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Writing a philosophy paper can feel difficult for students because many people have never taken a philosophy course before. But writing a short philosophy paper is actually very easy, and I’m going to give you a handy outline for getting a perfect score on your paper. Your paper should contain four simple sections:
Section 1: In a single paragraph, state your thesis and explain any technical terms. The thesis itself is simply a single sentence that you are going to argue is true. “God” is not a thesis. (That’s a topic.) “God exists” is a thesis. What counts as a technical term? Simple – if there is anything in your thesis that a reasonable person might say, “What do you mean by that word?” then explain it.
Section 2: In a single substantial paragraph or two, explain what the disagreement is about – why do reasonable people disagree about this issue? What does each side typically say? Your goal at this point should be neutrality, fairness, and clarity – don’t make one side of the other sound like they don’t know what they are talking about. When you do that, readers just assume that you don’t really understand your opponent’s view.
Section 3: Argue for your thesis. This is anywhere from one to three paragraphs where you explain your strongest argument for your thesis. I strongly urge you not to offer multiple arguments; when that happens, students tend to offer superficial arguments, none of which get developed in any detail.
Section 4: Here’s what separates the top papers from the rest: show that you really understand your opponent’s view by offering an explanation of how your opponent might object to your view, and then replying to that objection. Use a real, strong, legitimate objection, not a weak one that you just shoot down. Your thesis is the most persuasive when you can show that you understand your opponent’s strongest objection and you can reply to that objection. This doesn’t have to be long or complicated. Just offer 1 or 2 of the strongest objections, and reply to each.
What should you NOT have in your paper?
1. You don’t need an introduction beyond simply stating your thesis and defining any terms. If you have a very simple thesis without any technical terms, sometimes your first paragraph will be nothing but your thesis statement.
2. You don’t need a conclusion. Let section 4 above be your conclusion – it’s a much stronger end to your paper than just some kind of summary or review.
What should you ALWAYS remember to do in your paper?
CITE YOUR SOURCES. Let me repeat that: CITE YOUR SOURCES.
What is the purpose of citations? It’s to make completely clear the difference between your work and someone else’s work. When you use the words or ideas of someone else, you need to use quotes and citations, otherwise it’s just stealing. If you use the words of other people in your paper and don’t give them credit, it’s plagiarism – passing off the work of someone else as your own. It’s not enough to simply put a reference at the end of the paper – that doesn’t tell the reader how you used that work or where it appears in your paper. The academic policies of the school require you to cite your sources.
You should put quotes around words that are not your own. You MUST use quotes when you are quoting someone else – that’s why they are called quotes. 🙂
Students often ask: “Are we able to use sources? If so is there a certain amount of sources we are able to use? If yes, do you want us to have a work cited page?”
Yes, you are able to use sources. In fact, I strongly encourage you to use sources – in most cases, it would be very difficult to write a college-level philosophy paper without sources. You’ll note that the grading rubric for the paper will deduct points if your paper lacks needed research.
You can use as many sources as are necessary to achieve the goal of your paper.
With regard to a work cited page, the syllabus states that you may use any style you want: “MLA format is preferred, but any standardized format is acceptable.” (MLA is the format most commonly used in humanities papers.) I also provide a link to a handy guide for MLA style. But the style is not really very important to me, as long as you are crediting the work of others where appropriate. What does it mean to credit the work of others? It means that: (1) You are making clear when you are using the words and ideas of someone else, and (2) that you have provided citation information that allows the reader to easily locate your source.
There is no shame in using the words or ideas of someone else as long as you are crediting them – it strengthens your paper, and gives you credit for doing the research.