Philosophy
phi·los·o·phy · philos: loving · sophia: wisdom
Philosophy is the study of the nature of existence, knowledge, truth, and ethics. It involves consideration of the most fundamental questions about who we are, and examines philosophical thought across the breadth of history right up to the present day.
- State your thesis in one sentence before you start writing.
- Steelman the opposing view — argue it as well as its best defenders would.
- Define your key terms explicitly; most philosophical disputes hide in vague definitions.
- Engage directly with primary texts, not just summaries of them.
Related areas & concentrations
Every field rests on philosophical assumptions, and philosophy draws examples and problems from all of them.
Related research areas
- Literature: ideas about meaning, morality, and the self, explored through stories
- History: how ideas emerged, spread, and changed over time
- Film studies: films that pose philosophical questions, and the philosophy of art
- Science & technology studies (STS): the ethics and foundations of science and technology
Sample concentrations
- Descartes' Meditations: doubt, certainty, and the mind–body problem
- Buddhist culture and philosophy: the self, suffering, and the path to understanding
- Ethics, religion, and moral thought: where our ideas of right and wrong come from
- The examined life: what it means to live well, from Socrates to today
Four ways into a question
Most philosophy papers work within one of these branches. All of them need only careful reading, clear thinking, and good arguments.
Ethics & Moral Thought
What makes actions right or wrong, and how we should live.
Is it ever wrong to break a promise in order to prevent a small harm?
Knowledge & Certainty
What we can know, how we know it, and what counts as justified belief.
Does Descartes' “I think, therefore I am” actually escape his own doubt?
Mind & the Self
Consciousness, personal identity, and what makes you the same person over time.
How does the Buddhist idea of “no-self” challenge Descartes' view of the mind?
Politics, Religion & Society
Justice, rights, faith, and the foundations of how we live together.
Can a society be fair if people start with very unequal opportunities?
Turning an interest into a question
A big question isn't yet a research question. Narrow to one claim, one or two thinkers, and a thesis you can defend in a single paper.
Start from a puzzle that bothers you
A moral dilemma, a claim that seems both true and impossible, an argument you can't quite accept.
Narrow to one text or debate
Not “free will” but one thinker's argument, or a specific disagreement between two.
Take a position
Turn it into a thesis you can argue for — “X's argument fails because…” or “Y is the better view because…”
Test it against objections
What's the strongest reply to your thesis, and can you answer it?
Methods & where to look
Philosophy's methods are careful reading and careful arguing. Pair them with the texts and references philosophers actually use.
Common methods
- Close reading: working through a primary text line by line.
- Argument reconstruction: laying out an argument's premises and conclusion.
- Conceptual analysis: clarifying exactly what a key term means.
- Thought experiments: testing ideas against imagined cases.
- Comparative philosophy: setting thinkers or traditions side by side.
Write out an argument as numbered premises — it shows you exactly where to push back.
Where to find sources
- Encyclopedias: the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
- Primary texts: Project Gutenberg for free classic works.
- Research index: PhilPapers for articles on almost any topic.
- Journals: Mind and Philosophy & Public Affairs, via Google Scholar or JSTOR.
The Stanford Encyclopedia's bibliographies are a great map of who's argued what.
Building an argument
A philosophy paper is only as good as its reasoning. Three habits keep your argument clear and convincing.
Clarity
Define your key terms and state your thesis plainly. If a reader can't restate your claim, it isn't clear yet.
Structure
Make every step follow from the last. Check that your premises are true and actually support your conclusion.
Charity
Present opposing views at their strongest before you respond. Beating a weak version proves nothing.
Cite every text you discuss, including page or section numbers for quotations.