9781405131674

Substantially updated and revised, the third edition of Philosophical Writing is designed to help those with little or no experience in philosophy to think and write successfully. Traces the evolution of a good philosophical essay from draft stage to completion Now includes new examples of the structures of a philosophical essay, new examples of rough drafts, tips on how to study for a test and a new section on how to utilize the internet effectively Written with clarity and wit by a bestselling author

A. P. Martinich is the Roy Allison Vaughan Centennial Professor of Philosophy and Professor of History and Government at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author or editor of thirteen books, including Hobbes: A Biography (1999), The Philosophy of Language (4th edn., 2001), and A Companion to Analytic Philosophy (Blackwell, 2001).

Note to the Third Edition

viii

Note to the Second Edition

ix

Introduction

1

(8)

1 Author and Audience

9

(10)

1 The Professor as Audience

9

(3)

2 The Student as Author

12

(5)

3 Three Attitudes about Philosophical Method

17

(2)

2 Logic and Argument for Writing

19

(30)

1 What is a Good Argument?

20

(4)

2 Valid Arguments

24

(9)

3 Cogent Arguments

33

(4)

4 Consistency and Contradiction

37

(3)

5 Contraries and Contradictories

40

(4)

6 The Strength of a Proposition

44

(5)

3 The Structure of a Philosophical Essay

49

(16)

1 An Outline of the Structure of a Philosophical Essay

49

(7)

2 Anatomy of an Essay

56

(6)

3 Another Essay

62

(3)

4 Composing

65

(25)

1 How to Select an Essay Topic

66

(1)

2 Techniques for Composing

67

(1)

3 Outlining

68

(1)

4 Successive Elaboration

69

(3)

5 Conceptual Note Taking

72

(2)

6 Research and Composing

74

(1)

7 Polishing

75

(2)

8 Evolution of an Essay

77

(13)

5 Tactics for Analytic Writing

90

(43)

1 Definitions

91

(5)

2 Distinctions

96

(4)

3 Analysis

100

(6)

4 Dilemmas

106

(4)

5 Scenarios

110

(2)

6 Counterexamples

112

(9)

7 Reductio ad Absurdum

121

(6)

8 Dialectical Reasoning

127

(6)

6 Some Constraints on Content

133

(7)

1 The Pursuit of Truth

134

(1)

2 The Use of Authority

134

(3)

3 The Burden of Proof

137

(3)

7 Some Goals of Form

140

(17)

1 Coherence

140

(5)

2 Clarity

145

(6)

3 Conciseness

151

(3)

4 Rigor

154

(3)

8 Problems with Introductions

157

(13)

1 Slip Sliding Away

157

(6)

2 The Tail Wagging the Dog

163

(2)

3 The Running Start

165

(5)

Appendix A: "It's Sunday Night and I Have an Essay Due Monday Morning"

170

(4)

Appendix B: How to Study for a Test

174

(2)

Appendix C: Scholarship: Notes and References

176

(5)

Appendix D: Philosophy Resources on the Internet, by Neil Sinhababu

181

(5)

Appendix E: On Grading

186

(2)

Appendix F: Glossary of Philosophical Terms

188

(11)

Index

199

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Philosophical Writing : An Introduction

Philosophical Writing : An Introduction

1405131675

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

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