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Comments on writing papers: You will want to take notes

***Many took this as an opportunity to weigh the relative merits of NCR and to argueboth for and against it. While noone was penalized for this, in the future I want you to

know that I am asking you not merely to do a pro/contra essay, but to take a position and

to argue for that position. You can learn a lot from doing this. (Recall my history paper onslavery).

1. Avoid posing questions in essays, especially rhetorical questions that you think makeyour point. (Many do this to avoid explicitly stating a point that they cannot properly

clarify).

So, people are saying If A then B but who in their right mind wants B and then

they stop.Or, sometimes people would try to argue for NCR by asking, Who are we to judge?

Very ineffective. Especially since we spent several days looking at argumentative essays

that aimed at answering this question: We are rational creatures with a responsibility to do

so.Often this just amounts to footstomping rather than arguing. Finish your argument by

arguing, not by posting a question. Your job in expository essays is to answer questions,not pose them.

Dont assume entailments are obvious. Spell them out.

This is not to say that posing questions cannot be used as an effective literary device. It

can, but it takes time to acquire this skill and more often than not, at this level questionposing usually amounts to footstomping.

So, if I circled a question mark and wrote avoid that is what I am getting at.

2. Avoid and/or and both/and device, from/through etc. An entire philosophical point can

be made or broken rest or fall at times depending on the proper use of a preposition.Leave this linguistic device to lawyers. Choose the word that is most fitting to your pointand go with it.

3. Non-sequitur = does not follow.This does not mean I disagree with what you said but rather that it is not established by

what you said before.

4. Internet sources: be careful.I give you texts to evaluate terms. Wikipedia is notoriously imprecise for doing what it is

we are engaged in in this class.

5. Avoid stream of consciousness writing. What do I mean by this?

Just putting down whatever next comes to mind and not knowing where your paper is

going.Think before you write. Plan. Make an outline of your argument and execute it.

Composing a philosophical essay in the stream of consciousness usually leads to

contradicting oneself.

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6. A line with a check mark means good point.

7. Take note of my comments. If something is unclear or you wish to discuss it, I amhappy to do so. I have office hours and am available by appointmentand only one

students has taken advantage of this thus far.

8. What about my grade?

If I got a C is it still mathematically possible for me to get an A?

YES. I triangulate grades at the close of the semester, leaving it possible for you to stilldo well in the class.

9. Note:

Only arguments can be valid or invalid in the technical and primary sense of valid.Only propositions can be true or untrue.

So, dont say The argument is true or The argument is false because arguments

contain multiple assertions, and sometimes some of them are true and others false.

10. Regard this as a learning experience. If I didnt care about you as students I would not

bother to take the time to correct you. But I do care, and I want you to improve. So, takethe comments seriously and use them to improve your writing.