Question for philosophy scholars:?

Question

How do you structure a good philosophical argument or line of questioning/study?

Answer 1

make sure that your conclusion follows from your premises. for example, on such strucutre is:

If A, then B.
A.
therefore, B

But also, you need to make sure, as sure as you can, that your premises are also correct. I mean, you can structure something properly, but it can still be a craptastic argument!!!
You can say.
All dogs are brown.
Sparky is a dog.
Therefore, Sparky is brown.

but obviously many dogs are not brown...

i have a BA in Philosophy. If you email me your argument, i will give you my opinion.

Answer 2

Establish if your argument is going to be from a priori knowledge or a posteriori knowledge. Have empirical evidence to substantiate your claim.

Keep in mind that there may not be a "right" or "wrong" answer. You both may be right philosophically speaking.

Always ask questions and always search for the "why".

Study the prominent western and eastern philosophers and their philosophies.

Answer 3

The answer would vary depending on the content of the argument, but generally speaking, it would go roughly as follows:

(1) Summarize any relevant information regarding the topic that your reader might not already know.
(2) Present your original theory, or present your argument for or against an established theory.
(3) Anticipate what someone who disagrees with you would say in response, and offer rebuttals for those objections before someone has the chance to make them.

All of this, of course, must be done with strict adherence to and dependence on sound logic. It is crucial to be aware of any weakness or flaw in your argument, so you can account for it and show why it is actually not a weakness. The key to a successful argument is knowing what your opponent would say in response to you, and addressing their concerns before they're even raised.

Answer 4

Write for your prof and for your course/major/school.

Try mindmapping software. It will help to clarify your own thinking and the development of your ideas. Structure for a document usually emerges in a mindmap anyway.

I always find a "good" argument is one where the writer addresses any flaws in their own reasoning before the reader can make those assumptions. You may be unwilling to find flaws in your reasoning, others will be happy to point it out.

The more radical you are in your viewpoints, the more risk you have of not receiving credit for your work.

Pay credit where due. If your thesis originates from the work of another, blend how you jumped off from their work.

Philosophy becomes far more interesting if you modify the approach of "what is X?" to "what is X as a process?"

Just a few tips.

Answer 5

Study LOGIC. The study and proper use of logic is necessary for sensible debate. When you see the form or structure of a person's argument then you can wade through all the junk they are throwing in order to win you over to their side.

Answer 6

One must look look at what others have written already on the same topic. Then one must express one's argument for against each varied aspect of the topic. In this, one must clarify one's terms. Using logic general helps. Take a look at the various sillogisms and logical expressions for help in analyzing arguments of others and for debating your point of view.