How to Write Philosophy 

A philosophy papers aims to provide reasons in support of an answer to a question. It doesn't aim to present the results of an experiment, summarize past research, produce beautiful prose, or tell the world what you did on Spring Break. (We already heard about that from your ex-best friend. Whoa, tiger!)

Keeping this aim in mind throughout the writing process is crucial to the success of your paper. The three most important pieces of paper-writing advice that we can give you spring directly from it:

1. Argue for a thesis. Your paper must offer a specific answer to the question that you are discussing. That answer is your "thesis."

2. Support your claims. You must give the reader reasons to believe the points that you make in support of your thesis. Just stating them isn't enough: you need to substantiate and justify them.

3. Anticipate objections. If the question you're discussing is at all interesting, other people will have answers to it that differ from yours, as well as objections to your answer. To fully support your thesis, you therefore need to explain (fairly and respectfully) why these people are mistaken, about both the merits of their position and the demerits of yours.

That's your aim: a well-reasoned defense of an interesting thesis. How do you go about achieving it? Let's move on to Professor Pink's fail-safe 10-step plan for paper perfection!

STEP 1. Choose a paper topic. 

Think carefully about which of the assigned topics you find most interests and which you have the most to say about. Make sure you understand what the question is asking and which material covered in class is relevant to discussing it. Ask your instructor to clarify the topic for you if you find any part of it unclear.

STEP 2. Review the relevant course materials. 

Look through the course readings and your notes from class to isolate those that are relevant to your chosen topic. If you haven't already done so, make notes on the main points and arguments covered. Follow the advice on reading philosophy papers and active note-taking here.

STEP 3. Decide on your thesis. 

Read over the notes you've now made and jot down ideas that occur to you in response to the arguments you've studied. Go back to your paper topic and consider what your thoughts on it are, now that you've refamiliarized yourself with the course material. 

• If your topic asks you to compare two different positions on a given issue, think about which you find most persuasive, and why. 

• If your topic asks you to explain and evaluate an author's argument for a given conclusion, ask yourself some of the questions suggested here. 

Try to settle on a broad answer to the paper topic early on. Then try to get that answer clearer and more precise in your mind. It's fine to revise your thesis later in the writing process--philosophers often change their mind in the course of writing!--but you'll only be able to do that effectively if you have a relatively well-defined thesis to begin with.

STEP 4. Outline your arguments in skeletal form. 

Jot down your main arguments for your thesis in short, succinct sentences. Consider how an opponent might respond to them, note down those objections, and respond to them. Consider running your argument past a classmate, friend, family member or your instructor, to ferret out further possible objections that you can anticipate and respond to in your paper. 

STEP 5. Construct a paper outline. 

Once you've settled on a provisional thesis, and on the arguments you'll make for it, think about how you'll organize your paper to most clearly and persuasively present your position. You should aim for the following very general structure:

i. Introduction.  A good introduction is concise and to the point (ideally, only a few sentences long).  It must contain the following three elements:

(1) a statement of the problem, question or issue your paper addresses

(2) a statement of your main thesis

(3) an outline of the structure of your paper.  (e.g."First, I will...Next, I will...Finally, I will...")

ii. The body of the paper.  This will include:

(1) a longer exposition of the problem, question or issue your paper addresses

(2) your arguments in defense of your thesis

(3) a discussion of potential objections to your thesis and your responses to those objections.

iii. Conclusion.  The conclusion should restate your paper's thesis and summarize the main argument(s) that you have used to support it.

Beyond that, there is no single correct way to organize a philosopher paper. Different paper topics will invite different structures. 

• If your paper prompt consists of 2 or 3 separate questions, sometimes it will be best to respond to those questions in the same order given in the prompt; other times it will be best to rearrange the order. 

• Sometimes you will decide to respond to separate points made by an author directly after you introduce each point; other times you will find it best to outline an author's position in its entirety first and then go on to evaluate it in the following paragraph or section. 

Keep this in mind:

"[Y]ou should aim at writing an orderly discussion supported by evidence, not a summary with occasional comment. Similarly, if the scope of the discussion includes a number of works, as rule it is better not to take them up singly in chronological order but to aim from the beginning at establishing general conclusions." -- Strunk and White (2005)

STEP 6. Write your paper. 

Write a first draft of your paper, following the outline that you've decided on. Write the body of the paper first, saving the introduction and conclusion for last. Check that you follow each of the writing do's and don'ts listed here.

Writer's block? We've all been there! Here are two pieces of advice we've found useful:

• The "All Caps Puke" technique. Just start writing, in a free-flowing way, to get some of your ideas down on paper. You can rearrange, amend, supplement, or delete some of this material later (shifting it into lower-case letters when you want to keep it. 

• Organize the body of your paper into sections (each with its own heading or number) and work on different sections at different times. You can either keep the section headings in the final piece of work or remove them before handing it in.

Anne Lamott's piece, "Shitty First Drafts" is a helpful reminder of the importance of not being a perfectionist at this stage.

STEP 7. Set your paper aside for 1-2 days. 

Don't skip this step: it's very important, as it allows you to come back to your paper with a fresh perspective and more critical eye.

STEP 8. Read and revise your paper. 

You should expect to go through at least two drafts of your paper before handing it in for comments. (You started it too late to do this? Well don't do that next time, pal!) Don't be afraid to revise your paper dramatically if you find you've changed your mind or missed an important set of ideas the first time around. That isn't a sign you're messing things up, it's a sign you're thinking!

STEP 9. Check for spelling mistakes and typos. 

Either using your own amazing self-correcting brain or spelling-and-grammar-checking software.

STEP 10. Format your paper according to the guidelines your instructor has provided. 

Generally, papers should:

• be double-spaced, in 12-point, readable font, with standard-sized margins

• include page numbers

• provide a word count 

• have your paper topic printed in full at the top of the first page

• display your name (or, if your instructor grades anonymously, your ID number) at the top of the first page

"Yearning for more detail? Why, you eager little whippersnapper, you!"