philosophical thesis

How to Write a Philosophy Paper

Develop a Thesis
Formulate an Argument
Structure & Outline
Grammar & Style

Developing Your Thesis

What is a Thesis?

The thesis is the most important part of your paper; it tells the reader what your stance is on a particular topic and offers reasons for that stance.

Since the rest of your paper will be spent defending your thesis--offering support for the thesis and reasons why criticism of the thesis may not be valid--it's crucial that you develop a strong thesis.

A strong thesis will:

Answer a question;
Be engaging; it can be challenged or opposed, thus also defended;
Pass the "so what? why should I care?" test;
Be supported by your paper;
Not be too broad nor too vague.

Source: Writing Guide for Philosophy. George Mason University.

Image source: Sergui Bacioiu. Ripple effect on water. CC BY 2.0. Wikimedia Commons.

Thesis Resources

Developing Your Thesis An overview of writing a thesis statement with guided questions for evaluating the quality of your statement. Everettcc.
How to Write a Thesis Statement Emphasizes the characteristics of a well-developed thesis statement. Indiana University.
Thesis Statements "...describes what a thesis statement is, how thesis statements work in your writing, and how you can discover or refine one..." University of North Carolina.
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Philosophy Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

Karl Marx on Human Flourishing and Proletarian Ethics , Sam Badger

The Ontological Grounds of Reason: Psychologism, Logicism, and Hermeneutic Phenomenology , Stanford L. Howdyshell

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Interdisciplinary Communication by Plausible Analogies: the Case of Buddhism and Artificial Intelligence , Michael Cooper

Heidegger and the Origin of Authenticity , John J. Preston

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Hegel and Schelling: The Emptiness of Emptiness and the Love of the Divine , Sean B. Gleason

Nietzsche on Criminality , Laura N. McAllister

Learning to be Human: Ren 仁, Modernity, and the Philosophers of China's Hundred Days' Reform , Lucien Mathot Monson

Nietzsche and Eternal Recurrence: Methods, Archives, History, and Genesis , William A. B. Parkhurst

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Orders of Normativity: Nietzsche, Science and Agency , Shane C. Callahan

Humanistic Climate Philosophy: Erich Fromm Revisited , Nicholas Dovellos

This, or Something like It: Socrates and the Problem of Authority , Simon Dutton

Climate Change and Liberation in Latin America , Ernesto O. Hernández

Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa as Expressions of Shame in a Post-Feminist , Emily Kearns

Nostalgia and (In)authentic Community: A Bataillean Answer to the Heidegger Controversy , Patrick Miller

Cultivating Virtue: A Thomistic Perspective on the Relationship Between Moral Motivation and Skill , Ashley Potts

Identity, Breakdown, and the Production of Knowledge: Intersectionality, Phenomenology, and the Project of Post-Marxist Standpoint Theory , Zachary James Purdue

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

The Efficacy of Comedy , Mark Anthony Castricone

William of Ockham's Divine Command Theory , Matthew Dee

Heidegger's Will to Power and the Problem of Nietzsche's Nihilism , Megan Flocken

Abelard's Affective Intentionalism , Lillian M. King

Anton Wilhelm Amo's Philosophy and Reception: from the Origins through the Encyclopédie , Dwight Kenneth Lewis Jr.

"The Thought that we Hate": Regulating Race-Related Speech on College Campuses , Michael McGowan

A Historical Approach to Understanding Explanatory Proofs Based on Mathematical Practices , Erika Oshiro

From Meaningful Work to Good Work: Reexamining the Moral Foundation of the Calling Orientation , Garrett W. Potts

Reasoning of the Highest Leibniz and the Moral Quality of Reason , Ryan Quandt

Fear, Death, and Being-a-problem: Understanding and Critiquing Racial Discourse with Heidegger’s Being and Time , Jesús H. Ramírez

The Role of Skepticism in Early Modern Philosophy: A Critique of Popkin's "Sceptical Crisis" and a Study of Descartes and Hume , Raman Sachdev

How the Heart Became Muscle: From René Descartes to Nicholas Steno , Alex Benjamin Shillito

Autonomy, Suffering, and the Practice of Medicine: A Relational Approach , Michael A. Stanfield

The Case for the Green Kant: A Defense and Application of a Kantian Approach to Environmental Ethics , Zachary T. Vereb

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Augustine's Confessiones : The Battle between Two Conversions , Robert Hunter Craig

The Strategic Naturalism of Sandra Harding's Feminist Standpoint Epistemology: A Path Toward Epistemic Progress , Dahlia Guzman

Hume on the Doctrine of Infinite Divisibility: A Matter of Clarity and Absurdity , Wilson H. Underkuffler

Climate Change: Aristotelian Virtue Theory, the Aidōs Response and Proper Primility , John W. Voelpel

The Fate of Kantian Freedom: the Kant-Reinhold Controversy , John Walsh

Time, Tense, and Ontology: Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Tense, the Phenomenology of Temporality, and the Ontology of Time , Justin Brandt Wisniewski

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

A Phenomenological Approach to Clinical Empathy: Rethinking Empathy Within its Intersubjective and Affective Contexts , Carter Hardy

From Object to Other: Models of Sociality after Idealism in Gadamer, Levinas, Rosenzweig, and Bonhoeffer , Christopher J. King

Humanitarian Military Intervention: A Failed Paradigm , Faruk Rahmanovic

Active Suffering: An Examination of Spinoza's Approach to Tristita , Kathleen Ketring Schenk

Cartesian Method and Experiment , Aaron Spink

An Examination of John Burton’s Method of Conflict Resolution and Its Applicability to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict , John Kenneth Steinmeyer

Speaking of the Self: Theorizing the Dialogical Dimensions of Ethical Agency , Bradley S. Warfield

Changing Changelessness: On the Genesis and Development of the Doctrine of Divine Immutability in the Ancient and Hellenic Period , Milton Wilcox

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

The Statue that Houses the Temple: A Phenomenological Investigation of Western Embodiment Towards the Making of Heidegger's Missing Connection with the Greeks , Michael Arvanitopoulos

An Exploratory Analysis of Media Reporting of Police Involved Shootings in Florida , John L. Brown

Divine Temporality: Bonhoeffer's Theological Appropriation of Heidegger's Existential Analytic of Dasein , Nicholas Byle

Stoicism in Descartes, Pascal, and Spinoza: Examining Neostoicism’s Influence in the Seventeenth Century , Daniel Collette

Phenomenology and the Crisis of Contemporary Psychiatry: Contingency, Naturalism, and Classification , Anthony Vincent Fernandez

A Critique of Charitable Consciousness , Chioke Ianson

writing/trauma , Natasha Noel Liebig

Leibniz's More Fundamental Ontology: from Overshadowed Individuals to Metaphysical Atoms , Marin Lucio Mare

Violence and Disagreement: From the Commonsense View to Political Kinds of Violence and Violent Nonviolence , Gregory Richard Mccreery

Kant's Just War Theory , Steven Charles Starke

A Feminist Contestation of Ableist Assumptions: Implications for Biomedical Ethics, Disability Theory, and Phenomenology , Christine Marie Wieseler

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Heidegger and the Problem of Modern Moral Philosophy , Megan Emily Altman

The Encultured Mind: From Cognitive Science to Social Epistemology , David Alexander Eck

Weakness of Will: An Inquiry on Value , Michael Funke

Cogs in a Cosmic Machine: A Defense of Free Will Skepticism and its Ethical Implications , Sacha Greer

Thinking Nature, "Pierre Maupertuis and the Charge of Error Against Fermat and Leibniz" , Richard Samuel Lamborn

John Duns Scotus’s Metaphysics of Goodness: Adventures in 13th-Century Metaethics , Jeffrey W. Steele

A Gadamerian Analysis of Roman Catholic Hermeneutics: A Diachronic Analysis of Interpretations of Romans 1:17-2:17 , Steven Floyd Surrency

A Natural Case for Realism: Processes, Structures, and Laws , Andrew Michael Winters

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Leibniz's Theodicies , Joseph Michael Anderson

Aeschynē in Aristotle's Conception of Human Nature , Melissa Marie Coakley

Ressentiment, Violence, and Colonialism , Jose A. Haro

It's About Time: Dynamics of Inflationary Cosmology as the Source of the Asymmetry of Time , Emre Keskin

Time Wounds All Heels: Human Nature and the Rationality of Just Behavior , Timothy Glenn Slattery

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Nietzsche and Heidegger on the Cartesian Atomism of Thought , Steven Burgess

Embodying Social Practice: Dynamically Co-Constituting Social Agency , Brian W. Dunst

Subject of Conscience: On the Relation between Freedom and Discrimination in the Thought of Heidegger, Foucault, and Butler , Aret Karademir

Climate, Neo-Spinozism, and the Ecological Worldview , Nancy M. Kettle

Eschatology in a Secular Age: An Examination of the Use of Eschatology in the Philosophies of Heidegger, Berdyaev and Blumenberg , John R. Lup, Jr.

