Philosophy Essays

Writing a philosophy essay is unfamiliar for most students because philosophical essays are quite different from other subjects' essays. A philosophy essay is not an exercise in literary self-expression, a report, or a research paper. It presents a reasoned defense of a thesis.

This guide will help you write a quality philosophy essay by providing pointers on what to do and avoid.

What is a Philosophy Essay?

Philosophers differ, and philosophies vary. Different theses are presented in the subject. A reasoned defence of a thesis makes a philosophy essay. This type of essay tries to establish a specific point and provide justification to convince the reader to accept it. It does not present research findings, nor does it report the opinions of scholars on a particular point.

Philosophy essays typically ask you to consider a thesis posed by another philosopher. Your task may be one of the following:

• Explain the thesis
• Offer an argument in support of the thesis.
• Offer an objection to the thesis.
• Defend against an objection to the thesis
• Evaluate arguments for or against the thesis
• Discuss the consequences it might have

Writing a philosophy essay.

When writing a philosophy essay, you should try to establish a specific point and justify its acceptance. This means having a clear idea of what you want to prove. Before writing your paper, you should have a short thesis statement stating precisely what you want to prove.

After you've stated your thesis, you should now focus on convincing the reader of its correctness. Despite the strength of your thesis, you must present strong arguments. It is always safe to assume that the reader disagrees with you and needs as much convincing as possible.

To produce a good philosophy essay, you should only develop one or two of the most compelling arguments to prove your thesis.

The steps you should follow when writing a winning philosophy essay are:

1. Formulate your precise essay
2. Define ambiguous or technical terms in your thesis
3. Motivate your thesis
4. Explain how you will defend your thesis
5. Explain the argument you will critique

Philosophy essay topics

There are two general classifications of philosophy essay topics:

1. Problem-focused topics: These topics tackle philosophical issues and problems without referencing particular philosopher's texts.
2. Text-focused topics: These topics focus on the writings of a particular philosopher.

Research

Researching philosophy essays involves reading and thinking. Unlike other disciplines, philosophical research focuses more on reflecting critically on the thesis than collecting data to support or disprove explanatory theories. Researching philosophical essays is primarily directed towards helping with reflection rather than gathering and reporting relevant findings.

Philosophy Essay Writing Tips

1.   Organize carefully

Your philosophy essay should be well organized with a logical progression of ideas. The reader should be able to read it effortlessly and be led along naturally through the whole essay. If the reader struggles to follow your essay, he or she will most likely feel that it is not worthwhile and abandon it.

To give your philosophy essay a good flow, create an outline, and let it simmer for a few days. If you feel it still has a good flow after a few days, then you can proceed to write your first draft.

2.   Use meaningful words

Use words that clearly convey your intended meaning to the reader. Make sure the words you use to capture the sense you have in mind. When you are using synonyms, make sure that the alternative words hold the same weight. You should also make sure that the spelling of each word you use is spot on

3.   Support your claim

When writing a philosophy essay, you should always assume that your reader is skeptical of your claims. With this in mind, you are more likely to make convincing arguments. Most philosophy essays fail because they do not argue enough for a position. Always substantiate your claims, whether you believe your critics will grant them or not.

4.   Give credit where it is due

Plagiarism is dishonest and against the rules of academic writing. Whenever you use the words, arguments, or ideas of another writer, indicate your indebtedness by giving some citations. Citing shows your acknowledgment of relevant literate from other sources. It also improves your paper by adding to its credibility. Always make sure you only use reliable sources.

5.   Anticipate criticism

If you are arguing for a position in a philosophy essay, it's because some people have reason to reject it. You can expect your stand to draw criticism and objections. To demonstrate your position's strength, you should anticipate objections from your critics and prove they can be overcome. Reject the grounds for their objections before they have a chance to fire the first shot.

You can cite criticisms to your stand and argue that they are ill-conceived and completely miss the mark despite their plausibility.

6.   Edit to clarify your ideas

Rewriting often is the secret to good writing. The first draft can always be improved significantly. Editing clarifies ideas by removing clutter from your writing. Edit your philosophy essay boldly until you are left with clear sentences

Final Thoughts

The content of your philosophy essay must be relevant to the thesis question posed. You can either prove or disapprove of this question.

Writing a quality philosophy essay is the product of training and practice. Poor structure is a common weakness in writing philosophy essays. An excellent grasp of the language is also required when writing a philosophy essay. The grammar and vocabulary of the essay should be spot on. A philosophy essay that is ungrammatical, unclear, or unintelligible is a poor paper.

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