Philosophy Paper Outline: Guide for Success

Writing a philosophy paper isn’t limited to the usual drudgery of finding enough sources and properly citing them in the main body. When you face a paper on big questions like free will, you have to don the philosopher’s hat yourself and defend your thesis.

At the same time, a philosophy paper can’t boil down to a bunch of “I think…” and “In my opinion…” statements. You have to present clear, logically solid arguments to support your point of view, along with evidence and examples – and refute possible counterarguments.

So, if the prospect of writing a philosophy essay or research paper intimidates you, that’s understandable. But don’t worry: here’s your exhaustive guide on how to write a philosophy paper!

What Is a Philosophy Paper?

Before jumping into writing a philosophy paper outline, you need to have a good grasp of what’s expected of the paper itself. The grading rubric usually contains most of the requirements, but along with them, you should understand the purpose behind any philosophy paper.

A philosophy paper is a self-contained piece of academic writing that defends a specific thesis with an argument or a series of arguments. It also usually addresses potential objections and counterarguments within the text.

Now, let’s make sure we’re on the same page regarding what a philosophy research paper and a philosophy essay are. While both of them focus on a philosophical topic, the expected structure and length are different:

• Philosophy essays focus on the author’s point of view. They’re usually short (five paragraphs, on average).
• Philosophy research papers explore the existing body of work on the given topic, along with the author’s standpoint and ideas. They’re longer than essays, with the minimum length usually at eight pages.

You may be allowed free reins to choose your paper’s topic, or you may be limited to a list of preapproved topics. Some instructors may assign topics to students, too.

Depending on the details of your assignment, you may be asked to do one or several of the following in your philosophy paper:

• Explain the thesis
• Provide arguments to support it
• Provide an objection to it
• Defend it against objections
• Evaluate arguments both for and against it

Philosophy Paper Outline Structure

As any philosophy paper writer will tell you, a quality paper always begins with a detailed, comprehensive outline. Think of it as your blueprint for writing the philosophy paper itself.

An outline for philosophy paper follows the structure of your future paper, meaning that it briefly describes what you will write in the introduction, the main body, and the conclusion. It’s also a good idea to note down relevant sources throughout the outline.

Of course, since the philosophy essay structure is different from that of a research paper, your outline will also look different depending on the specifics of your assignment. That said, here’s a short overview of what your outline should contain:

• Introduction: Your thesis + short context description
• Main body: Topic sentence for each body paragraph + supporting evidence or examples + potential counterarguments and their rebuttal (if any)
• Conclusion: “I defended my thesis by doing X, Y, and Z.”

Well-prepared philosophy paper outlines are quite detailed, so expect yours to take up around a fifth of the future paper length.

Introduction

First, develop your thesis statement – i.e., the standpoint that you will be defending in your paper. A philosophy thesis has to be precise, clear, and concise. For example: “In this paper, I will argue that Q is true by refuting its main counterarguments: X, Y, and Z.”

Zeroing in on your thesis typically requires at least a bit of research, especially if you’re meant to argue for or against another scholar’s argument.

Once your thesis is ready, give yourself a pat on the back: that’s one of the most difficult parts of preparing the outline! Plus, keep in mind that there’s nothing bad about tweaking the thesis a bit as you’re writing the paper. You may realize the phrasing wasn’t specific enough, for example.

Overall, the philosophy paper introduction consists of these three elements:

• The thesis statement that you’ll be defending
• Context and background information to introduce relevant terms or works of other philosophers
• Structure outline that briefly describes how you will be defending your thesis

In addition to those elements, you may also choose to do the following in your introduction:

• Define technical or ambiguous terms central to your thesis
• Explain why the reader should care about your thesis (usually required for longer assignments)
• Describe another philosopher’s argument if you’re meant to critique it

Main Body

This is the meat of your paper. The main body is where you:

• Provide your answer to the paper’s central question
• Break down your argument(s) in support of your thesis
• Provide evidence and examples to solidify and illustrate your point
• Address potential objections to your arguments, especially if you write longer philosophy papers

To write a compelling argument, describe it clearly and in detail while remaining concise. You should also be careful not to base your argument on a premise that your readers are unlikely to accept. Reductio ad absurdum and question-begging types of arguments are two of the most common ones.

After the argument itself, address any potential objections to it. It’ll make your thesis more compelling as a result. Just be careful when choosing the objections to address: instructors prefer it when you refute the strongest objections possible instead of choosing the easy way out.

