Note to the Third Edition.

Note to the Second Edition.

Introduction.

1 Author and Audience.

The Professor as Audience.

The Student as Author.

Three Attitudes about Philosophical Method.

2 Logic and Argument for Writing.

What is a Good Argument?.

Valid Arguments.

Cogent Arguments.

Consistency and Contradition.

Contraries and Contradictories.

The Strength of a Proposition.

3 The Structure of a Philosophical Essay.

An Outline of the Structure of a Philosophical Essay.

Anatomy of an Essay.

Another Essay.

4 Composing.

How to Select an Essay Topic.

Techniques for Composing.

Outlining.

Successive ElaborationConceptual Note Taking.

Research and Composing.

Polishing.

Evolution of an Essay.

5 Tactics for Analytic Writing.

Definitions.

Distinctions.

Analysis.

Dilemmas.

Scenarios.

Counterexamples.

Reductio ad Absurdum.

Dialectical Reasoning.

6 Some Constraints on Content.

The Pursuit of Truth.

The Use of Authority.

The Burden of Proof.

7 Some Goals of Form.

Coherence.

Clarity.

Conciseness.

Rigor.

8 Problems with Introductions.

Slip Sliding Away.

The Tail Wagging the Dog.

The Running Start.

Appendix A: “It’s Sunday Night and I have an Essay Due Monday Morning”.

Appendix B: How to Study for a Test.

Appendix C: Scholarship: Notes and References.

Appendix D: Philosophy Resources on the Internet.

Appendix E: On Grading.

Appendix F: Glossary of Philosophical Terms.

Index.