Writing a term paper for Philosophy of Science can seem daunting.
In this guide, we will describe how to approach researching, reading, and writing about
philosophical issues in philosophy of science. Although we are focusing on philosophy of
science, much
of what we say applies to any area of philosophy.
W
e will discuss:
1.
Selecting a Topic
2.
Finding
Articles
3.
Reading and Studying Articles
4.
Writing Drafts
5.
Finalizing your Draft
6.
Managing your Time
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask either during
class
,
in
office hours, or
send me a message through Canvas.
1. Selecting a Topic
I strongly recommend that you write about something that you find interesting, or even
better, something that is important to you. Think about what philosophical questions
about science, or its practices and products, interest you most. Your term paper will give
you the opportunity to explore what other philosophers have said about science and to
develop and construct your own view.
A slightly different way to think about yo
ur topic is to think about finding a question you
want to answer. Here are some examples:
Writing a term paper for Philosophy of Science can seem daunting.
In this guide, we will describe how to approach researching, reading, and writing about
philosophical issues in philosophy of science. Although we are focusing on philosophy of
science, much
of what we say applies to any area of philosophy.
W
e will discuss:
1.
Selecting a Topic
2.
Finding
Articles
3.
Reading and Studying Articles
4.
Writing Drafts
5.
Finalizing your Draft
6.
Managing your Time
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask either during
class
,
in
office hours, or
send me a message through Canvas.
1. Selecting a Topic
I strongly recommend that you write about something that you find interesting, or even
better, something that is important to you. Think about what philosophical questions
about science, or its practices and products, interest you most. Your term paper will give
you the opportunity to explore what other philosophers have said about science and to
develop and construct your own view.
A slightly different way to think about yo
ur topic is to think about finding a question you
want to answer. Here are some examples:
4. Writing Drafts
Before you begin writing, you should have already found the main article that you will
examine critically. You will need to report to your reader what the author of that article
argues. This is where the notes you took while studying the article come in ha
ndy. A
good way to start writing is to start by reporting what the author of your main article
argues. For example, if you are interested in defending scientific anti
–
realism, and you
think you will do it by expanding on what van Fraassen says, start by wr
iting a report of
the main arguments van Fraassen makes.
It can also help to write a working
introduction. You will very likely have to revise this introduction later, so do not spend a
lot of time trying to perfect it.
To keep your writing organized, yo
u can use numbered sections. You can even start by
simply writing out the section headings that you think your paper will have. It is
your
paper, so you can change the sections and their content as you go. However, having an
original idea of which sections
youll need will help you stay organized.
Some people prefer to write
without
sections; they often start at the beginning and just
write! However, other people find this a bit daunting. If you are in the latter group, feel
free to write you sections in an
y order you want. Play to your strengths. Be intentional
about
which
section you write first. Personally, I find it easier to write the report part
of the paper first, where Im just reporting what another philosopher says. As I do that, I
refine and rev
ise the argument
to defend or challenge the position Im reporting.
Edit your work aggressively. Just because it looks nice all typed up it does not follow that
it is great philosophical writing! Be ruthless. Think hard about whether there is a more
effici
ent way to express something. Try reading the more subtle parts of your paper out
loud and recording them. The next day, listen to the recording. How does it sound?
Be sure to include all citations as you write. For me, it is always easier to complete all
the citations as I go instead of waiting until the end to put them all in. Of course,
stopping to put in a citation can stop the writing flow. However, you do not have to
break your flow. Finish writing that paragraph or section and
then
fill in all ci
tations
for that paragraph or section. Youll be glad you did this when it comes to finalizing your
draft.
Once you finish writing all your sections, or the main body of your essay,
re
–
write
your
introduction. For philosophy of science, do
not
use a funnel introduction. State the
thesis of your paper in the first or second sentence. Heres an example:
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