As for evidence, you can use sources from other fields, like psychology or physics, in philosophy papers – but only to a certain extent. When you cite other works, clearly explain why they are relevant to the point you’re trying to make. On top of that, prioritize writing your own summary of others’ work and use direct quotes sparingly, especially if you refer to other philosophers’ work.

Conclusion

Think of the conclusion as the wrap-up of your philosophy paper. This is where you reiterate your thesis statement and sum up your arguments, evidence, examples, and rebuttal of potential objections and counterarguments.

Don’t hesitate to be straightforward and plain in your recap of what you did. Here’s a basic formula you can use to start your conclusion: “In order to prove X, I did X, Y, and Z.”

That’s the absolute minimum you should include in your conclusion. However, the exact shape your conclusion should take also depends on your instructor’s requirements. For example, you may also be asked to describe the limitations of your paper or future work that the topic may require in the paper’s conclusion.

Philosophy Paper Format

If you’re wondering how to format a philosophy paper, the first thing you should do is check your instructor’s requirements. Most likely, they’ve specified the formatting style you should use for your paper, such as MLA, APA, or Chicago.

Depending on the style, you may be required to add a title page, a running head, page numbers, and so on. The style guidelines will also dictate the font and its size, margins, line spacing, and first-line indentation.

Here’s a short side-by-side comparison of some MLA, APA, and Chicago requirements:

Pro tip: To save yourself some time, start writing your draft in a document created using a template for the specified style (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.). Both Google Docs and Microsoft Word have such templates.

As for how to cite a philosophy paper, the advice is the same: check your instructor’s requirements first. Each formatting style also specifies citation conventions both for direct and indirect quotes.

You’ll also need to add a list of all the sources used in the paper, either on a separate page or under the conclusion.

Philosophy Paper Template

Need a clear-cut template for writing a philosophy paper? Here it is:

• Title page (if required) or a header: State your full name, paper title, course and instructor name, and other details required
• Introduction: Introduce your thesis statement; provide context for it and define the central terms if necessary; describe how you will defend the thesis in the main body
• Main body: Provide one or several arguments to defend your thesis, each with evidence, logical reasoning, and/or examples; address potential objections to them and refute counterarguments
• Conclusion: Reiterate your thesis statement and your arguments in its support; discuss the limitations of your paper and/or potential future work on the topic if required
• Bibliography: List the cited works under the conclusion or as a separate page

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How to Write a Good Philosophy Paper: 10 Expert Tips

Still fuzzy on how to start a philosophy paper? Here are three pieces of advice from our professional philosophy writers:

• Don’t beat around the bush. It’s fine to start the paper directly with your thesis statement. Or, if you’re asked to reflect on another philosopher’s argument, begin with its brief summary.
• Write in the first person right away. Philosophy papers are meant to reflect your point of view. So, use phrases like “I believe…”, “I am going to demonstrate…” and “In my opinion…” from the very start.
• Don’t be afraid to be too straightforward. In a philosophy paper, you’re expected to write something like, “In this paper, I will demonstrate that this argument is false by examining X, Y, and Z.” Don’t leave your reader guessing what your main point is or how you will defend it.

As for how to write a philosophy paper outline, here’s what our pros suggest:

• Use bullet point lists. Our writers swear by them because they allow you to keep your outline concise and ensure its logical flow.
• Add sources right away. Don’t rely on having dozens of tabs open in a browser or your memory. The outline is the place to note down all helpful sources – and where they belong.
• Don’t treat the outline as an immutable plan. Your outline is meant to help you keep your thoughts organized so that your paper presents all information in a logical order. But while you’re writing, you may see gaps in your reasoning or your thesis’s phrasing.

With that out of the way, let’s break down ten more tips on acing a philosophy paper from our experts.

Ensure You Understand the Prompt Perfectly

Before you develop your thesis or start writing your outline, you should make sure that the listed philosophy essay topics and the prompt are crystal clear to you. That means:

• You understand all the central terms and concepts mentioned in it
• You’re familiar with the mentioned philosophical works or philosophers’ arguments
• You have considered all the possible meanings for the central terms

On top of that, you should have a full grasp of what’s expected of your paper and how it will be graded. So, read the instructor’s requirements multiple times before doing a shred of work!

Make Your Thesis Clear, Specific, and Compelling

Your thesis statement can make or break your whole philosophy paper. Make it too vague or general, and it won’t matter how convincing your arguments are. So, avoid generic, impersonal phrases like “one could argue” or “it’s a persisting debate.” Focus on what you think on the topic and don’t hesitate to write the thesis statement in the first person.

