How to Write a Philosophy Paper

In philosophy papers, your thesis will state a position or claim.

The thesis is the most important part of your paper; it tells the reader what your stance is on a particular topic and offers reasons for that stance.

Since the rest of your paper will be spent defending your thesis--offering support for the thesis and reasons why criticism of the thesis may not be valid--it's crucial that you develop a strong thesis.

A strong thesis will:

1. Answer a question;
2. Be engaging; it can be challenged or opposed, thus also defended;
3. Pass the "so what? why should I care?" test;
4. Be supported by your paper;
5. Not be too broad nor too vague.

Source: Writing Guide for Philosophy. George Mason University.

Image source: Sergui Bacioiu. Ripple effect on water. CC BY 2.0. Wikimedia Commons.

Thesis Resources

An overview of writing a thesis statement with guided questions for evaluating the quality of your statement. Everettcc.

". describes what a thesis statement is, how thesis statements work in your writing, and how you can discover or refine one. " University of North Carolina.