you include a quote, explain it in your own terms.

- Give your own examples of difficult concepts
Philosophy often deals with very difficult or subtle concepts and definitions.  You can demonstrate to me that you understand a definition by giving your own example, not in the text or discussed in class, of that definition.

- Reconstruct authors’ texts, and your own reasoning, as arguments
You certainly don’t need to present numbered premises with a horizontal line separating premises from the conclusion, but constructing a valid argument from the text will help you determine exactly what you need in your explanations.  Authors are often wordier than they need to be.  Also, authors will often cover a number of topics, only some of which are relevant for your essay topic.

3. Explaining and justifying your own views
- Think!—Be creative
Most philosophy papers ask you to present and defend a thesis that goes beyond what you’ve read.  That is, merely understanding the reading(s) is part of the assignment, but it is not enough.  You need to be creative.  Specifically, ask yourself: Is there good evidence AGAINST any of the author’s premises?  And if so, how might the author respond? (see below)

- Present objections & offer replies
This is essential.  Once you present your conclusion, and your evidence for that conclusion, you must ask yourself: What would a smart person who doubted my conclusion say about this argument?  This is an objection.  You must offer a reply (or change your conclusion).  If you can successfully reply to all reasonable objections, your argument will be much more convincing.  (If you want to see examples, John Harris’s “The Survival Lottery” has many objections and replies.)
	If you can’t think of problems with your argument, describe it to a friend or roommate.  They may see potential problems that you’ve missed (because you already believe the conclusion).

- ONLY appeal to evidence
In everyday life, we try to get people to agree with our views by all sorts of methods.  Some of these rely on evidence; others do not (I might try to get you to pity me, or I might stress the need for our group to maintain cohesion and morale).  In philosophy, only evidence counts to establish a conclusion.

- Argue for a ‘small’ or ‘narrow’ point in depth  
People write whole books on these issues.  Find a narrow claim to argue for, and try to make your argument airtight, addressing every good objection to your argument.

- Clarity is more important than beauty
Philosophical writing is often not lovely; it often avoids metaphors.  This is because philosophers sacrifice these things for the sake of clarity.  How do you know if you are being clear?  Imagine someone is trying to always give your words the most uncharitable interpretation possible—and write for that person.