Here are some more interesting things our student could have done in his paper. You should try to provide reasons for this claim that might be found convincing by someone who didn’t already think that the two views were equally balanced. Can you write your paper as a dialogue or story. ” Try to anticipate these comments and avoid the need for them. Full licensing details are here. If you have a good outline, the rest of the writing process will go much more smoothly.
You can only correct these sorts of failings by rewriting your paper from scratch. Those perceptions, which enter with most force and violence, we may name impressions; and under this name I comprehend all our sensations, passions, and emotions, as they make their first appearance in the soul. 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. Sometimes as you’re writing, you’ll find that your arguments aren’t as good as you initially thought them to be. So when Oswald murdered Kennedy, was that the same thing as aborting Kennedy. Explain how you think these objections can be countered or overcome. Explain how you think these objections can be countered or overcome.
Quotations
When a passage from a text is particularly useful in supporting your interpretation of some philosopher’s views, it may be helpful to quote the passage directly. What can be left out. Do you say exactly what you mean. ” Try to anticipate these comments and avoid the need for them. Philosopher X just assumes A and doesn’t give any argument for it.
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. Discuss the issues with others As I said above, your papers are supposed to demonstrate that you understand and can think critically about the material we discuss in class. Sometimes they argue that certain answers to the question are too easy, that is, they won’t work. Secondary readings For most classes, I will put some articles and books on reserve in Bobst Library for additional reading. An impression is a very ‘forceful’ mental state, like the sensory impression one has when looking at a red apple. That’s why we read some dialogues and stories in Philosophy 3.
A lot of the suggestions here derive from writing handouts that friends and colleagues lent me. Merely summarizing what others have said won’t be enough. You have to go on to offer your own philosophical contribution, too. You may use the word “I” freely, especially to tell the reader what you’re up to (e. Part of what you’re being graded on is how well you can do that.
Main thesis about writing of will
Hence, if these papers are right, the question will be harder to answer than we might previously have thought. Hence, if these papers are right, the question will be harder to answer than we might previously have thought. It’s also OK to split an infinitive, if you need to. This will help you tell whether it all makes sense. Make sure your sentences say exactly what you want them to say. Do your friends understand your main point.
The difference is in how much force and liveliness they have in our thoughts and consciousness. So I can just reject A and thereby avoid B. Many excellent philosophy papers don’t offer straight yes or no answers. If you’re a teacher and you think your own students would find this web site useful, you are free to point them here (or to distribute printed copies). You can only correct these sorts of failings by rewriting your paper from scratch. Or something else of that sort. If you aren’t, we’ll complain. Grammar It’s OK to end a sentence with a preposition. It’s okay to change your thesis to one you can defend. Sometimes you’ll need to argue for your interpretation of X’s view, by citing passages which support your interpretation. But you shouldn’t write this way.
And when you do quote an author, you still have to explain what the quotation says in your own words. In fact, we may not agree amongst ourselves about what the correct conclusion is. You don’t need to explain general philosophical terms, like “valid argument” and “necessary truth. Is it obvious to the reader what these arguments are. 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. This is a plausible view, for the following reasons. But we will have no trouble agreeing about whether you do a good job arguing for your conclusion. It’s all in the public good. It’s okay to change your thesis to one you can defend. We tell you to be concise because we don’t want you to ramble on about everything you know about a given topic, trying to show how learned and intelligent you are. 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. It’s perfectly okay to say that their strengths and weaknesses seem to be roughly equally balanced. Do any of the points you’re making presuppose that you’ve already discussed some other point, first. X poses a problem for the view that P because. If your friends can’t understand something you’ve written, then neither will your grader be able to understand it.
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. You can leave some questions unanswered at the end of the paper. Check out the following web site, which illustrates how to revise a short philosophy paper through several drafts. Even professional philosophers writing for other professional philosophers need to explain the special technical vocabulary they’re using. Most often, you won’t have the opportunity to rewrite your papers after they’ve been graded. Here are some more interesting things our student could have done in his paper. It’s possible that your will may never need to be updated — or you may choose to update it regularly. And the student may very well be right that Philosopher X should have given more argument for A.
