Clear Thinking and Clear Writing

The purpose of writing is to give an expression to an idea or a feeling that one aims to communicate either to oneself or to others. Over the process of writing one comes to be clear on what exactly one is thinking about a given subject matter. But why is it important to be clear on what exactly one is thinking rather than what roughly one is thinking?

Clarity is a prerequisite for evaluation, especially in the marketplace of different and competing thoughts. To know whether what I believe is true or false, I first need to know what exactly my thought (belief) is. I should point out that this is important not only for those interested in truth about the world and our knowledge of it but also for people whose primary concern is simply getting by in everyday life. For though perhaps one could have mostly confused thoughts and get by, prosperous living requires an ability to understand what one's beliefs are, whether they are true or false and how they relate to other, akin thoughts (of oneself or of others). To put it in a slogan writing is a vehicle of thinking and good thinking is a vehicle of success.

Similarly, philosophical writing is an attempt to express and to become clear on a philosophical idea (thought). And this is where additional difficulties arise, especially for students who are just getting introduced to this craft. Typically, challenges include, but are not limited to, figuring out how philosophical writing is different from writing a paper for other courses in Humanities. Then, there is a problem concerning the question about how to produce the actual content of the paper.

In general, writing is difficult. It is a skill and as any other skill can be mastered only by a steady practice. However, a few clues about the nature of the discipline and the mechanics of making a paper can make this practice easier.

This blog aims to assist undergraduate students (mostly beginners in this enterprise) in mastering the skill of writing a philosophy paper by both reviewing techniques that concern the mechanics of producing a paper and specific examples that one can model in producing her/his own content.