Submitted by: Submitted by antonb
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Pages: 4
Category: Philosophy and Psychology
Date Submitted: 03/19/2014 05:32 AM
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...