Hey All

The process of writing a good philosophy paper can begin when you are evaluating the works of others; that is, you can learn by example. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, not all Ð''classics' are good candidates for you to follow. What follows here are just a few suggestions on how to write your own paper. Of course, any requirements or recommendations of your Professor will take precedence over these instructions.

Your Title

Although the first thing a reader will see is the title of your essay, the choice of title is perhaps best left for last. This is the case because a title should give an good indication as to the nature of the work Ð'- and you'll have a better idea of what this is when the paper has been completed.

Why should the reader read your paper and not someone else's? Make the title informative but not too specific Ð'- it's a title, not a wordy thesis statement. Feel free to personalize the title but don't make it wildly outrageous!

Let's image that you are writing a paper in Epistemology. One possible title would be: Truth Problematic? Definitely. Ð''Truth' is far too generic, and a bit pompous to boot. How about: The Correspondence Theory of Truth. Ð'- Better; but it is still too broad and it doesn't provide the reader with a sense of the paper's purpose. The Correspondence Theory of Truth: A Defense Ð'- This is even better as it gives the reader an indication as to what you're examining and hints at what your point of view will be. Of course, it's not very sexy but we leave that possibility up to you.

Your opening

Your opening paragraph(s) should set the stage for the rest of the paper. You are providing your reader with a contextual roadmap of what they can expect. It provides the reader with some indication as to why the topic is important, what the general problem is (or has been) and what your general thesis will be. If you have the space, you may wish to provide a brief glimpse of the main points you will be making- but be careful, you don't want to spend 1/3 of a short essay just explaining what the essay will be about. Just like your title, you may want to write the first paragraph last. This is due to the fact that you may not be quite sure what direction the paper will ultimately take and what the various arguments will be. Thus, instead of trying to force your paper to comply with the limits that you set out in a poor opening paragraph, just sketch the start of your paper to begin with and then jump right into the main text. Of course, the creation of an outline prior to this (see Ð''How to Plan your Paper)will benefit. Once you've written the first draft, then you can go back and tweak the opening paragraph.

Your text

While the opening sentence of each paragraph should be a new idea or an expansion of a previous one, it must flow naturally from the last sentence of the previous paragraph. Take care that you don't jump around from point to point without warning the reader Ð'- otherwise the reader will be lost as to where you are going and what you are trying to accomplish. Of course, there are many different approaches to write your essay, and sometimes it just becomes a matter of what works best for you, the topic and what your instructor wants. For example, you may want to present the issue, your views, then the possible objections and your responses; or you may wish to develop these things all in tandem. That is, present an argument and a possible objection then resolve the criticism and move on.

The central sentences of a paragraph will provide details and expand the claim being made while the final sentence will leave the reader with a strong sense of what this key point is as well as setting up the next paragraph. Paragraphs should not be overly long however.

As a general rule, stronger arguments should be reserved for later on in your paper. Start with the more fragile or the less significant ones first, and then build up your case. You don't want to end on a weak note since the last things you say will be the first things that the reader will remember. Don't be afraid to offer an apparent weak point Ð'- so long as you are able to recognize that it is a difficulty and are able to successfully respond to it. For example, let's say your claim is that Ð''any form of euthanasia is immoral and it should