Navigation and Immersion of the American Identity in a Foreign Culture to Emergence as a Culturally Relative Ambassador , Lee H. Rosen

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

A Philosophical Analysis of Intellectual Property: In Defense of Instrumentalism , Michael A. Kanning

A Commentary On Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz's Discourse on Metaphysics #19 , Richard Lamborn Samuel Lamborn

Sellars in Context: An Analysis of Wilfrid Sellars's Early Works , Peter Jackson Olen

The New Materialism: Althusser, Badiou, and Zizek , Geoffrey Dennis Pfeifer

Structure and Agency: An Analysis of the Impact of Structure on Group Agents , Elizabeth Kaye Victor

Moral Friction, Moral Phenomenology, and the Improviser , Benjamin Scott Young

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

The Virtuoso Human: A Virtue Ethics Model Based on Care , Frederick Joseph Bennett

The Existential Compromise in the History of the Philosophy of Death , Adam Buben

Philosophical Precursors to the Radical Enlightenment: Vignettes on the Struggle Between Philosophy and Theology From the Greeks to Leibniz With Special Emphasis on Spinoza , Anthony John Desantis

The Problem of Evil in Augustine's Confessions , Edward Matusek

The Persistence of Casuistry: a Neo-premodernist Approach to Moral Reasoning , Richard Arthur Mercadante

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

Dewey's Pragmatism and the Great Community , Philip Schuyler Bishop

Unamuno's Concept of the Tragic , Ernesto O. Hernandez

Rethinking Ethical Naturalism: The Implications of Developmental Systems Theory , Jared J.. Kinggard

From Husserl and the Neo-Kantians to Art: Heidegger's Realist Historicist Answer to the Problem of the Origin of Meaning , William H. Koch

Queering Cognition: Extended Minds and Sociotechnologically Hybridized Gender , Michele Merritt

Hydric Life: A Nietzschean Reading of Postcolonial Communication , Elena F. Ruiz-Aho

Descartes' Bête Machine, the Leibnizian Correction and Religious Influence , John Voelpel

Aretē and Physics: The Lesson of Plato's Timaeus , John R. Wolfe

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Praxis and Theōria : Heidegger’s “Violent” Interpretation , Megan E. Altman

On the Concept of Evil: An Analysis of Genocide and State Sovereignty , Jason J. Campbell

The Role of Trust in Judgment , Christophe Sage Hudspeth

Truth And Judgment , Jeremy J. Kelly

The concept of action and responsibility in Heidegger's early thought , Christian Hans Pedersen

Roots and Role of the Imagination in Kant: Imagination at the Core , Michael Thompson

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

Peirce on the Passions: The Role of Instinct, Emotion, and Sentiment in Inquiry and Action , Robert J. Beeson

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2.6 Writing Philosophy Papers

Learning objectives.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Identify and characterize the format of a philosophy paper.
Create thesis statements that are manageable and sufficiently specific.
Collect evidence and formulate arguments.
Organize ideas into a coherent written presentation.

This section will provide some practical advice on how to write philosophy papers. The format presented here focuses on the use of an argumentative structure in writing. Different philosophy professors may have different approaches to writing. The sections below are only intended to give some general guidelines that apply to most philosophy classes.

Identify Claims

The key element in any argumentative paper is the claim you wish to make or the position you want to defend. Therefore, take your time identifying claims , which is also called the thesis statement. What do you want to say about the topic? What do you want the reader to understand or know after reading your piece? Remember that narrow, modest claims work best. Grand claims are difficult to defend, even for philosophy professors. A good thesis statement should go beyond the mere description of another person’s argument. It should say something about the topic, connect the topic to other issues, or develop an application of some theory or position advocated by someone else. Here are some ideas for creating claims that are perfectly acceptable and easy to develop:

Compare two philosophical positions. What makes them similar? How are they different? What general lessons can you draw from these positions?
Identify a piece of evidence or argument that you think is weak or may be subject to criticism. Why is it weak? How is your criticism a problem for the philosopher’s perspective?
Apply a philosophical perspective to a contemporary case or issue. What makes this philosophical position applicable? How would it help us understand the case?
Identify another argument or piece of evidence that might strengthen a philosophical position put forward by a philosopher. Why is this a good argument or piece of evidence? How does it fit with the philosopher’s other claims and arguments?
Consider an implication (either positive or negative) that follows from a philosopher’s argument. How does this implication follow? Is it necessary or contingent? What lessons can you draw from this implication (if positive, it may provide additional reasons for the argument; if negative, it may provide reasons against the argument)?

Think Like a Philosopher

The following multiple-choice exercises will help you identify and write modest, clear philosophical thesis statements. A thesis statement is a declarative statement that puts forward a position or makes a claim about some topic.

How does Aristotle think virtue is necessary for happiness?
Is happiness the ultimate goal of human action?
Whether or not virtue is necessary for happiness.
Aristotle argues that happiness is the ultimate good of human action and virtue is necessary for happiness.
René Descartes argues that the soul or mind is the essence of the human person.
Descartes shows that all beliefs and memories about the external world could be false.
Some people think that Descartes is a skeptic, but I will show that he goes beyond skepticism.
In the meditations, Descartes claims that the mind and body are two different substances.
Descartes says that the mind is a substance that is distinct from the body, but I disagree.
Contemporary psychology has shown that Descartes is incorrect to think that human beings have free will and that the mind is something different from the brain.
Thomas Hobbes’s view of the soul is materialistic, whereas Descartes’s view of the soul is nonphysical. In this paper, I will examine the differences between these two views.
John Stuart Mill reasons that utilitarian judgments can be based on qualitative differences as well as the quantity of pleasure, but ultimately any qualitative difference must result in a difference in the quantity of pleasure.
Mill’s approach to utilitarianism differs from Bentham’s by introducing qualitative distinctions among pleasures, where Bentham only considers the quantitative aspects of pleasure.
J. S. Mill’s approach to utilitarianism aligns moral theory with the history of ethics because he allows qualitative differences in moral judgments.
Rawls’s liberty principle ensures that all people have a basic set of freedoms that are important for living a full life.
The US Bill of Rights is an example of Rawls’s liberty principle because it lists a set of basic freedoms that are guaranteed for all people.
While many people may agree that Rawls’s liberty principle applies to all citizens of a particular country, it is much more controversial to extend those same basic freedoms to immigrants, including those classified by the government as permanent residents, legal immigrants, illegal immigrants, and refugees.

[ANS: 1.d 2.c 3.c 4.a 5.c]

Write Like a Philosopher

Use the following templates to write your own thesis statement by inserting a philosopher, claim, or contemporary issue:

[Name of philosopher] holds that [claim], but [name of another philosopher] holds that [another claim]. In this paper, I will identify reasons for thinking [name of philosopher]’s position is more likely to be true.
[Name of philosopher] argues that [claim]. In this paper, I will show how this claim provides a helpful addition to [contemporary issue].
When [name of philosopher] argues in favor of [claim], they rely on [another claim] that is undercut by contemporary science. I will show that if we modify this claim in light of contemporary science, we will strengthen or weaken [name of philosopher]’s argument.

Collect Evidence and Build Your Case

Once you have identified your thesis statement or primary claim, collect evidence (by returning to your readings) to compose the best possible argument. As you assemble the evidence, you can think like a detective or prosecutor building a case. However, you want a case that is true, not just one that supports your position. So you should stay open to modifying your claim if it does not fit the evidence . If you need to do additional research, follow the guidelines presented earlier to locate authoritative information.