Pro tip: Don’t replace the thesis’s central terms throughout the text. If you mention the ’perception of self,’ don’t replace ’self’ with ’mind’ or ’soul’ mid-paper for the sake of variability. It’ll only confuse the reader.

Invest Time into Creating a Detailed Outline

Your philosophy paper outline will probably take more time to complete than your first draft. That’s because preparing the outline is impossible without doing some research – and reflecting on your personal point of view, too.

Prepare your outline well, and writing the draft will be a piece of cake. For one, you minimize the risk of having to spend precious time doing extra research as you’re writing the first draft. Plus, a good outline will also ensure your paper’s content will flow in a logical, easy-to-follow order.

So, plan accordingly: set aside several days for putting together the outline itself. Writing the first draft, in turn, can typically be done within a day.

Pay Attention to the Language You Use

Strive to use precise and concise language from the first line to the very last one. Don’t try to embellish your paper with pretentious four-line-long sentences; keep it as simple as you can.

But what if your paper fails to meet the minimum length requirement? You may be tempted to add filler phrases here and there. That’s a bad idea! Instead of doing that, add another example or argument to expand your paper.

On top of that, philosophy papers assign specific meanings to certain words like “validity” and “deduction.” So, make sure you don’t misuse those terms.

Don’t Add Citations Without Providing Your Analysis

If you need to use another work as evidence or example, describe its relevant content in your own words whenever possible. Direct quotes are typically appropriate only when you’re analyzing or critiquing a specific work or philosopher’s argument.

Whenever you want to engage with another philosophical work, don’t just cite it and leave it at that. Instead, explain why it’s relevant – and provide your own analysis or critique of its content.

Anticipate Objections – and Address Them

When you prepare your arguments, look at them from an opponent’s standpoint. What objections would they have for the premises of your argument or the evidence or examples provided? How would you respond to those objections?

Add the responses to these two questions directly to the main body after the argument itself.

On top of that, most philosophy papers require you to refute counterarguments to your thesis statement. You can do it in a separate paragraph at the end of the main body.

Illustrate Your Point with Examples

Examples can be a powerful tool for defending some theses. They can help you clarify your position, add an extra layer of persuasion to sway the opinion of a skeptical reader or serve as evidence to back up your claims.

So, don’t hesitate to describe thought experiments as part of your paper. You can also provide examples from the existing body of philosophical work on the topic.

Ensure a Smooth Flow of Information

To keep your paper logical and organized, use the technique called signposting. It refers to using certain phrases to draw attention to your train of thought, such as:

• I will argue that…
• I will now demonstrate that…
• I will provide three examples…
• My primary objection is…

Besides guiding your reader through the paper and ensuring it’s easy to follow, these phrases (written in the first person, of course) will help keep your paper free of plagiarism.

On top of that, don’t shy away from using transitional words and phrases, such as “In conclusion…”, “For example…” or “As a result…”

Take Time to Edit and Revise the First Draft

Your first draft will never be perfect. Accepting it will help you overcome the writer’s block that stems from the fear of not being able to “do a good job.” Just start writing without expecting to nail your paper on the first go.

Then, close the draft and revisit it the following day; it’s usually best to sleep on it so that you can look at the text with a fresh pair of eyes. To polish off your draft, start by reading it out loud and:

• Fix awkward phrasing
• Improve the flow of information
• Prune long sentences and paragraphs
• Replace overly complicated phrasing with simpler alternatives
• Remove repetitions

Don’t hesitate to delete whole sentences and phrases if they don’t add value to your text.

Then, read your draft again, this time watching out for and fixing grammar and punctuation mistakes and typos, as well as formatting inconsistencies.

Avoid Subjective Statements or Disrespectful Undertones

Yes, a philosophy paper should focus on your personal point of view – but you can’t present it as the ultimate truth. When you express your point of view, never leave it unsubstantiated; provide evidence. Once you write them down, pick your arguments apart like an opponent would to reveal gaps in logic – removing them will help you make your paper more objective.

When it comes to engaging with other philosophers’ works, interpret their arguments charitably and criticize only when criticism is due. When you do criticize an argument, back your rebuttal with evidence – and never make it personal.

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Final Thoughts

A good philosophy paper starts with a substantial, thorough philosophy essay outline. So, set aside enough time to create the outline. While it may seem like a waste of time the first time you do it, you’ll be grateful to have a detailed outline – it can easily account for 80% of the work writing a philosophy paper requires overall.