Module 1 - Readings

What is the best word for philosophical dialogue from the first video? 

Which best describes the value of philosophical dialogue from the dialectic video? 

From the brief guide to writing a philosophy paper, what are the best practices for the structure of your paper?

From the Harvard guide (https://hwpi.harvard.edu/files/hwp/files/bg_writing_philosophy.pdf):

1. Begin by formulating a precise thesis - state what your paper wants to achieve clearly and concisely in its introduction.

2. Define technical or ambiguous terms used in your thesis - write so your work can be understood by a student who has little or no philosophy experience.

3. (If necessary) motivate your thesis - explain why the reader should care about it; useful in longer assignments or when it’s unclear why the reader should care/

4. (If necessary) explain the argument you will be critiquing - if you are asked to critique an argument, you will need to explain the argument before you can critique it.

5. Make an argument to support your thesis - the main focus of your paper; do not skip steps or rest on any premises/principles the reader may be unwilling to accept.

   • Avoid a “shotgun” approach of multiple weak arguments - stick to one or a few strong, well-defined arguments.

6. Anticipate possible objections to your thesis - consider how these objections might challenge your position and prepare counterarguments that reinforce your main claim.

From the brief guide to writing a philosophy paper, which best describes how to use evidence in a philosophy paper? 

From the Harvard guide:

• Scientific/empirical evidence: Explain exactly why the evidence relates to your philosophical question, and accurately report the evidence.

• Argue from fallacies: Show the failures of the argument by identifying any inconsistencies that weaken opposing claims.

  • A reductio: Fallacy that results when two or more independently strong arguments that, when combined, introduce an implausible separate claim.

  • Question-begging argument: An argument that uses a premise one would reasonably doubt if a person didn’t accept the conclusion the argument is trying to establish.

• Using examples: hypotheticals or real-world examples that demonstrate how the argument would work out.

Which describes the best practice of how to utilize and cite sources for your philosophy writing? 

• Avoid quotes - quote sparingly, and when you do, follow up the quote by paraphrasing what the author means.

• Use 1st person pronouns & possessive pronouns freely

• Say exactly what you mean

• Be careful with specialized language.

  • This includes phrases like deduction, begs the question, valid, invalid, vague - these often have specific meanings.

According to the fallacies handout, what is a fallacy? 

Which is the best characterization of an ad hominem fallacy? 

Which best characterizes a hasty generalization? 

Which is NOT a characteristic of a strong sample of philosophical writing from the video on discussion board expectations? 

Which is NOT a characteristic of a strong evaluation of a philosophical idea from the video on discussion board expectations?