If you cannot find evidence to support your claim but still feel strongly about it, you can try to do your own philosophical thinking using any of the methods discussed in this chapter or in Chapter 1. Imagine counterexamples and thought experiments that support your claim. Use your intuitions and common sense, but remember that these can sometimes lead you astray. In general, common sense, intuitions, thought experiments, and counterexamples should support one another and support the sources you have identified from other philosophers. Think of your case as a structure: you do not want too much of the weight to rest on a single intuition or thought experiment.

Consider Counterarguments

Philosophy papers differ from typical argumentative papers in that philosophy students must spend more time and effort anticipating and responding to counterarguments when constructing their own arguments. This has two important effects: first, by developing counterarguments, you demonstrate that you have sufficiently thought through your position to identify possible weaknesses; second, you make your case stronger by taking away a potential line of attack that an opponent might use. By including counterarguments in your paper, you engage in the kind of dialectical process that philosophers use to arrive at the truth.

Accurately Represent Source Material

It is important to represent primary and secondary source material as accurately as possible. This means that you should consider the context and read the arguments using the principle of charity. Make sure that you are not strawmanning an argument you disagree with or misrepresenting a quote or paraphrase just because you need some evidence to support your argument. As always, your goal should be to find the most rationally compelling argument, which is the one most likely to be true.

Organize Your Paper

Academic philosophy papers use the same simple structure as any other paper and one you likely learned in high school or your first-year composition class.

Introduce Your Thesis

The purpose of your introduction is to provide context for your thesis. Simply tell the reader what to expect in the paper. Describe your topic, why it is important, and how it arises within the works you have been reading. You may have to provide some historical context, but avoid both broad generalizations and long-winded historical retellings. Your context or background information should not be overly long and simply needs to provide the reader with the context and motivation for your thesis. Your thesis should appear at the end of the introduction, and the reader should clearly see how the thesis follows from the introductory material you have provided. If you are writing a long paper, you may need several sentences to express your thesis, in which you delineate in broad terms the parts of your argument.

Make a Logical and Compelling Case Using the Evidence

The paragraphs that follow the introduction lay out your argument. One strategy you can use to successfully build paragraphs is to think in terms of good argument structure. You should provide adequate evidence to support the claims you want to make. Your paragraphs will consist of quotations and paraphrases from primary and secondary sources, context and interpretation, novel thoughts and ideas, examples and analogies, counterarguments, and replies to the counterarguments. The evidence should both support the thesis and build toward the conclusion. It may help to think architecturally: lay down the foundation, insert the beams of your strongest support, and then put up the walls to complete the structure. Or you might think in terms of a narrative: tell a story in which the evidence leads to an inevitable conclusion.

Connections

See the chapter on logic and reasoning for a developed account of different types of philosophical arguments.

Summarize Your Argument in the Conclusion

Conclude your paper with a short summary that recapitulates the argument. Remind the reader of your thesis and revisit the evidence that supports your argument. You may feel that the argument as written should stand on its own. But it is helpful to the reader to reinforce the argument in your conclusion with a short summary. Do not introduce any new information in the conclusion; simply summarize what you have already said.

The purpose of this chapter has been to provide you with basic tools to become a successful philosophy student. We started by developing a sophisticated picture of how the brain works, using contemporary neuroscience. The brain represents and projects a picture of the world, full of emotional significance, but this image may contain distortions that amount to a kind of illusion. Cognitive illusions produce errors in reasoning, called cognitive biases. To guard against error, we need to engage in effortful, reflective thinking, where we become aware of our biases and use logical strategies to overcome them. You will do well in your philosophy class if you apply the good habits of mind discussed in this chapter and apply the practical advice that has been provided about how to read and write about philosophy.

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Publication date: Jun 15, 2022
Location: Houston, Texas
Book URL: https://openstax.org/books/introduction-philosophy/pages/1-introduction
Section URL: https://openstax.org/books/introduction-philosophy/pages/2-6-writing-philosophy-papers

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2.6: Writing Philosophy Papers

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Identify and characterize the format of a philosophy paper.
Create thesis statements that are manageable and sufficiently specific.
Collect evidence and formulate arguments.
Organize ideas into a coherent written presentation.

Identify Claims

The key element in any argumentative paper is the claim you wish to make or the position you want to defend. Therefore, take your time identifying claims, which is also called the thesis statement. What do you want to say about the topic? What do you want the reader to understand or know after reading your piece? Remember that narrow, modest claims work best. Grand claims are difficult to defend, even for philosophy professors. A good thesis statement should go beyond the mere description of another person’s argument. It should say something about the topic, connect the topic to other issues, or develop an application of some theory or position advocated by someone else. Here are some ideas for creating claims that are perfectly acceptable and easy to develop:

Compare two philosophical positions. What makes them similar? How are they different? What general lessons can you draw from these positions?
Identify a piece of evidence or argument that you think is weak or may be subject to criticism. Why is it weak? How is your criticism a problem for the philosopher’s perspective?
Apply a philosophical perspective to a contemporary case or issue. What makes this philosophical position applicable? How would it help us understand the case?
Identify another argument or piece of evidence that might strengthen a philosophical position put forward by a philosopher. Why is this a good argument or piece of evidence? How does it fit with the philosopher’s other claims and arguments?
Consider an implication (either positive or negative) that follows from a philosopher’s argument. How does this implication follow? Is it necessary or contingent? What lessons can you draw from this implication (if positive, it may provide additional reasons for the argument; if negative, it may provide reasons against the argument)?

Think Like A Philosopher

How does Aristotle think virtue is necessary for happiness?
Is happiness the ultimate goal of human action?
Whether or not virtue is necessary for happiness.
Aristotle argues that happiness is the ultimate good of human action and virtue is necessary for happiness.
René Descartes argues that the soul or mind is the essence of the human person.
Descartes shows that all beliefs and memories about the external world could be false.
Some people think that Descartes is a skeptic, but I will show that he goes beyond skepticism.
In the meditations, Descartes claims that the mind and body are two different substances.
Descartes says that the mind is a substance that is distinct from the body, but I disagree.
Contemporary psychology has shown that Descartes is incorrect to think that human beings have free will and that the mind is something different from the brain.
Thomas Hobbes’s view of the soul is materialistic, whereas Descartes’s view of the soul is nonphysical. In this paper, I will examine the differences between these two views.
John Stuart Mill reasons that utilitarian judgments can be based on qualitative differences as well as the quantity of pleasure, but ultimately any qualitative difference must result in a difference in the quantity of pleasure.
Mill’s approach to utilitarianism differs from Bentham’s by introducing qualitative distinctions among pleasures, where Bentham only considers the quantitative aspects of pleasure.
J. S. Mill’s approach to utilitarianism aligns moral theory with the history of ethics because he allows qualitative differences in moral judgments.
Rawls’s liberty principle ensures that all people have a basic set of freedoms that are important for living a full life.
The US Bill of Rights is an example of Rawls’s liberty principle because it lists a set of basic freedoms that are guaranteed for all people.
While many people may agree that Rawls’s liberty principle applies to all citizens of a particular country, it is much more controversial to extend those same basic freedoms to immigrants, including those classified by the government as permanent residents, legal immigrants, illegal immigrants, and refugees.

1.d 2.c 3.c 4.a 5.c

Write Like A Philosopher

Use the following templates to write your own thesis statement by inserting a philosopher, claim, or contemporary issue:

[Name of philosopher] holds that [claim], but [name of another philosopher] holds that [another claim]. In this paper, I will identify reasons for thinking [name of philosopher]’s position is more likely to be true.
[Name of philosopher] argues that [claim]. In this paper, I will show how this claim provides a helpful addition to [contemporary issue].
When [name of philosopher] argues in favor of [claim], they rely on [another claim] that is undercut by contemporary science. I will show that if we modify this claim in light of contemporary science, we will strengthen or weaken [name of philosopher]’s argument.

