Philosophy 233, Homework: Paper Outline


Think about the argument you want to make for this paper. You should start by picking a paper topic; all of the allowed paper topics are listed on the paper assignment. It'll probably make your life easier if you pick one that you have strong views about. Now, think hard about what you believe about this topic. Try to put this into words - try to pick a thesis that reflects these beliefs. (The paper is going to be much easier to write, and more helpful for you, if you try to pick a thesis you think is true)

If you aren't sure what you believe, then think about examples. For whatever the topic is you are writing about, what are some relevant examples that clearly go one way (e.g. cases where treating a patient without consent is clearly wrong) and examples that clearly go the other way (e.g. that are permissible). Once you have a few examples on either side of the issue, ask yourself what all the examples on one side have in common that differentiates them from the other side; let's call this "x". This will give you a tentative thesis. The thesis will say something like "If x, then such and such is wrong; otherwise such and such is permissible."

Once you have a tentative thesis in mind, see if you can easily think of any cases where you believe that your thesis is false. That is, see if you can find counterexamples to your thesis that you find compelling. If you can, then change your thesis, because you don't really agree with it. Almost all of the topics require you to state two conditionals as your thesis (e.g. "If x, then it is permissible to deceive patients." and "If x is not the case, then it is wrong to deceive patients.") If you find a counterexample to either, you need to change your whole thesis. When changing your thesis, see if you can slightly revise the one you've already given so that it doesn't say the thing you think is false. (If you can't, pick a new thesis and start over)

Once you've amended your original thesis, or picked a new one, try again to find a case where you think it is false. If so, fix it again. Do this over and over until you have a thesis that you can't easily show is false. This is vital: if you can see a clear problem with your thesis, the person grading your paper can see it too.

Now you have a tentative thesis. Think about why you believe that it is true. Why is it that, something is always right/wrong/obligatory/etc. when you say, and not otherwise? If someone was on the fence about this, what would you say to convince them? If your thesis said, for example, "If x is true, then such and such is morally wrong," ask yourself, "What is it about x that makes things wrong?" If you think really hard and can't think of any reasons, pick a new thesis and start over. Remember, the reasons you give must show why, in every case where your thesis says something is wrong/permissible/etc., it actually is.

Once you have these reasons, write them down as clearly and concisely as possible - they should each be just a sentence or two in their simplest form (although explaining what they mean and why believe them might take a lot more space). If you find that you are basically just writing your thesis down again in slightly different words, you aren't giving good reasons.

As you have probably noticed in class, whatever your thesis says, it's going to have some implausible consequences. What are the main implausible consequences of your thesis? Trust me, it has at least one. Start thinking about these now. Eventually you've have to address them. You know someone is going to disagree with you on this thesis. What counterexample to your thesis would most worry that person - would most indicate that your thesis is false? Pick a specific counterexample.
Now, here's your homework:
* Write down your thesis.
* Briefly state the reasons you think your thesis is true. Don't just say what your thesis means, but rather say what the evidence for it is.
* What is the main counterexample to your thesis (that we didn't talk about in class)?