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Preface: A Users' Guide | p. ix |
A Note to Instructors | p. ix |
A Note to Students | p. xii |
Acknowledgments | p. xviii |
Glossary of Philosophical Terms | p. xix |
Writing Philosophy | p. 1 |
Writing a Philosophy Paper | p. 3 |
What is a Philosophy Paper Supposed to Accomplish? | p. 3 |
Choosing a Topic | p. 4 |
Moving through Drafts | p. 11 |
The Only Outline You Need is a Sketch of the Argument You Plan to Make | p. 12 |
The Cardinal Virtues: Logical Rigor and Clarity of Expression | p. 13 |
A Checklist for Spotting Problems Early | p. 14 |
Philosophical Writing Advances a Thesis with an Argument | p. 16 |
Consuming Arguments | p. 16 |
What is an argument? | p. 16 |
How is a philosopher's argument to be recognized? | p. 21 |
The principle of charity | p. 23 |
How is an argument to be criticized? | p. 25 |
Producing Arguments | p. 28 |
A clearly stated, tightly focused thesis is essential | p. 28 |
The introduction states why you wrote the paper and why your audience should read it | p. 29 |
The body of your paper follows a strategy to demonstrate your thesis | p. 30 |
Consider objections to your view | p. 32 |
The conclusion of your paper explains the conclusion of your argument | p. 34 |
On words that indicate conclusions and premises | p. 35 |
Provide justification for every important claim | p. 35 |
What makes an argument philosophically interesting? | p. 36 |
The Rudiments of Academic Writing | p. 40 |
Elements of Style | p. 40 |
Use the first-person, active voice | p. 40 |
Avoid using a conversational tone | p. 41 |
The paper should have a title | p. 41 |
Pages should be numbered | p. 42 |
The correct use of punctuation | p. 42 |
The correct use of Latin abbreviations | p. 43 |
The correct use of Latin expressions | p. 44 |
The consistent use of pronouns | p. 47 |
Grammatical errors | p. 47 |
Using a term vs. mentioning it | p. 48 |
How to edit or add text within a quotation | p. 49 |
Elements of Substance | p. 50 |
Avoid mere rhetoric: philosophy is not forensics | p. 50 |
Avoid using five-star vocabulary words | p. 52 |
The standard of precision in written discourse | p. 53 |
On expressions such as "It is clear that..." | p. 53 |
Use accurate terms having clear referents | p. 54 |
Always look for the contrast term | p. 55 |
Watch out for mysterious agents | p. 55 |
Substantive Advice | p. 55 |
Never quote the instructor | p. 55 |
Never quote the dictionary | p. 56 |
A Few Frequently Misused Terms | p. 56 |
Philosophy vs. view vs. opinion | p. 56 |
Concept vs. conception | p. 57 |
Think vs. feel | p. 58 |
Statement vs. argument | p. 59 |
Sound, valid, and true | p. 59 |
Explaining Philosophical Texts | p. 60 |
Make sense out of the text as a whole | p. 60 |
Make sense out of the main arguments in a text | p. 62 |
Every quotation requires explanation | p. 63 |
Every quotation requires specific attribution | p. 64 |
The consistent and meaningful use of technical terminology | p. 66 |
The Rudiments of Academic Research | p. 67 |
Use the library, not the Web | p. 67 |
Primary sources are your primary responsibility | p. 69 |
What kind of secondary sources should be used and how? | p. 70 |
Doing Philosophy | p. 73 |
Academic Integrity | p. 75 |
Know Your School's Honor Code and its Policies Regarding Plagiarism | p. 75 |
What is Plagiarism? | p. 75 |
How to Avoid Plagiarism | p. 76 |
Proper Attribution Bolsters One's Scholarly Credibility | p. 77 |
Cheaters are Likely to be Caught | p. 77 |
How to Succeed in a Philosophy Course | p. 79 |
Practice the Intellectual Virtues | p. 79 |
Come to Class Prepared | p. 82 |
Ask Substantive Questions | p. 83 |
Respect the Arduous Process of Careful Reading and Writing | p. 83 |
Why is Philosophy So Hard to Do? | p. 84 |
Why is Philosophy So Hard to Read? | p. 85 |
On the Critical Nature of Philosophy and a Few Myths it is Useful to Discard | p. 87 |
What Does it Mean to Do Philosophy? | p. 93 |
Philosophers Inquire into Our Concepts and Commitments | p. 94 |
Philosophy Explicates What is Implicit in Our Concepts and Commitments | p. 96 |
Philosophical Reflection and the Public Use of Reason | p. 104 |
Keywords Cross-Referenced to Section Numbers | p. 117 |
References | p. 119 |
Index | p. 123 |
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