Collect Evidence and Build Your Case

Once you have identified your thesis statement or primary claim, collect evidence (by returning to your readings) to compose the best possible argument. As you assemble the evidence, you can think like a detective or prosecutor building a case. However, you want a case that is true, not just one that supports your position. So you should stay open to modifying your claim if it does not fit the evidence. If you need to do additional research, follow the guidelines presented earlier to locate authoritative information.

Consider Counterarguments

Accurately Represent Source Material

A person sitting at a desk writes in a notebook near a laptop.

Organize Your Paper

Academic philosophy papers use the same simple structure as any other paper and one you likely learned in high school or your first-year composition class.

Introduce Your Thesis

Make a Logical and Compelling Case Using the Evidence

CONNECTIONS

See the chapter on logic and reasoning for a developed account of different types of philosophical arguments.

Summarize Your Argument in the Conclusion

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227 Philosophy Thesis Topics To Use Right Now

A philosophy dissertation everyone’s favorite. The long list of philosophers and their allegories or theories is not a subject most students would want to listen to comfortably. However, students still have to write a philosophical thesis in their undergraduate or post-graduate to graduate.

Let us narrow down this elephant in the room for you.

What Is A Philosophical Thesis?

A philosophical paper is not a report of what various scholars have had to say on a particular issue. It is a reasoned defense of a particular thesis. Unlike other papers that present the latest findings of tests or experiments, this paper tries to persuade the reader to give in to a particular point of view together with grounds or justification for its acceptance.

The introduction of a philosophy paper states what the writer is trying to show the reader. When writing a dissertation in philosophy, follow the following simple guidelines for efficiency:

Very carefully and think about your topic
Have a rough idea of what you intend to establish
Determine how you’ll go about convincing the reader that your thesis is correct.

For an outstanding philosophy thesis, ensure that you say what you mean and in a way that minimizes the chances of being misunderstood. It is the general rule thumb for this paper that every student should have at his/her finger-tips.

What To Avoid in a Philosophy Dissertation

Understanding the do’s and don’ts of any paper is essential in ensuring that you stick within the scope of what is required of you. Here are some of the things to avoid in philosophical thesis papers for college:

Lengthy quotations: It is essential to understand that quotations are an essential part of philosophy papers. However, stating long quotes that run into paragraphs or more does not make your paper sound original. One will only see this as a duplication of another person’s work.
Circular reasoning: If you presuppose the truth of whatever it is that you are trying to bring out in the course of arguing for it, then you are guilty of begging the question.
Lengthy introductions: An intro should only serve the purpose of giving the context of your philosophy topic and creating interest in the reader. You can do it in less than four short and precise questions. Overloading your introduction only serves to drain your readers’ energy before they get into the real deal – the body.
Fence sitting: Most students are guilty of presenting several positions in their papers and then saying they are not qualified to settle the matter. Do not close by saying that philosophers have been divided over a particular issue. That only shows how shallow and scanty you were in your research process.

Always organize your work carefully, using the right words to present your stance without any disputes. The stance should also come out naturally without making the reader feel that you are forcing him/her to ascribe to your particular point of view.

It is also essential to support your arguments with undisputed evidence. Do not assume that your reader may not be skeptical of your arguments. Every reader is skeptical of whatever they read, and if sufficient evidence is not provided, then you might not convince anyone at the end of your 20-page long thesis.

Now, for you to have a strong thesis, ensure that it is:

Answering a specific question;
Engaging; one that can be challenged or opposed, thus also defended;
Passes the “so what? Or why should I care?” test;
Supported by your paper; and
Not too broad nor too vague.

To have a strong argument in your philosophical paper, demonstrate these sorts of things that make your opponent’s views false in a fashion that does not presuppose that your position is correct. Your philosophy research topics will play a significant role in supporting this claim.

You can find philosophy research paper topics from:

Early American Imprints of 1639 to 1819 Early English Books Online of 1475 to 1700 Internet archives The War Diaries of Jean-Paul Sartre The Metaphysics of Morals by Emmanuel Kant

And many more sources that are readily available in your college library or online catalogs.

We now advance to our professional philosophy topics list:

Sample Thesis Topics For Philosophy of the Human Sciences

Critique of mainstream assumptions and practices of human behavior globally
How are constructions of human nature affect our associations and lineation
Adopting a human science framework to the problem of racial discrimination in the US
How to adopt positivism in a world bombarded by negative news all the time
A rigorous and systematic approach to man’s natural behavior
The role of the Greek philosophers in shaping human sciences around the 18th century
How existential phenomenology found its way from Europe
Cultural and biological dimensions of human science research programs
The role of qualitative research methods across the discipline of the human sciences
How humanistic psychology offers more substantive findings in human science tradition
An evaluation of the colleges and universities dedicated to humanistic/human science philosophy
Discuss the impact of the American infusionism into the cultures and systems of the world
Fundamental tenets of Western civilization in developing countries
An assessment of the ancient nature of human interactions
Political and cultural standards acceptable to all human interactions

Philosophy Potential Senior Thesis Topics

A philosophical perspective of evil actions and evil persons
How the ideology of Darwinism has affected the aspect of natural selection
Distinguishing the underlying differences between intervention and information
Psychoanalysis of melancholia in teenagers
Investigating the use of biology in dealing with human philosophical issues
The evolution of philosophical writings from the 15th century to the 21st century
Examine the connection between shame and an immoral piece of art
How depression relates to natural and interactive children
What is the logic behind nightmares and madness in dreams?
An investigation of how man is adapting to the invasion of privacy by new technologies
The ethical and practical arguments against voluntary euthanasia
Discuss the relationship between value, dignity, and human virtue in the Modern Virtue Theory
The evolution of personal and corporate responsibility in the 21st century
Trends in sex and sexuality as seen in the 21st century
Why arousal of an emotion in the listener is essential in the delivery of any speech

Undergraduate Philosophy Thesis Topics

Modern science: Should we employ a monistic or pluralistic model?
How moral philosophy can help improve our understanding of folk psychology
Why is it close to impossible to escape mental externalism?
The emergence of technology and resulting bioethics as seen in the 21st century
Investigate the willingness to accept punishment after committing a civil crime
Why artificial intelligence may not be a genuinely creative entity
Discuss empathy, fiction, and morality in the development of fiction stories and folklores
The role of sporting activities in developing virtues and morals in the society
Is voluntary suicide justified for any reason whatsoever?
Why postmodern philosophical theories and market anarchism are enemies
Discuss the ultimate goal of humanity in the backdrop of the changing roles
Give a detailed analysis of the relationship between fate, destiny, and free will
What is the essence of dreams and visions to man?
Evaluate the sources of your self-worth in the light of personal attributes
What is the impact of a person’s name on who they become in the future?

Best-Rated Political Philosophy Thesis Topics

Consider the dividing line between distributive justice and the family
Investigate the gendered basis for care and caregiving
What are the underlying differences between multiculturalism and feminism
Discuss the liberal versus radical feminist positions on pornography
How social beings should live together considering the underlying differences
Following the example of Plato, discuss what it means to have an ideal society
Given the knowledge and resources available, discuss the best form of society using the US as a case study
The evolution of democracy in the US presidential election
How the history of the past several centuries has impacted the role of citizens in participation in democracy
What is the essence of having a conservative free-market economy in the 21st century?
The role of the government in regulating the economy
Should the economy incorporate both capitalist and socialist structures?
Do we have an economically viable socialist alternative to capitalism?
Is it worth fighting for an economically viable alternative to capitalism?
The conservative view of the post-World-War-Two period

Thesis Topics on the Renaissance and Philosophy

The impact of the renaissance period o man’s view of the world
Compare and contrast the High Renaissance in Rome as compared to the of Northern Europe
The impact of the scientific revolution on the renaissance period
The early renaissance period in Florence and the existence of the Flemish art
Discuss the contributions of some of the godfathers of the Renaissance
The perfect interplay between music and painting during the renaissance period
The humanist intellectual, cultural, and artistic revolution of the Renaissance
Religious symbolism and naturalistic beauty as exemplified in the renaissance period
The role of sexuality and eroticism in the works of the 16th-century renaissance art
How the discoveries of the renaissance period helped shape people’s attitudes towards life
Identify and explain the role of the Carolingian Renaissance on the Bible
The impact of the Great migration and economic changes on literature and art
Discuss how art patronage was conducted in Italy during the Renaissance
How science has made advancements in renaissance culture and art
Impacts of the early Renaissance on the medical innovations

