how to read and write philosophy

Don't spend to much time writing and thinking otherwise your performance will go down and the quality of your writing. wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. Share the love!

The print version of … Writing Philosophy: A Student's Guide to Reading and Writing Philosophy Essays Complete Writing Philosophy: A Student's Guide to Reading and Writing Philosophy Essays, Second Edition, is a concise, self-guided manual that covers how to read philosophy and the basics of argumentative essay writing. One of the best ways to understand and analyze a philosophical piece is to discuss it with others. Before actually starting to read, skim the paper to get a sense of the main … This might become one of the three or four major foci of your teaching philosophy. You can also use the introduction to explain any explanations you expect to use while backing up your thesis and how they are connected to your argument. The best way to start would to be to write down your basic beliefs in a philosophical statement (i.e. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. The problem —perhaps— is that our understanding is used to more practical or technical discourses, and we tend to forget that theoretical forms of thought are different.And yet this type of reflection is still important. As you learn look for connections between ideas and subjects to find coherence and/or arguments. If it's a book, look at the table of contents and go through the opening remarks. Bear in mind that when you are reading philosophy what you are actually doing is trying to understand a piece of writing. There should be a logical progression of ideas - one that will be easy for the reader to follow. Introduce your paper with relevant details. Try also to get a sense also of the weakest points in the overall piece. Before you write a paper, though, you need to understand the course texts and recommended readings. Even when you're the only one who ever sees the results of your explorations, trying to put them down in written form often helps, and when you wish to communicate to others, the ability to write clear, meaningful prose is vital. So, remember: be humble, patient, and meticulous. Your introduction is important because it gives readers a first impression of your paper. Writing Philosophy. Can you give me a good list of books. Originality . Instead, you rely on the phrases and constructions of the author you are discussing. Writing a philosophy paper is quite different from other types of papers. Don't try to establish any earth- shattering conclusions in your 5-6 page paper. Will you buy the author's position? The introduction is your chance to grab your readers’ attention and to provide a preview of your argument. 2 sBegin by formulating your precise thesis. While reading a page of a novel can take as little as thirty seconds, some pages in philosophy require at least ten minutes or even more. As you are sorting and fine-tuning your critical remarks, double-check the text to refresh your memory, sharpen your thoughts, and make sure you properly interpreted the author. 3. Capturing your thoughts quickly is vital to being a philosopher and writer, lest you lose it. You can see it's nothing like a novel or an encyclopedia entry. Philosophical criticism does not typically go well with speed-thinking. Style is the feather in the arrow, not the feather in the cap. Philosophical thought is organized … This article has been viewed 32,079 times. This is a guest post by Donovan Schaefer, University of Pennsylvania. When you read a philosophical piece you are reading the opinion of an author who is trying to persuade you of the plausibility or implausibility of a position. Most are well acquainted with the essay and the long winded book, but for those who just can't write an essay, then this is for you; unlock your philosophical potential. Philosophy is reflective: while it's perfectly OK to think while you are reading, you should go through your responses at least three times to be sure they really hold up. So you have a philosophical piece in your hand, for the very first time. If it's an essay, read the first and last paragraphs in their entirety. When reading, set realistic goals. SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING YOUR PHILOSOPHY PAPER. Present your argument and make sure you use the main points so that the reader can have the interest in reading more. Writing Philosophy: A Student's Guide to Reading and Writing Philosophy Essays, Second Edition, is a concise, self-guided manual that covers how to read philosophy and the basics of argumentative essay writing. Before I start writing, I want to read some books about philosophy. Start reading and learning. Start with what interests you and try to get a sense of the big ideas that philosophers are concerned with. You should then discuss what it says about your attitudes toward teaching, learning, and what's important in your discipline. Philosophy texts involve a certain kind of gravity.Reading Aristotle, Kant or Descartes is not easy, never mind tackling Heidegger or Hegel. Philosophical writings are dense and difficult. Done properly, philosophy moves at a slow pace. As you read, ask yourself the following: What philosophical question(s) is … % of people told us that this article helped them. I’ve always thought writing was strange, and writing a book is the strangest of all. If your paper is well organized, the reader will be led along in what seems a natural way. To create this article, 14 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Prepare a draft of your paper. I. Awkwardness. Write to learn. Think like a reader before you write anything. In addition to differences in types of philosophical writing, there are differences in the goals one might have when reading philosophy. How to write a philosophy book - the monograph as laboratory. State your thesis clearly and concisely in your introduction so that your reader understands what your paper sets out to achieve. First of all, a bit of context. Expressing your thoughts is an excellent way of discovering what they really are. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/e4\/Write-Philosophy-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Write-Philosophy-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/e\/e4\/Write-Philosophy-Step-1.jpg\/aid899239-v4-728px-Write-Philosophy-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":353,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"558","licensing":"