Philosophy – Writing Papers

Writing Philosophy Papers

The purpose of a philosophy paper is to make an argument. Although arguments can vary in their level of formality, a more formal argument can be broken down into a series of bullet points and not lose any credibility.

The basic structure of the argument is a series of “premises,” followed by a conclusion.

• Premises are statements that the author either takes for granted or proves to the reader.
• A “conclusion” results from the premises. Ex:
  1. No bear can fly.
  2. Pooh is a bear.
  3. Therefore, Pooh cannot fly.
  In this argument, steps 1 and 2 are premises (in this case, we take them for granted). Step 3 is the conclusion that we have proven from the premises.

Philosophical arguments are judged by two qualifiers: validity and soundness.

• A valid argument is one in which the conclusion logically follows from the premises.
• A sound argument is a valid argument with premises that are actually true.
• The argument above is a sound argument. However, we might conceive of an argument which is valid, but not sound:
  1. If it is raining, I am made of wood.
  2. It is raining.
  3. Therefore, I am made of wood.
  In this argument, the conclusion would logically follow if the premises were true. It’s important to understand this distinction to ensure that one’s arguments are logical (valid) and actually deal with the truth (sound). Otherwise, who cares?
• More complicated arguments may require that the writer prove some of the premises with smaller, embedded arguments that fall within the larger context of what the writer is trying to prove.
• The most important thing here is to make sure that one does not get lost in the fray; always keep the conclusion in mind.