Philosophical Writing

Philosophical Writing helps students to think clearly and analytically, improve their essay-writing skills, and present their knowledge and thoughts in a precise and coherent manner. Acclaimed for its accessible, highly practical approach, this bestselling textbook emphasizes what students should do in crafting a philosophical essay, as well as other types of essays that analyze concepts across a variety of disciplines.

Tracing the evolution of a good philosophical essay from the draft stage to completion, the book's eleven chapters are purpose-built to serve the needs of a wide range of students, with levels ranging from elementary to moderately advanced. Philosophical Writing includes numerous essay examples, techniques for outlining and composing, guidance on evaluating philosophical essays, useful appendices, a glossary, a full-featured companion website, and more.

Now in its fifth edition, Philosophical Writing is fully updated with enhanced language and improved explanations throughout. Two entirely new chapters delve into the intricacies of belief networks and explore the properties of sound interpretations, supported by a wealth of new exercises and discussion questions.

Written with clarity and humor by a leading analytic philosopher, Philosophical Writing:



Helps students organize their beliefs, assess their interpretations, and critically evaluate the ideas of others
Explains the basic concepts of logic and rhetoric, the structure of a philosophical essay, and the criterion of good philosophical writing
Describes key tactics for analytic writing, such as definitions, analysis, counterexamples, and dialectical reasoning
Discusses the concepts of author and audience as they apply to a student's philosophical writing
Offers advice on common problems that students encounter when writing a philosophical essay

Philosophical Writing: An Introduction, Fifth Edition, remains an ideal textbook for lower- and upper-division courses in philosophy, particularly introductory philosophy classes, as well as courses with significant writing components that cover logic, rhetoric, and analysis.