Master Thesis Topics in Philosophy

Discuss the benefits and impacts of the renaissance period on the man
How the renaissance period played a part in the reformation of the world
A comparative analysis of philosophy, art, and culture during the Renaissance
How much influence did the renaissance period have on dressing?
Conduct a critical analysis of Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance
The contribution of sculptors of the Italian Renaissance
Discuss artistic renaissance humanism during 1400 and 1650
The Renaissance and religion: A case study of the Catholic church
Artistic revolution as a significant element of the Renaissance
The role of William Shakespeare in the renaissance period
Discuss the classical and Renaissance humanities art of the Greco-Roman artists
The cultural, economic, and political influence of the Renaissance
The age of revolutionary, Renaissance, and enlightenment period
The representation of nature in the European renaissance artistic works
How Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Rafael contributed to the new era of the Renaissance

Introduction to Philosophy Thesis Topics

Discuss whether people are good or evil by nature
What are the limitations to free will in making personal decisions?
What is the impact of the belief in God on a person’s way of life?
Discuss the compatibility issues between science with religion
Give a detailed argument for or against utilitarianism
What is the logic behind psychological and ethical egoism?
Ascertain the relevance of morals to culture or society
The role of Aesop’s fables in contributing to human philosophy
Discuss the history and development of African philosophy
What are the central tenets of African Sage Philosophy?
The critical role played by altruism and group selection
Conduct a detailed analysis of the American Enlightenment Thought
How does the American Wilderness Philosophy vary from that of today?
A case study of Anselm’s Ontological Argument for the Existence of God
Critically evaluate motion and its place in nature
Discuss association in the philosophy of the mind
How Bolzano’s mathematical knowledge played a crucial role in human philosophy

Thesis Papers Topics on Buddhist Philosophy

The view of sin and punishment between the Buddhist and Hindu religions
Buddhist believe in rebirth, which is determined by the actions one does in daily life.
Misconceptions about sexuality in the Buddhist religion
Discuss the relationship between Shinto with China and Buddhism
Analyze the four noble truths of Buddhism
The concept of salvation according to the Zen Buddhism religion
A detailed study of the confluence of Buddhism and Hinduism in India
An analysis of the faith and practices of Buddhism as a religion in India
The role of Mahatma Gandhi in advancing the ideologies and practices of Buddhism
Evaluate the vase of treasure hidden in the Buddhist iconography
Compare and contrast the various variations between Buddhism and Christianity
Elements of the Buddhism religion that make it sacred
Discuss the concept of anger and how to manage it in the Buddhism religion
Cultural histories and the expansion of the Buddhism religion in China
Differences in the Japanese versus Chinese Buddhism practices

Types of Philosophy Thesis Topics

Discuss the role of aesthetics in the study of philosophy
How epistemology has contributed to the growth in philosophical literature
Elaborate the role of ethics on the survivability of a society
How logic has been crucial in making rational decisions in a man
What are the limitations of metaphysics as a branch of philosophy?
Analyze the philosophy of mind given the fundamental tenets
Discuss the major revolutions of the African philosophy
Why does Eastern philosophy have a lower absorption rate?
Reasons why Western philosophy has a greater acceptance in the world as compared to others
Give the unique characteristics of the ancient and classical philosophy
Why the medieval and post-classical philosophies have a place in the modern world
The modern and contemporary philosophy in terms of improvements
Discuss the philosophy of language theories and stances in Europe
What is the impact of the philosophy of science theories and stances?
Discuss the epistemological stances of different philosophical schools of thought

Epistemology Paper Topics

The concept of skepticism among different readers
Analyze the internalist vs. externalist accounts of knowledge and justification
Discuss the structure of knowledge and justification
What contributes to contextualism in epistemology?
Impacts of the relevant alternative accounts of knowledge
Discuss the pros and cons of the epistemology of lotteries
A case study of foundationalism and coherentism
The impacts of facts and beliefs on people
Is skepticism doomed to an inevitable defeat?
Arguments and positions in epistemology in the 21st century
The pros and cons of different positions in epistemology
Relevant arguments and principles in epistemology: A case of The Closure Principle
Critically discuss Shoemaker’s ‘self-blindness’ concept
How the epistemology of attitudes like the belief is very different from the epistemology of other mental states
Fundamental flaws in various epistemological theories

High-Quality Philosophy Project Topics

Discuss the concept of happiness
Why egoism is a negative trait
Discuss the motive behind acts of charity
Is love merely an illusion of the mind?
Are criminals evil by nature?
Is the current generation less affectionate?
Discuss the concept of true friendship
Is there happiness in achieving nothing?
Does a perfect life exist?
Why do people struggle to attain perfectionism?
The impact of technology of taking away emotions
Analyze time management among high school versus campus students
Is obsession replacing true love?
Is the concept of ‘You Only Live Once’ viable?
Why are most geniuses’ introverts?

Easy Philosophy Paper Topics

Discuss the existence of fate in the modern world
Can we achieve an ideal society?
Is life meaningful after all?
Why should people work, yet they will die in the end?
Is the concept of feminism overhyped?
Is every human action predetermined?
Discuss the components of the human consciousness
Why do people tend to do the bad instead of the good?
Are atheists deceiving themselves?
Why is the world changing so fast?
Is there life after death?
Why must everyone go to school?
Who determines what clothes each gender should don?
The impact of religious beliefs on science
Does death usher in the new life?

Good Philosophy Topics

Do beliefs and superstitions match?
Is sex necessary?
Why should people love each other?
Should a woman head the house also?
Are other planets mere superstitions?
Are the stars in the sky fantasies?
Why bother about planning?
Do aliens exist?
Why is man rational?
What is the effect of finding a purpose in life
Do shooting stars fall on earth?
Why do fiction movies move people?
Does the moon exist?
Are we living reality or a fantasy?
Can one love more than two people?

Interesting Philosophy Topics

Was man made out of clay?
Do guns protect?
Does true love exist among teenagers?
Beauty and morality
Religion and power
Memories and love
Peace and war
Religion and own belief system
Angels and demons
Heaven and earth
Plastic surgery and ethics
Character and upbringing
Dreams and the future
The rich and the poor
Is death inevitable

Do you need affordable help with a thesis or a research paper? Contact our thesis help writers now!

Scholars' Bank

Philosophy theses and dissertations.

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This collection contains some of the theses and dissertations produced by students in the University of Oregon Philosophy Graduate Program. Paper copies of these and other dissertations and theses are available through the UO Libraries .

