The first step in writing philosophy essays is to thoroughly read the assignment. Carefully think about what has been read. What does the reading speak to you as an individual? Do you agree with the philosophy or disagree with it? A philosophy essay should be well structured around an argument relevant to the reading. Be concise and state your opinions about your feelings about what is being read or discussed in the class.
Philosophy Essay is different from the writings that are assigned in most other courses. It seems like that because the essay is not a research paper and does not help to exercise in literary self-expression. It doesn't give the latest findings of research or experiments. It doesn't present the opinions of various scholars on particular topic and it does not present writer's personal impressions of feelings. Instead, it provided a reasoned defense of a thesis.
The philosophy essay should have a specific idea that the writer is trying to establish. It is something that he is trying to convince the audience to accept, using grounds or explanation for its acceptance.
Content of the essay is very important. Before writing the paper, the author should understand exactly what he will express. Sometimes it is harder than it sounds. The essay should be structured around the arguments and not to include irrelevant material. To start the essay is better going strait to the point. It is better to begin with describing the topic that will be addressed and giving some identification of the purpose. The writer should remember that philosophy essay should be concerned with arguments. He should identify and explain the content and probably the structure of arguments in the given reading and after that present his own ideas.
Special attention should be given to level of presentation. Student's writing the assignment usually serves two purposes: to be assigned a grade for the course and to learn how to write a good philosophy paper. As to the first purpose, so the student is required to demonstrate how well he understands the ideas that have been presented. There is a need to make detailed and clear explanation of the subject, as if the paper was written not for the instructor, but for a person who is not familiar with the topic. It is important to remember that a point by point summary of the reading doesn't prove the comprehension. Thus, student should highlight the logical structure of the idea he is presenting. As to the second purpose, so writing this paper requires a lot of thinking. It is not a paraphrasing what was read, but thinking, making a good argument and presenting challenges to this argument.
Clarity of exposition should be also considered while writing a philosophy essay. Student should not also forget about proper grammar, spelling and format of the essay. All quotations should be properly cited and the paper should not contain plagiarism.
