Philosophical Writing
According to Bertrand Russell, a famous philosopher and rationalist, “The point of philosophy is to start with something so simple as not to seem worth stating, and to end with something so paradoxical that no one will believe it.”
Philosophical writing requires an argument to be stated, proven and objected, and then a response must be made. Thus, a philosophical writing piece resembles a debate because of the importance of evidence, rationalization, and back-and-forth contentions. Achieving a Philosophy B.A. is an advantageous accomplishment, and many professional schools. According to "So your child wants to be a Philosophy major", Philosophy is the premier-"Pre-Professional" majors for students going into one of the professions - law, medicine, clergy, etc. Thus, the perfection of both the intricate format and argumentative aspects of philosophical writing is beneficial to many students who major in it.
The intricate format of a philosophical piece is seems very simple: thesis or argument, summarize, object, reply, conclude. These basic steps formulate what seems to be a concise and over-simplified version of a debate, but there is some difficulty in mastering these steps. According to my friend, Heidi, who majored in Philosophy, learning how to use this format correctly is not easy. She says that since most of her classes required this format of writing, understanding how to write this way was crucial to success in each class. This format aids both the reader and the writer because it is organized, formal, and standard or expected. Therefore, philosophy students must understand and be able to write a philosophical paper the right way in order to do well in their classes and preparing for writing in their future profession, e.g. physician.
Argumentation is central to Philosophy. It is the philosopher’s job to argue a point to the fullest extent possible. Thus, writing plays a major role in obtaining a Philosophy degree because that is what philosophers “do”. They write an argument that seems “so simple” and explicate the argument until it is “so paradoxical that no will believe it”. Heidi, the Philosophy major, also told me that when reading philosophical papers, it is important to realize that they are intentionally attempting to be all-inclusive. Thus, it is the philosopher’s job to explain all the steps they took to get to his answer. They scrutinize each issue from as many angles as possible. Then, include more evidence in order to prevent readers, usually other philosophers, from finding any flaws in their arguments. Therefore, the ability to rationalize an argument, explicate it fully, and eliminate possible “holes” in the argument are all extremely important for successful philosophical and professional writing.
Writing shapes Philosophy and mastering the format and style is extremely beneficial to all students. Also, learning this intricate and explicative style of writing enables Philosophy majors to succeed in the workplace and in professional schools, such as Medical and Law School. Philosophy's core, writing, is what distinguishes Philosophy majors from others. This is why Philosophy is a major that prepares students for the future.
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