Philosophy Paper

PLEASE FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS BELOW!!!

This essay should be written in a formal academic style.  Your paper should be:

• 3-5 pages
• double spaced
• with 1-inch margins
• 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font
• proofread and spell-checked
• in MLA format, with in-text citations of all sources and a Works Cited page (You must at least cite the textbook for your basic understanding of concepts and theories)
• In Microsoft Word or PDF file format.
• On The Nature of the Self AND focused on the material (concepts, theories and themes) covered in Chapter 2 of the textbook.
• Work with a writing tutor if at all possible. They will help you to push the quality of your writing one step further.

Before writing this essay, you must read:

• The “Critical Thinking” excerpts from Chapters 1 & 2 on what an argument is.  The most relevant will be posted along with the below.
• Pryor, "Guidelines on Writing a Philosophy Paper"
• How to format your paper according to MLA guidelines when using Microsoft word 2007

Again, you philosophical essay must have a thesis related to the material (concepts, theories and themes) covered in Chapter 2 of the textbook (on the nature of the self).

Some things to note: 

• A philospohical argumentative essay aims to make generalizations that can be said to be true of everyone, or a broad group of people. This means that your conclusion and premises must be carefully crafted so that you are not basing a claim about what is true for everyone (or for those you are talking about) on merely your own subjective experience.  So, you should generally not attempt to support your argument conclusion with only your own experience (but well-done academic research that supports your own perceptions of what is true for everyone can be justifiably used as support).  So if you use empirical premises, they should be about facts that are objectively verifiable.  If you use logical premises, they should be demonstrably true by using logical analysis that shows inconsistencies in alternative premises, notes about contradictions,  if . . . , then . . . statements, etc.  
• Be sure your essay is an argumentative essay and not just an extension of your reflection paper.  You will not do well if you just rework your reflection paper and call it an argument
• An argumentative essay is organized with a thesis (your conclusion), supporting points (your premises), and support that tells the reader why your premises should be accepted as true by everyone.
• Grading criteria include:
  • organization into meaningful paragraphs (There are many ways to organize a philosophy paper, depending on what you are trying to do in the paper.)
    • an opening paragraph with your overall summation, thesis, or conclusion (What is the big point you are trying to draw out? or argue for? Or argue against?  And how will you do what you propose to do?)
    • a second paragraph, if needed, to define the key concepts and finish framing the overall issue (examples of key philosophical terms you MIGHT include, if relevant to your focus, are the continuous self, dualism, the mind, consciousness, the body, the problem of personal identity, the atomistic self, and the relational self).
    • at least two-three paragraphs that elaborate on the supporting points for your overall summation or thesis which was stated in the opening paragraph. Clear examples, studies and/or good reasons can be used here to directly bolster your supporting points.
    • a concluding paragraph that restates what your main point was and what you just did to support it.
  • logical flow of ideas and paragraphs—this goes along with organization; however, if your paper is outwardly organized but is illogical or presents contradictions, it still lacks logical flow. Drawing out the relation between ideas, theories, or concepts also falls under “logical flow”.  Use transitional language to guide the reader and remind the reader where you are in your overall plan for the paper.  For example, you may use phrases like “I just elaborated how it is that . . .  and now I would like to address . . . .”  or “The reason this is important is that  . . . .”  and so on.
  • precise language—this includes the proper choice of words, and explaining things with enough specificity to make your meaning clear.
  • grammatical clarity—a reader trained in academic English should be able to easily follow the construction of your sentences.
  • specific examples and clear definitions of key philosophical terms --examples of key philosophical terms you MIGHT include, if relevant to your focus, are the continuous self, dualism, the mind, consciousness, the body, the problem of personal identity, the atomistic self, and the relational self.
  • Relevance —you chose a question or topic to address that is relevant to the topic choices provided in the assignment.
  • Attribution—be sure to cite any sources from which you drew your ideas, and be sure to use quotation marks appropriately. There is no shame in drawing from the work of others so long as it is minimal, and acts only as an adjunct to the main ideas, the bulk of which should be your own.
  • Accuracy—you use only strong evidence and you attribute any claimed facts to the appropriate persons. Any summaries of the ideas or statements of others are done without particular bias (in the spirit of generosity).
  • Avoidance of Fallacies—fallacies are considered incorrect forms of inference or reasoning.