Bief Guide to Philosophy Papers

1. The Thesis :

A philosophy paper is a defense of a thesis, so the first step is to get clear what a thesis is. A thesis is a statement that

makes some clear, definite assertion about the subject under discussion. For example, if the topic of your paper, the

subject under discussion, is the morality of abortion, here are some of the many theses you might choose to defend:

Abortion is morally wrong under all circumstances.

A woman has an absolute right to decide whether to have an abortion.

Abortion is morally right only to save the life of the mother.

Each of these is a clear, definite statement that takes a position on the morality of abortion, a position that the rest of

the paper will attempt to defend.

Let's try another example. Suppose that the subject under discussion is the existence of a Supreme Being. Among the

theses you might choose to defend are these:

There is no God but Allah.

It is logically impossible for there to be a Supreme Being.

Human beings are incapable of determining whether there is a Supreme Being

Now let's look at some examples of things that look like theses, but aren’t:

The scientific status of astrology

Abortion, pro and con

Why I believe in God

These aren't theses because they don't assert anything. All three of these are what we might call topics. You can

certainly write a philosophy paper about one of these topics, but you must first choose a thesis about the topic, a

thesis that you will defend in the paper. By the way, watch out especially for fake theses-like the third one. ("Why I

believe in God"). A philosophy paper is not a personal report of how you feel or what you believe. It is an argument

for a thesis.

Those you who [have taken] part in formal debate team competitions... may think that all of this looks very much

like a debate. You are absolutely right. Philosophy is very much like debating.

Whatever you do, don't pick a wishy-washy thesis that hedges your...