Recent Submissions

The Problem of Freedom and Universality: Marxian Philosophical Anthropology Ralda, Oscar ( University of Oregon , 2024-03-25 ) This dissertation has two principal aims. First, it provides a critical reconsideration of Marx’s philosophical anthropology as it bears on the essential continuity of his emancipatory critique of political economy. Second, ...
Living Legality: Law and Dussel's Philosophy of Liberation Ospina Martinez, Juan Sebastián ( University of Oregon , 2024-01-10 ) In this dissertation I examine the theoretical underpinnings necessary for a philosophy of liberationaccount of law and suggest an alternative conceptualization of the function of law and political institutions, following ...
Making Sense of the Practical Lesbian Past: Towards a Rethinking of Untimely Uses of History through the Temporality of Cultural Techniques Simon, Valérie ( University of Oregon , 2024-01-10 ) This dissertation focuses on the practice of untimely uses of lesbian history, and in particular the diverse practices of engagement with lesbian activist history, all of which aim to mobilize this activist history for the ...
An Argument for a Cartographic Approach to Technology McLevey, Mare ( University of Oregon , 2024-01-09 ) This dissertation develops a way to study technology and politics that is an alternative to dominant approaches particular to contemporary philosophy of technology’s empirical and ethical turns. Dominant models fix ...
Nietzsche, Reification, and Open Comportment Currie, Luke ( University of Oregon , 2024-01-09 ) This work primarily discusses the “fallacy of reification” from the perspective of Nietzsche’s late philosophy (particularly in the chapter on ‘Reason’ in philosophy in his Twilight of the Idols). While reification is ...
Time, Capitalism, and Political Ecology: Toward and Ecosocialist Metabolic Temporality Gamble, Cameron ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-26 ) The ecological crises that have already marked the 21st century, and which will continue to do so on an increasingly intense and destructive scale, present theory in every discipline and field of study with a number of ...
Demystifying Racial Monopoly Haller, Reese ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-04 ) Through analysis of private, public, and state reactions to the Great Depression and northward black migration, this thesis demystifies four key functions of race constitutive of capitalist racial monopoly: historical ...
Pragmatism, Genealogy, and Moral Status Showler, Paul ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-04 ) This dissertation draws from recent work in pragmatism and philosophical genealogy to develop and defend a new approach for thinking about the concept of moral status. My project has two main aims. First, I argue that Huw ...
Ethics for the Depressed: A Value Ethics of Engagement Fitzpatrick, Devin ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-04 ) I argue that depressed persons suffer from “existential guilt,” which amounts to a two-part compulsion: 1) the compulsive assertion or sense of a vague and all-encompassing or absolute threat that disrupts action and ...
Soul and Polis: On Arete in Plato's Meno Smith III, Ansel ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-04 ) In “Soul and Polis: On Arete in Plato’s Meno,” I interpret Meno as a dialogue in which the pursuit of individual arete appears intertwined with political arete. While the differentiation of these two arete is itself ...
Place-in-Being: A Decolonial Phenomenology of Place in Conversation with Philosophies of the Americas Newton, Margaret ( University of Oregon , 2022-05-10 ) Our experiences of place and emplacement are so fundamental to our everyday existence that most of us rarely dedicate much time to thinking about how place and emplacement impact the various aspects of our daily lives. In ...
Species Trouble: From Settled Species Discourse to Ethical Species Pluralism Sinclair, Rebekah ( University of Oregon , 2021-11-23 ) In this dissertation, I develop and defend the importance of species pluralism (the recognition and use of multiple species definitions) for both environmental and humanist ethics. I begin from the concern that, since the ...
The Hybris of Plants: Reinterpreting Philosophy through Vegetal Life Kerr, Joshua ( University of Oregon , 2021-11-23 ) This dissertation reexamines the place of plants in the history of Western philosophy, drawing on the diverse philosophical approaches of Plato, Aristotle, Goethe, Hegel, and Nietzsche, among others. I suggest that a close ...
Decolonizing Silences: Toward a Critical Phenomenology of Deep Silences with Gloria E. Anzaldúa and Maurice Merleau-Ponty Ferrari, Martina ( University of Oregon , 2021-11-23 ) Motivating this dissertation is a concern for how Western philosophical, cultural, and political practices tend to privilege speech and voice as emancipatory tools and reduce silence to silencing. To locate power in silence ...
Mere Appearance: Redressing the History of Philosophy Zimmer, Amie ( University of Oregon , 2021-09-13 ) The principal aim of this dissertation is to seriously consider what accounts of fashion and dress can offer—have indeed already offered—to philosophy. In recounting these histories, I have two primary goals. The first is ...
Universal History as Global Critique: From German Critical Theory to the Anti-Colonial Tradition Portella , Elizabeth ( University of Oregon , 2021-09-13 ) This dissertation argues for a critical reconstruction of the concept of universal history. In doing so, it draws on theoretical resources offered by a materialist philosophy of history, as it is expressed in both German ...
Synoptic Fusion and Dialectical Dissociation: The Entwinement of Linguistic and Experiential Pragmatisms à la Wilfrid Sellars Naeb, Cheyenne ( University of Oregon , 2021-09-13 ) This work will attempt to examine the relationship between experiential and linguistic pragmatism through the lens of the twentieth-century Analytic philosopher, Wilfrid Sellars. I maintain that Sellars meta-linguistic ...
Nietzsche, Heidegger, and the Questionability of Truth Emery, James ( University of Oregon , 2020-12-08 ) Does Nietzsche’s inquiry into the question of truth take him beyond the sense of truth as correctness found in Platonism toward a more Greek understanding of truth that brings concealment into an unsettling prominence ...
Feminism, Secularism, and the (Im)Possibilities of an Islamic Feminism Akbar Akhgari, Paria ( University of Oregon , 2020-02-27 ) This project considers attempts by scholars from within as well as outside Muslim countries to analyze gender and sex equality with a new approach that brings Islam and feminism into one discourse, often called “Islamic ...
To Write the Body: Lost Time and the Work of Melancholy Hayes, Shannon ( University of Oregon , 2019-09-18 ) In this dissertation I develop a philosophical account of melancholy as a productive, creative, and politically significant affect. Despite the longstanding association of melancholy with the creativity and productivity ...

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Welcome to PhilPapers

Results of 2020 PhilPapers Survey posted 2021-11-01 by David Bourget We've now released the results of the 2020 PhilPapers Survey, which surveyed 1785 professional philosophers on their views on 100 philosophical issues. Results are available on the 2020 PhilPapers Survey website and in draft article form in " Philosophers on Philosophy: The 2020 PhilPapers Survey " . Discussion is welcome in the PhilPapers Survey 2020 discussion group .

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Philosophy Dissertations and Theses

The Department of Philosophy Dissertations and Theses Series is comprised of dissertations and theses authored by Marquette University's Department of Philosophy doctoral and master's students.

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Place, Attachment, and Feeling: Indigenous Dispossession and Settler Belonging , Sarah Kizuk

Nepantla and Mestizaje: A Phenomenological Analysis of the Mestizx Historical Consciousness , Jorge Alfredo Montiel

The Categories Argument for the Real Distinction Between Being and Essence: Avicenna, Aquinas, and Their Greek Sources , Nathaniel Taylor

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Modeling, Describing, and Explaining Subjective Consciousness- A Guide to (and for) the Perplexed , Peter Burgess

Looking Through Whiteness: Objectivity, Racism, Method, and Responsibility , Philip Mack

Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Maritain on the Student-Teacher Relationship in Catholic Higher Education , Timothy Rothhaar

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

The Empathetic Autistic: A Phenomenological Look at the Feminine Experience , Dana Fritz

Concerning Aristotelian Animal Essences , Damon Andrew Watson

When to Trust Authoritative Testimony: Generation and Transmission of Knowledge in Saadya Gaon, Al-Ghazālī and Thomas Aquinas , Brett A. Yardley

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

The Status of Irrationality: Karl Jaspers' Response to Davidson and Searle , Daniel Adsett

Cosmic City - Cosmic Teleology: A Reading of Metaphysics Λ 10 and Politics I 2 , Brandon Henrigillis

Phenomenal Consciousness: An Husserlian Approach , John Jered Janes

Al-Fārābī Metaphysics, and the Construction of Social Knowledge: Is Deception Warranted if it Leads to Happiness? , Nicholas Andrew Oschman

The Epistemology of Disagreement: Hume, Kant, and the Current Debate , Robert Kyle Whitaker

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

'Our Feet are Mired In the Same Soil': Deepening Democracy with the Political Virtue of Sympathetic Inquiry , Jennifer Lynn Kiefer Fenton

Towards a Philosophy of the Musical Experience: Phenomenology, Culture, and Ethnomusicology in Conversation , J. Tyler Friedman

Humor, Power and Culture: A New Theory on the Experience and Ethics of Humor , Jennifer Marra

Care of the Sexual Self: Askesis As a Route to Sex Education , Shaun Douglas Miller

Re-Evaluating Augustinian Fatalism through the Eastern and Western Distinction between God's Essence and Energies , Stephen John Plecnik

The Fantastic Structure of Freedom: Sartre, Freud, and Lacan , Gregory A. Trotter

The Province of Conceptual Reason: Hegel's Post-Kantian Rationalism , William Clark Wolf

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Hume on Thick and Thin Causation , Alexander Bozzo

Evolution, Naturalism, and Theism: An Inconsistent Triad? , David H. Gordon

The Parable As Mirror: An Examination of the Use of Parables in the Works of Kierkegaard , Russell Hamer

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Contextualizing Aquinas's Ontology of Soul: An Analysis of His Arabic and Neoplatonic Sources , Nathan McLain Blackerby

The Social and Historical Subject in Sartre and Foucault and Its Implications for Healthcare Ethics , Kimberly Siobhan Engels

Investigations of Worth: Towards a Phenomenology of Values , Dale Hobbs Jr.

