Writing Philosophy Papers / Edition 5

by Zachary P. Seech

Overview

Discover an all-in-one guide to writing with Seech's WRITING PHILOSOPHY PAPERS, 5e. Written specifically for philosophy students, this unique book leads you through every aspect of writing philosophy papers and is an invaluable tool for any philosophy class that includes writing assignments. The book guides you through every step of creating and organizing a compelling philosophy essay—from the conception of a thesis and basic mechanics of writing through conducting effective research and accurately citing sources. You even learn tips for formulating an articulate, intelligent argument. Sample essays in the back of the book are provided for your reference. Specifics on the organization, style, and reasoning behind each primary type of philosophy papers prepare you to complete compare-and-contrast, research, and summary and explanatory papers. A new chapter on Internet research (Chapter 7) discusses source accountability and use of the Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia. New discussions on plagiarism in a digital age and word processing today further equip you for success. WRITING PHILOSOPHY PAPERS, 5e, serves as a valuable, ongoing reference for any current or future philosophy class.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780495506843
Publisher:	Cengage Learning
Publication date:	02/20/2008
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.41(w) x 9.17(h) x 0.27(d)

About the Author

Zachary Seech is the coordinator of the philosophy program at Palomar College. He is also the author of OPEN MINDS AND EVERYDAY REASONING, 2e, published by Wadsworth.

Table of Contents

Preface. Introduction. 1. FIRST THINGS FIRST. Know the Assignment. Know the Criteria for Evaluation. Schedule Your Time. Types of Philosophy Papers. Philosophy Courses and Sample Paper Topics. What You Will Find in This Book. 2. THESIS DEFENSE PAPERS. Developing a Thesis. The Opening and Closing Paragraphs. The Body of the Paper. Arguing for the Thesis. 3. SPECIAL KINDS OF PAPERS. Compare-and-Contrast Papers. Research Papers. Summary Papers and Explanatory Papers. 4. WRITING AND REVISING THE PAPER. Getting Started. Mapping and Outlining. Rough and Final Drafts. Plagiarism. Responding to Criticism. Writing Style. Word Processing Tools. 5. LANGUAGE. Precision of Expression. Grammar. Punctuation. Gender. Scholarly Terms and Abbreviations. Spelling. 6. GOOD REASONING. An Introductory Example. Making a Strong Case for Your View. Counterexamples and Generalizations. Two Kinds of Misdirection Fallacies. Two Special Kinds of Evidence. 7. INTERNET AND OTHER RESEARCH SOURCES. The Internet Journals, Reference Works, and Libraries. 8. REFERENCE TO OTHER SOURCES. Bibliography. Documentation with Footnotes and Endnotes to Books and Articles. Commentary Notes. Parenthetical Documentation. Other Systems of Documentation. A Special Consideration for Using Internet Sources. Appendix A: Editing Your Paper. Appendix B: Sample Paper with Documentation. Appendix C: Formal Patterns of Logic. Bibliography. Index.