Synopses & Reviews
The Philosophy Student Writer's Manual is an ideal complement to any philosophy textbook or as a primary source for teaching philosophy through writing. This manual clearly presents three essential elements of philosophic writing:
- A manual of style for researching and writing philosophy papers, including a guide to `Philosophy and Cyberspace' and other sources of information.
- An introduction to the basic concepts and approaches of the discipline of philosophy, including: principles of argument, fallacies, and applied ethics.
- A resource of specific, detailed instructions for writing papers usually required in college philosophy classes, including: position papers, historical essays, and applied ethics papers.
New to this Second Edition! - Samples of good student writingGives students good concrete models of the style of argumentative writing.
- Revised chapter on Web resourcesIncludes the most up-to-date resources as well as on-line research strategies.
- Rewritten sections on writing ethics papersEmphasizes continuity between ethics and other argumentative writing.
- Shorter lengthMore focused and concise in presentation.
Synopsis
This manual provides the user with the necessary skills to successfully write argumentatively. While focusing on instruction of the basics of grammar and style and on research techniques, it also includes a concise history of philosophy. The topics covered in this manual include writing to communicate, grammar and style, organizing the research process, formats for writing papers, citing sources, the principles of argument and writing sound arguments, and writing ethics papers and personal ethics statements. For business communication writers who need instruction on argumentative and/or persuasive writing.
Table of Contents
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE DISCIPLINE OF PHILOSOPHY. Philosophy Is Nothing New. Are You Dreaming? What Is Philosophy? What Does Philosophy Accomplish?
I. A HANDBOOK OF STYLE FOR PHILOSOPHY. 1. Writing as Communication.
Writing to Learn. Organizing Your Writing. Invention Strategies. The Rough Draft. Revising Your Writing. 2. Writing Competently.
General Rules of Grammar and Style. Sentence Structure. Pronoun Errors. Punctuation. Spelling. Technical and Ordinary Usage of Philosophical Terms.
II. CONDUCTING RESEARCH IN PHILOSOPHY. 3. Organizing the Research Process.
Gaining Control of the Research Process. Effective Research Methods. Ethical Use of Source Material. Research Schedule. 4. Information in Your Library and Similar Places.
Information Resources in Your College Library. Other Sources of Information. 5. Philosophy and Cyberspace.
Narrow Sources of Information. General Sources of Information. Advice for Distance Learners. 6. Formats for Philosophy Papers.
Getting Started. General Page Format. Title Page. Abstract. Table of Contents. Lists of Tables and Figures. Text. Chapter Headings. Illustrations and Figures. Reference Page. Appendices. 7. Citing Sources.
Preliminary Decisions. Documentary-Note System: Numbered References.
III. HOW TO THINK AND WRITE LIKE A PHILOSOPHER. 8. Principles of Argument.
The Throws of Argument. The Definition of an Argument. The Two Basic Types of Argument. Validity and Soundness. Patterns of Reasoning. Valid Forms of Argument. Applications. A Map of How to Arrange a Philosophy Paper. 9. Avoiding Fallacies.
Formal Fallacies. Informal Fallacies. Identifying Fallacies. Calculating Probabilities. Emotive Language. 10. Writing Sound Arguments.
What Is a Position Paper? The Steps to Writing a Position Paper. The Format of a Position Paper. 11. History of Philosophy Papers.
A Very Short History of the Great Philosophers. How to Write a History of Philosophy Paper. Hints on Writing History of Philosophy Papers. The Contents of a History of Philosophy Paper. 12. Writing Applied Ethics Papers.
What Is Ethics? The Distinction Between Fact and Value. Approaches to Ethics. Perennial Issues for Political Ethics: Justice and Rights. Applying Ethical Theories and Political Philosophy. Professional Codes of Ethics. Analyzing a Professional Code of Ethics. 13. Writing a Personal Ethics Statement.
Examples of Famous Statements of Ethics. Writing Your Own Personal Code of Ethics. The Contents of a Personal Ethics Statement. Two Sample Student Ethics Statements. Writing a Critique of a Brief Ethics Statement. 14. Sample Student Papers.
Glossary.