Longer papers are typically too ambitious, or repetitious, or full of digressions. For instance, he could say that. Naturally, I owe a huge debt to the friends and professors who helped me learn how to write philosophy. Kindergarten and primary teachers will find these lessons to be user friendly, timeless and fun while meeting requirements for the three important genres in Common Core. When students get stuck writing, it’s often because they haven’t yet figured out what they’re trying to say. Do your friends understand your main point.
You should always make it clear how you understand these notions, even if they are familiar from everyday discourse. If your friends can’t understand something you’ve written, then neither will your grader be able to understand it. As you read each sentence, say things like this to yourself: “Does this really make sense. Full licensing details are here. You need to master ordinary philosophical writing before you can do a good job with these more difficult forms. Created and maintained by jim. In philosophical prose, you have to be sure to say exactly what you mean. The point of the papers is to teach you how to analyze a philosophical argument, and present your own arguments for or against some conclusion.
I encourage you to do this. In addition, be sure to say in the paper how it is relevant. For instance, if you object to some philosopher’s view, don’t assume he would immediately admit defeat. But the student hasn’t really philosophically engaged with Philosopher X’s view in an interesting way. By ideas I mean the faint images of these in thinking and reasoning.
Of course, there’s often no way to deal with all the objections someone might raise; so concentrate on the ones that seem strongest or most pressing. Or he could have argued that assuming A is an illegitimate move to make in a debate about whether B is true. Check out the following web site, which illustrates how to revise a short philosophy paper through several drafts. Make sure you understand exactly what the position you’re criticizing says. Make sure every sentence in your draft does useful work. It was clear from the outset that Philosopher X was assuming A, and that if you don’t want to make that assumption, you don’t need to accept X’s conclusion.
Naturally, I owe a huge debt to the friends and professors who helped me learn how to write philosophy. It is not clear how the defender of P can overcome this objection. But the student hasn’t really philosophically engaged with Philosopher X’s view in an interesting way. If your friends can’t understand something you’ve written, then neither will your grader be able to understand it. It is permissible for you to discuss a view you think a philosopher might have held, or should have held, though you can’t find any direct evidence of that view in the text.
” “Explain why this is a reason to believe P” “Explain why this follows from what you said before” “Not really relevant” “Give an example. This line of thought may very well be correct. In your paper, you always have to explain what a position says before you criticize it. Sometimes they argue that the question needs to be clarified, or that certain further questions need to be raised. The strongest objection to Q says. So, for instance, don’t start talking about “Plato’s view of the self,” and then switch to talking about “Plato’s view of the soul,” and then switch to talking about “Plato’s view of the mind.
They’ll change some words, omit others, but generally stay very close to the original text. Don’t be afraid of mentioning objections to your own thesis. In fact, we may not agree amongst ourselves about what the correct conclusion is. But the student hasn’t really philosophically engaged with Philosopher X’s view in an interesting way. ” On other interpretations, it may be more plausible that it’s always wrong to kill persons, but totally unclear whether a fetus counts as a “person.
Main thesis about writing your own will
Do you explain your central notions. ” or “I don’t understand what you’re saying here” “This passage is unclear (or awkward, or otherwise hard to read)” “Too complicated” “Too hard to follow” “Simplify” “Why do you think this. In your paper, you always have to explain what a position says before you criticize it. Hence, if these papers are right, the question will be harder to answer than we might previously have thought. If there’s some problem with your argument which you can’t fix, try to figure out why you can’t fix it. Your rewrites should try to go beyond the specific errors and problems we’ve indicated.
For instance, some philosophers use the word “person” to mean any being which is capable of rational thought and self-awareness. And the student may very well be right that Philosopher X should have given more argument for A. Or something else of that sort. When you are paraphrasing what somebody else said, be sure to say so. Full licensing details are here. I strongly recommend that you make an outline of your paper, and of the arguments you’ll be presenting, before you begin to write. Give your writing a home on Writing. ) If you understand the material you’re writing about, and if you aim your paper at such a reader, you’ll probably get an A. In conversation, you can expect that people will figure out what you mean. However, there are some reasons to be doubtful whether P. Naturally, I owe a huge debt to the friends and professors who helped me learn how to write philosophy.
Paraphrases
Sometimes when students are trying to explain a philosopher’s view, they’ll do it by giving very close paraphrases of the philosopher’s own words. Do you present other philosophers’ views accurately and charitably. When you are paraphrasing what somebody else said, be sure to say so. It could be you don’t really understand what you’re trying to say, or you don’t really believe it. I’m sure they had a hard time of it. This line of thought may very well be correct. “) Efforts to avoid these often end up just confusing your prose. It is always better to concentrate on one or two points and develop them in depth than to try to cram in too much. It’s not good enough for you merely to get the general idea of somebody else’s position or argument. Thanks to Professor Horban for allowing me to incorporate some of his suggestions here. Are they reasonable starting-points for X’s argument, or ought he have provided some independent argument for them. If you can, show your draft to your friends or to other students in the class, and get their comments and advice. Make sure your sentences say exactly what you want them to say. An idea is a less ‘forceful’ mental state, like the idea one has of an apple while just thinking about it, rather than looking at it. ” So everything turns here on what the author means by “person.
He could have argued that B doesn’t really follow from A, after all. Secondary readings For most classes, I will put some articles and books on reserve in Bobst Library for additional reading. In fact, we may not agree amongst ourselves about what the correct conclusion is. And when you do quote an author, you still have to explain what the quotation says in your own words. When you do this, though, you should explicitly say so. Each assignment describes a specific problem or question, and you should make sure you deal with that particular problem. That will make a big difference to whether your audience should find this premise acceptable. Is the structure of your paper clear.