Developing Capabilities: A Feminist Discourse Ethics Approach , Chad Kleist

Hegel and the Problem of the Multiplicity of Conflicting Philosophies , Matthew M. Peters

Aquinas, Averroes, and the Human Will , Traci Ann Phillipson

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Nature, Feminism, and Flourishing: Human Nature and the Feminist Ethics of Flourishing , Celeste D. Harvey

Kierkegaard in Light of the East: A Critical Comparison of the Philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard with Orthodox Christian Philosophy and Thought , Agust Magnusson

The Secular Transformation of Pride and Humility in the Moral Philosophy of David Hume , Kirstin April Carlson McPherson

Living within the Sacred Tension: Paradox and Its Significance for Christian Existence in the Thought of Søren Kierkegaard , Matthew Thomas Nowachek

Moral Imagination and Adorno: Before and After Auschwitz , Catlyn Origitano

Essence and Necessity, and the Aristotelian Modal Syllogistic: A Historical and Analytical Study , Daniel James Vecchio

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Subversive Humor , Chris A. Kramer

Virtue, Oppression, and Resistance Struggles , Trevor William Smith

Health As Embodied Authenticity , Margaret Steele

Recognition and Political Ontology: Fichte, Hegel, and Honneth , Velimir Stojkovski

The Conceptual Priority of the Perfect , Matthew Peter Zdon

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Dangerous Knowledge? Morality And Moral Progress After Naturalism , Daniel Diederich Farmer

Nietzsche's Revaluation of All Values , Joseph Anthony Kranak

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Re-Enchanting The World: An Examination Of Ethics, Religion, And Their Relationship In The Work Of Charles Taylor , David McPherson

Thomas Aquinas on the Apprehension of Being: The Role of Judgement in Light of Thirteenth-Century Semantics , Rosa Vargas Della Casa

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Naturalized Panpsychism: An Alternative to Fundamentalist Physicalism and Supernaturalism , Earl R. Cookson

The Concept of Personhood in the Phenomenology of Edmund Husserl , Colin J. Hahn

The Humanistic, Fideistic Philosophy of Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560) , Charles William Peterson

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Knowledge and Thought in Heidegger and Foucault: Towards an Epistemology of Ruptures , Arun Anantheeswaran Iyer

William James's Undivided Self and the Possibility of Immortality , Anthony Karlin

The Poetics of Remembrance: Communal Memory and Identity in Heidegger and Ricoeur , David Leichter

The Ontological Foundations for Natural Law Theory and Contemporary Ethical Naturalism , Bernard Mauser

Sexualized Violence, Moral Disintegration and Ethical Advocacy , Melissa Mosko

Spinoza on Individuals and Individuation: Metaphysics, Morals, and Politics , Matthew David Wion

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

The Paradox of Nature: Merleau-Ponty's Semi-Naturalistic Critique of Husserlian Phenomenology , Shazad Akhtar

Hume's Conception of Time and its Implications for his Theories of Causation and Induction , Daniel Esposito

Arabic Influences in Aquinas's Doctrine of Intelligible Species , Max Herrera

The Attestation of the Self as a Bridge Between Hermeneutics and Ontology in the Philosophy of Paul Ricoeur , Sebastian Kaufmann

Love's Lack: The Relationship between Poverty and Eros in Plato's Symposium , Lorelle D. Lamascus

Friendship and Fidelity: An Historical and Critical Examination , Joshua Walter Schulz

Natural Law Theory and the "Is"--"Ought" Problem: A Critique of Four Solutions , Shalina Stilley

Attending to Presence: A Study of John Duns Scotus' Account of Sense Cognition , Amy F. Whitworth

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Friendship and Self-Identity in the Thought of Paul Ricoeur , Cristina Bucur

The Finality of Religion in Aquinas' Theory of Human Acts , Francisco José Romero Carrasquillo

The finality of religion in Aquinas' theory of human acts , Francisco J Romero

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

Self-Identity in Comparative Theology: The Functional lmportance of Charles Taylor's Concept of the Self for a Theology of Religions , Richard Joseph Hanson

Theses/Dissertations from 2007 2007

Husserl's Noema: A Critical Assessment of the Gestalt and Analytic Interpretations , Peter M. Chukwu

A Social Contract Analysis of Rawls and Rousseau: Supplanting the Original Position As Philosophically Most Favored , Paul Neiman

To Validate a Feeling: the Role of the Mood of Angst in Human Being , Gregory P. Schulz

The Conception and Attributes of God: A Comparison of Charles Sanders Peirce and Alfred North Whitehead , Scott W. Sinclair

John Rawls, Public Reason, and Natural Law: A Study of the Principles of Public Justification , Christopher Ward

Submissions from 2006 2006

Hans Jonas's ethic of responsibility applied to anti-aging technologies and the indefinite extension of the human life span , Jeffrey P Goins

David Hume and the Principle of Sufficient Reason , Ginger Lee

Virtue Theory in Plato's Republic , Griffin T. Nelson

The Principle of Alternate Possibilities: Finding Freedom after Frankfurt , Matthew F. Pierlott

Theses/Dissertations from 2005 2005

Is There a Future for Marxist Humanism? , Jacob M. Held

Self-Love and Morality: Beyond Egoism and Altruism , Li Jing

Eikos Logos and Eikos Muthos: A Study of the Nature of the Likely Story in Plato's Timaeus , Ryan Kenneth McBride

Hume's Conclusions on the Existence and Nature of God , Timothy S. Yoder

Submissions from 2004 2004

The foundations of the politics of difference , Peter Nathaniel Bwanali

The Foundations of the Politics of Difference , Peter Nathaniel Bwanali

The Place of Justice in the Thinking of Emmanuel Levinas , Michael H. Gillick

New Waves in Metaethics: Naturalist Realism, Naturalist Antirealism and Divine Commands , Daniel R. Kern

Reason in Hume's Moral System , John Muenzberg

Conceiving Mind: A Critique of Descartes' Dualism and Contemporary Immaterialist Views of Consciousness , Kristin P. Schaupp

Respecting Plurality in Times of Change: Hannah Arendt's Conceptions of Political, Personal, and Ethical Responsibility , Stephen Schulman

Francis Suárez on the Ontological Status of Individual Unity vis-à-vis the Aristotelian Doctrine of Primary Substance , John W. Simmons

Through a Glass Darkly: Bernard Lonergan and Richard Rorty on the Possibility of Knowing Without a God's-Eye-View , Russell Snell

Theses/Dissertations from 2003 2003

Building a Heideggerian Ethic , Kelly A. Burns

St. Thomas Aquinas and the Self-Evident Proposition: A Study of the Manifold Senses of a Medieval Concept , Michael V. Dougherty

Ricoeur's Narrative Development of Gadamer's Hermeneutics: Continuity and Discontinuity , Keith D'Souza

Beauty's Resting Place: Unity in St. Augustine's Sensible Aesthetic , Matthew J. Hayes

Empathy and Knowledge: Husserl's Introductions to Phenomenology , Kevin Hermberg

The Transactional Model: A Critical Examination of John Dewey's Philosophy of Freedom , Mark N. Lenker III

Reflection on the "good" As a Source of Freedom in Virtue Theory , John D. Morse

Theses/Dissertations from 2002 2002

An Evaluation of Alvin Plantinga's Religious Epistemology Does It Function Properly? , James Beilby

Merleau-Ponty: Embodied Subjectivity and the Foundation of Ethics , Sarah A. Fischer

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Information on Thesis Proposals

Creating a Thesis Committee

The first step in creating a thesis committee is for a committee chair or advisor to agree to supervise your thesis. Minimally, the committee chair must be a tenured or tenure-track faculty of the CSULB Philosophy Department. Your committee must additionally consist of at least two other faculty members, at least one of whom must also be a tenured or tenure-track faculty of the CSULB Philosophy Department. The department strongly recommends that your third member also be tenured or tenure-track in Philosophy, although it’s possible for the third member to be a part-time faculty member or a person with appropriate qualifications from another university department or another university. Please consult with your committee chair in determining appropriate persons to invite to serve on your committee. (Although many part-time lecturers in the department are generous in volunteering their time for committee service, we request that you remember that the University does not compensate them for it, and most have heavy teaching scheduleshere and on other campuses.) Your committee must be approved by the department.

