hints for philosophical writing

8/11/2019 Hints for philosophical writing

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/hints-for-philosophical-writing 1/3

Audience

- Define unfamiliar terms

- Explain any points that may be misunderstood

-

Lay out your argument so that its structure and significance would be clear to any

intelligent reader.

Status of premises

- Actually True

- Possibly true

- Probably true

- Plausibly true

-

Necessarily true

Pragmatic role of the premises

-

Assertion

-

Supposition

-

Assumption (not necessarily stated/be careful)

-

Implicit premise (Should be brought up)

-

Presupposition (Questions)

Type of consequence

-

Follows necessarily

-

Follows probably

-

Follows plausibly

Strength of a claim (Qualification)

-

All

-

Some

-

n-cases

-

Perhaps

Fairness

-

Avoid/beware of straw man fallacy

-

Avoid/beware of ad hominem fallacy-

Avoid/beware of composition fallacy

-

Avoid/beware of division fallacy

Clear Writing

Ambiguity

- Semantic

- Syntactic

Vagueness (vague terms)

Basic defence essay structure



I. Introduction (or opening) [there is no fixed order for A, B, C]

A.

Thesis statement (the claim to be supported)

B.

Plan for the paper

-

Spell out how you intend to argue for your thesis.

C.

Background for the thesis

-

Introduce the topic and specify the issue-

Explain what your thesis means (defining/clarifying the meaning of terms)

-

What its implications are

-

Why the issue is important

-

Summary of the views of other philosophers

II.

Argument supporting the thesis

-

Each premise must be clearly stated, carefully explained and properly supported by

evidence in the form of examples or argument.

-

Develop one point in each paragraph, embodying that point in a topic sentence. Make

sure that each paragraph in turn relates to your main thesis.

-

If your essay is a critique, present first the best case and responses of your opponent.- Do not assume that a premise would be accepted by everyone when in fact it is

controversial

III. Assessment of objections

IV. Conclusion

Writing the Essay

1. Select a topic and narrow it to a specific issue

2. Research the issue

3.

Write a thesis statement

4. Create an outline

5. Write a first draft

6. Study and revise your first draft

- Examine your argument first

- Check for unity

- Test for clarity

- Smooth out the language

- Show your draft to others

7. Produce a final draft

Writing effective sentences

1.

Make

-

A subject and verb must match up in number (singular or plural) and person (first,

second, or third).

-

Plural nouns do not alter the

-

Indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, each, each one, someone, everybody, nobody,

something, somebody, anything, neither, and either take singular verbs.

2.

Parallel

3.

Pronoun refrence



This, that, which, it

Choosing the right words

4.

Use specific terms

General: She travelled back to her residence due to adverse whether

Specific: Anne took a taxi back to her high-rise apartment because a snowstorm was pounding

the city.

This moral theory forbids actions that can cause harm

This moral theory, a consequentialist view, forbids actions that can cause physical pain to

other people or put them at greater risk of experiencing physical pain.

hints for philosophical writing

Documents