If you got below an A-, then your draft was generally difficult to read, it was difficult to see what your argument was and what the structure of your paper was supposed to be, and so on. Created and maintained by jim. Before I say what is wrong with this argument, I want to. Another good way to check your draft is to read it out loud. Peter Horban’s site deserves special mention. Get rid of any which don’t. He hasn’t really done much philosophical work. ” or “I don’t understand what you’re saying here” “This passage is unclear (or awkward, or otherwise hard to read)” “Too complicated” “Too hard to follow” “Simplify” “Why do you think this. ) Also, I’ve browsed some other writing guidelines on the web, and occasionally incorporated advice I thought my students would find useful. One of the best ways to check how well you understand that material is to try to explain it to someone who isn’t already familiar with it. B seems unattractive to me. Thanks to Professor Horban for allowing me to incorporate some of his suggestions here. They’ll change some words, omit others, but generally stay very close to the original text. Your paper should do some philosophical work A kind of complaint that is common in undergraduate philosophy papers goes like this: Philosopher X assumes A and argues from there to B.
Additional information about writing your own will:
This is a plausible view, for the following reasons. Don’t try to establish any earth-shattering conclusions in your 5-6 page paper. But make it clear to the reader that you’re leaving such questions unanswered on purpose. In fact, we may not agree amongst ourselves about what the correct conclusion is. Peter Horban’s site deserves special mention.
Or he could have argued that assuming A is an illegitimate move to make in a debate about whether B is true. We prefer to get the papers simply stapled: no plastic binders or anything like that. Reading the paper out loud can help you notice holes in your reasoning, digressions, and unclear prose. Keep in mind that when I or your TA grade a rewrite, we may sometimes notice weaknesses in unchanged parts of your paper that we missed the first time around. So I can just reject A and thereby avoid B. If they were stupid, we wouldn’t be looking at them.
Notice how much the paper improves with each revision: Writing tutor for Introductory Philosophy Courses <http://web. These would be more interesting and satisfying ways of engaging with Philosopher X's view. It is not clear how the defender of P can overcome this objection. Do you offer supporting arguments for the claims you make. If this is all you do in your paper, it won't be a strong paper and it will get a mediocre grade, even if it's well-written. If you can't see anything the view has going for it, maybe that's because you don't have much experience thinking and arguing about the view, and so you haven't yet fully understood why the view's proponents are attracted to it. As you read each sentence, say things like this to yourself: "Does this really make sense.
Acknowledgements I don’t want to claim undue credit for this work. This line of thought may very well be correct. Acknowledgements I don’t want to claim undue credit for this work. ” It’s not clear whether these are the same thing. Do you present other philosophers’ views accurately and charitably. Ideas are the faint images of our thinking and reasoning.
Is your prose simple, easy to read, and easy to understand
At what point should you present your opponent’s position or argument. Or perhaps those weaknesses will have affected our overall impression of the paper, and we just didn’t offer any specific recommendation about fixing them. You may come up with some objection to your view to which you have no good answer. It is seldom necessary to quote more than a few sentences. Or he could have presented reasons for thinking that A is false. At first glance, this is a very appealing argument.
I encourage you to do this
Writing a paper of these sorts doesn’t mean you’ve “given in” to the opposition. Do they understand your main point. (Alison Simmons and Justin Broackes deserve special thanks. And likewise for other words. ) How You’ll Be Graded You’ll be graded on three basic criteria: How well do you understand the issues you’re writing about. (Alison Simmons and Justin Broackes deserve special thanks. These are sensations, passions, and emotions. These are sensations, passions, and emotions.
It’s all in the public good. How good are the arguments you offer. You need to master ordinary philosophical writing before you can do a good job with these more difficult forms. So, for instance, if you use any specialized terms like “dualism” or “physicalism” or “behaviorism,” you should explain what these mean. Do you offer supporting arguments for the claims you make.
But we will have no trouble agreeing about whether you do a good job arguing for your conclusion. Only summarize those parts of X’s views that are directly relevant to what you’re going to go on to do. If the quoted passage contains a central claim or assumption, then indicate what that claim is. The point of the papers is to teach you how to analyze a philosophical argument, and present your own arguments for or against some conclusion. Peter Horban’s site deserves special mention. It was clear from the outset that Philosopher X was assuming A, and that if you don’t want to make that assumption, you don’t need to accept X’s conclusion.
Is it obvious to the reader what these arguments are. An impression is a very ‘forceful’ mental state, like the sensory impression one has when looking at a red apple. ” or “I don’t understand what you’re saying here” “This passage is unclear (or awkward, or otherwise hard to read)” “Too complicated” “Too hard to follow” “Simplify” “Why do you think this. And don’t turn in your only copy. Edu
This work licensed under a Creative Commons License
URL: http://www. Even professional philosophers writing for other professional philosophers need to explain the special technical vocabulary they’re using. We’ve just seen how X says that P.
Another way you can help make the structure of your paper obvious is by telling the reader what you’ve done so far and what you’re going to do next. In a philosophy paper, it’s OK to use this verb as much as you need to. This will help you understand the issues better, and it will make you recognize what things you still don’t fully understand. It’s okay to change your thesis to one you can defend. ” Try to anticipate these comments and avoid the need for them. (Sometimes the easiest way to say what you mean is by splitting an infinitive.
Your grade will suffer if your paper has these defects
Another way you can help make the structure of your paper obvious is by telling the reader what you’ve done so far and what you’re going to do next. “You guys have that really great website. When you are paraphrasing what somebody else said, be sure to say so. Is it obvious to the reader what your main thesis is. Don’t be afraid of mentioning objections to your own thesis. An impression is a very ‘forceful’ mental state, like the sensory impression one has when looking at a red apple.