We do not judge your paper by whether we agree with its conclusion. Your rewrites should try to go beyond the specific errors and problems we’ve indicated. ” So everything turns here on what the author means by “person. All wills must meet certain standards such as being witnessed to be legally valid. Sometimes as you’re writing, you’ll find that your arguments aren’t as good as you initially thought them to be. However, there are some reasons to be doubtful whether P. Do you explain your central notions. 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. Only summarize those parts of X’s views that are directly relevant to what you’re going to go on to do. It’s okay to change your thesis to one you can defend. It’s all in the public good. ” “What does that mean. Are parts of your draft unclear or confusing to them. That’s why we read some dialogues and stories in Philosophy 3.
More content about writing of will:
The following sentences, and the discussions and revisions that follow each one, include advice for paring unnecessary words and phrases. 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. Longer papers are typically too ambitious, or repetitious, or full of digressions. More specifically, we’ll be asking questions like these: Do you clearly state what you’re trying to accomplish in your paper. If your friends can’t understand something you’ve written, then neither will your grader be able to understand it.
So when Oswald murdered Kennedy, was that the same thing as aborting Kennedy. Or you can write a paper which goes: One argument for P is the ‘Conjunction Argument,’ which goes as follows. Your paper doesn’t always have to provide a definite solution to a problem, or a straight yes or no answer to a question. After all, by doing so you're not only acknowledging your own inevitable demise but actively planning for it. Then ask yourself: Are X’s arguments good ones. Sometimes they argue that the question needs to be clarified, or that certain further questions need to be raised.
Your grade will suffer if your paper has these defects. 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. Created and maintained by jim. If the quoted passage contains an argument, reconstruct the argument in more explicit, straightforward terms. It is seldom necessary to quote more than a few sentences. For example, suppose you write “Abortion is the same thing as murder. Explain why it’s not clear which of these interpretations is correct.
Is your writing clear and well-organized. ) I find that making an outline is at least 80% of the work of writing a good philosophy paper. Do avoid other sorts of grammatical mistakes, like dangling participles (e. Can you write your paper as a dialogue or story. Make sure that your reader can tell what the point of every paragraph is. I will now defend this claim.
Naturally, I owe a huge debt to the friends and professors who helped me learn how to write philosophy
You can only correct these sorts of failings by rewriting your paper from scratch. 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. Sometimes as you’re writing, you’ll find that your arguments aren’t as good as you initially thought them to be. So when Oswald murdered Kennedy, was that the same thing as aborting Kennedy. Explain how you think these objections can be countered or overcome. Explain how you think these objections can be countered or overcome.
” Try to anticipate these comments and avoid the need for them. 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. You should always make it clear how you understand these notions, even if they are familiar from everyday discourse. Quotations
When a passage from a text is particularly useful in supporting your interpretation of some philosopher’s views, it may be helpful to quote the passage directly. What can be left out. Do you say exactly what you mean. ” Try to anticipate these comments and avoid the need for them. Philosopher X just assumes A and doesn’t give any argument for it.
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. Discuss the issues with others As I said above, your papers are supposed to demonstrate that you understand and can think critically about the material we discuss in class. Sometimes they argue that certain answers to the question are too easy, that is, they won’t work. Secondary readings For most classes, I will put some articles and books on reserve in Bobst Library for additional reading. An impression is a very ‘forceful’ mental state, like the sensory impression one has when looking at a red apple. That’s why we read some dialogues and stories in Philosophy 3.
A lot of the suggestions here derive from writing handouts that friends and colleagues lent me. Those perceptions, which enter with most force and violence, we may name impressions; and under this name I comprehend all our sensations, passions, and emotions, as they make their first appearance in the soul. Merely summarizing what others have said won’t be enough. You have to go on to offer your own philosophical contribution, too. You may use the word “I” freely, especially to tell the reader what you’re up to (e. Early Stages The early stages of writing a philosophy paper include everything. Part of what you’re being graded on is how well you can do that.
Hence, if these papers are right, the question will be harder to answer than we might previously have thought. Hence, if these papers are right, the question will be harder to answer than we might previously have thought. It’s also OK to split an infinitive, if you need to. This will help you tell whether it all makes sense. Make sure your sentences say exactly what you want them to say. Do your friends understand your main point.
So I can just reject A and thereby avoid B
Even if it sounds nice. Do you present other philosophers’ views accurately and charitably. You can only correct these sorts of failings by rewriting your paper from scratch. Writing a paper of these sorts doesn’t mean you’ve “given in” to the opposition. The comments I find myself making on students’ philosophy papers most often are these: “Explain this claim” or “What do you mean by this. Or do you mean something different.
