Start with a question, not a thesis statement: a thesis statement forces you into the rhetorical position of arguing for something and so against other things. It’s fine to take a stand; but begin with the assumption you don’t quite know where it would be good to end up. By all means, use “I”; but don’t say “I believe”; I want to hear what you think, which is different. The notion is, to say what you think now, just at present. No need for an introductory paragraph that sets up broad claims about history or influence; just try to state why the question is interesting and what you’re really asking. Include a serious attempt (by the numbers: at least a page) to say just what the author is saying; try to use the author’s own words/language as much as possible to orient yourself. You’re to pick something we read up till this point in the semester; spend at least 2/5 of the paper analyzing the text, using quotations and explaining what they mean in your own words; reconstruct the argument of the author in the strongest and most fair way you can (no straw men). Classically speaking, the most important question in ethics is, what’s the best life, and how do we live it? This question should animate whatever topic you choose. The next question is, What on earth does philosophy have to do with living well? To put it more existentially, why is narrative about our lack of being (and/or our freedom) worth listening to as human beings, or for that matter, as an individual?) At the end of each paragraph, try to find the unanswered question that your argument at this point has left unexplored; use this question to springboard into the next step of your argument. At the very end of the paper, come up with a handful of questions that are still left unanswered for you at the end of your discussion. Often, you’ll find that it’s only after you’ve written the essay that you can finally articulate the precise question you were asking all along. That’s completely ok! You’ll be able to use this experience to write a more focused question on the next round of assignments. We have read Xenophon’s Apology attached, Aristotle Politics ISBN 978-0521484008, and Plato’s Republic translated by Raymond Larson ISBN 978-0882951188. Would you prefer to choose a question or for me to give a prompt?
