Philosophy Essay: An Example

The intent, of course, for considering an objection is not to deliberately weaken one's thesis but to strengthen it. The author, therefore, turns to responding to that objection, thereby strengthening his position. Note, however, this works only if the objection considered is a fair and representative objection one's opponent might really make.

The conclusion of the essay summarizes the essay's philosophical issue and the thesis the author defended. It also mentions that the thesis was limited in scope, further clarifying just what the author sought to accomplish.

After completing a pointed summary of Nozick's argument, the author positions himself to begin developing his own argument: a critical response to Nozick's view. Since Nozick's original argument is an argument from analogy, the author sensibly examines the strength of that analogy.

Philosophy Essays: An Example

This Prezi will walk you through a short essay, illustrating many of the recommendations offered in the Philosophy Writing Guide

A 5 Page Essay on Robert Nozick's Famous Argument for Libertarianism

Don't worry if you don't know who Robert Nozick is or what "Libertarianism" refers to. A good essay should lead you to understand such matters

Formatting and the introduction

After the introduction the author turns to explaining the philosophical issue he is engaging: that of distributive justice. In particular, notice how the author works to introduce and explain key theoretical terms.

This essay follows MLA formatting starting with the way in which the author's name and course information is presented. The essay also provides a clear and informative title.

See how attention is paid to the meanings of terms used.

The first paragraph serves as the the essay's introduction. Notice how it slowly leads the reader in to the subject of the paper, setting the author up to present his thesis on that subject matter.

Here the author makes use of the ideas from an influential thinker to help explain the philosophical issue. Recognize too the need to use quotation marks and properly reference from where the quote is taken.

The introduction is also proportioned to the essay length (2/3 of a page for a 5 page essay).

The author is now in a position to transition to the core argument he is critiquing. Observe how much background was given to get to this point and, going forward how much detail is provided in summarizing the argument the author targets for critique.

As the author develops his argument, observe how he seeks to use an illustration to strengthen his idea.

Once the author has his initial critical argument laid out, he now turns to considering an objection: he asks, how might a libertarian like Nozick respond?

Finally, the author continues with his use of MLA formatting for his Works Cited. Notice too the inclusion of page numbers throughout the essay.