Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ How To Write A Philosophy Paper: Online Guides

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

Many readers will have noticed that my papers aren't like typical social science research papers. I don't do 'social science research', properly so-called. I tend to write in a philosophical style, which has its own rules, traditions, and standards. This list of guides provides a good introduction to the format. In a philosophy paper I am seeking to establish a thesis, for which I will argue, drawing upon evidence, all the while considering and responding to objections. For me, the most important standards are clarity and precision. This is very different from a social science paper, which (say) will use a theory as a lens through which to interpret data produced through some sort of study. Me, I have little use for theories, I certainly don't take them as starting points, and I think of them at best as a shorthand to reference a string of arguments or model.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
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Last Updated: Apr 30, 2024 11:56 a.m.

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