Writing Your Thesis Proposal

The goal of your thesis proposal is to present the tenured and tenure-track faculty members of the department with a general outline of your intended thesis project together with a brief justification of its merit as a research project warranting a master’s degree. Take as your goal the creation of a concise, well-written document clearly articulating your project and its relationship to the philosophical literature. In general you should aim for 6-8 pages of text and a bibliography of 1-2 pages. A good thesis proposal will have three elements: (1) A clear and concise statement of the position you intend to articulate and defend in the thesis. (2) A well-researched statement relating your position to the philosophical literature indicating how your position connects with important thought on the subject by other philosophers. (3) An outline of how exactly you intend to structure your exposition in the thesis. This outline should present a chapter-by-chapter account, indicating how each chapter relates to the overall project.

The best strategy for writing your thesis proposal is to start early and interact regularly with your committee. Your committee is your resource for advice and feedback on your proposal while you develop it. The director of your committee is responsible for deciding when the proposal is ready for review, and the committee members must agree. Your committee members are also the ones who will present the proposal and defend it to the department. Thus, the more constructive interaction you have with them while writing the proposal the better. It is important to note that a student cannot submit a proposal to the department on his/her initiative without the approval of the thesis committee.

Some Common Proposal Difficulties

Writing a book report: Your thesis should make a modest contribution to the philosophical literature. A mere summary of the positions and arguments is inadequate. There are many ways you can contribute to philosophical thought: Your contribution could consist of finding a significant thesis or type of argument to constructively criticize. You could find an original extension of, or argument for, another person’s theory. You can develop a critical discussion of a view’s underlying methodological, epistemic, or ontological commitments. You can explore what is really at stake in a philosophical debate or the implications of a view. You can propose a useful organization of the positions in a debate. Whatever you choose, it must signify a step forward – an original contribution – albeit a modest one.

Cutting from whole cloth: While your thesis should contain your contribution to philosophical thinking on your thesis topic, your thesis is unlikely to introduce a totally novel and important way to conceive of or solve a problem in philosophy. Good research in philosophy is almost always grounded in a thorough understanding of the ways in which other people have thought about a philosophical topic or problem. Your thesis should build on the tradition.

Rushing to market: Think of your proposal as something that will take numerous drafts and some serious research to complete. Don’t try to slap together a document in order to meet a deadline. The timeline of an advanced degree is dictated exclusively by the amount of time it takes you to acquire and demonstrate a high level of competence in the field. When your proposal is ready for departmental review, you should be well on your way to writing the thesis itself.

Technical language: In general, it is better to state your thesis without technical language for a couple of reasons. First, expressing your project without reliance on technical jargon is an indicator that you have a good grasp of the issues. Second, not everyone in the department will necessarily be familiar with the terms you use. Of course, sometimes it is important to refer to technical terms in framing a view or problem. When you use technical language, you should always explicate its meaning.

Long historical exegesis: When relating your thesis topic to the philosophical literature the most important facts to include are the ones that indicate how your project connects to recent work on the topic. A proposal need not contain a lengthy synopsis of the history of your topic.

Personal histories: However you came to your topic, that story is not relevant to assessing its philosophical merit or its viability as a thesis project.

Submitting Your Thesis Proposal

Once your advisor and all committee members have accepted your proposal, the next step is for your proposal to be submitted to the department for review. Both your proposal and your thesis committee will be reviewed (solely) by tenured and tenure-track members of the department, and will be voted upon at a faculty meeting.

To prepare your proposal, first add a cover sheet including the title, the date, and the names of your committee members with the advisor identified and listed first. Each member of the committee will sign the cover sheet of your proposal, so include a signature line for each member. Once you have collected the committee signatures, you should prepare hard copies of your proposal for distribution to the faculty mailboxes in MHB seven days before the meeting where your proposal will be considered. (Under some circumstances, electronic distribution of your proposal may be possible; please consult your thesis advisor). All the tenured and tenure-track members of the department must receive a copy of your proposal.

Please note that you are responsible for all printing and photocopying of your proposal. The Department does not provide photocopying services for students for this or other purposes.

Some Example Thesis Proposals

Example 1: Back to the Future: Natural Law and the Original Meaning of the Alien Tort Claims Act

Example 2: Conceivability and Possibility Studies in Frege and Kripke

1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology

Philosophy, One Thousand Words at a Time

How to Write a Philosophical Essay

Authors: The Editors of 1000-Word Philosophy [1] Category: Student Resources Word Count: 998

If you want to convince someone of a philosophical thesis, such as that God exists , that abortion is morally acceptable , or that we have free will , you can write a philosophy essay. [2]

Philosophy essays are different from essays in many other fields, but with planning and practice, anyone can write a good one. This essay provides some basic instructions. [3]

An image of an open, blank notebook with a black pen lying on the right-side page.

1. Planning

Typically, your purpose in writing an essay will be to argue for a certain thesis, i.e., to support a conclusion about a philosophical claim, argument, or theory. [4] You may also be asked to carefully explain someone else’s essay or argument. [5]

To begin, select a topic. Most instructors will be happy to discuss your topic with you before you start writing. Sometimes instructors give specific prompts with topics to choose from.

It’s generally best to select a topic that you’re interested in; you’ll put more energy into writing it. Your topic will determine what kind of research or preparation you need to do before writing, although in undergraduate philosophy courses, you usually don’t need to do outside research. [6]

Essays that defend or attack entire theories tend to be longer, and are more difficult to write convincingly, than essays that defend or attack particular arguments or objections: narrower is usually better than broader.

After selecting a topic, complete these steps:

Ensure that you understand the relevant issues and arguments. Usually, it’s enough to carefully read and take notes on the assigned readings on your essay’s topic.
Choose an initial thesis. Generally, you should choose a thesis that’s interesting, but not extremely controversial. [7] You don’t have to choose a thesis that you agree with, but it can help. (As you plan and write, you may decide to revise your thesis. This may require revising the rest of your essay, but sometimes that’s necessary, if you realize you want to defend a different thesis than the one you initially chose.)
Ensure that your thesis is a philosophical thesis. Natural-scientific or social-scientific claims, such as that global warming is occurring or that people like to hang out with their friends , are not philosophical theses. [8] Philosophical theses are typically defended using careful reasoning, and not primarily by citing scientific observations.

Instructors will usually not ask you to come up with some argument that no philosopher has discovered before. But if your essay ignores what the assigned readings say, that suggests that you haven’t learned from those readings.

2. Structure

Develop an outline, rather than immediately launching into writing the whole essay; this helps with organizing the sections of your essay.

Your structure will probably look something like the following, but follow your assignment’s directions carefully. [9]

2.1. Introduction and Thesis

Write a short introductory paragraph that includes your thesis statement (e.g., “I will argue that eating meat is morally wrong”). The thesis statement is not a preview nor a plan; it’s not “I will consider whether eating meat is morally wrong.”

If your thesis statement is difficult to condense into one sentence, then it’s likely that you’re trying to argue for more than one thesis. [10]

2.2. Arguments

Include at least one paragraph that presents and explains an argument. It should be totally clear what reasons or evidence you’re offering to support your thesis.

In most essays for philosophy courses, you only need one central argument for your thesis. It’s better to present one argument and defend it well than present many arguments in superficial and incomplete ways.

2.3. Objection

Unless the essay must be extremely short, raise an objection to your argument. [11] Be clear exactly which part of the other argument (a premise, or the form) is being questioned or denied and why. [12]

It’s usually best to choose either one of the most common or one of the best objections. Imagine what a smart person who disagreed with you would say in response to your arguments, and respond to them.

Offer your own reply to any objections you considered. If you don’t have a convincing reply to the objection, you might want to go back and change your thesis to something more defensible.

2.5. Additional Objections and Replies

If you have space, you might consider and respond to the second-best or second-most-common objection to your argument, and so on.

2.6. Conclusion

To conclude, offer a paragraph summarizing what you did. Don’t include any new or controversial claims here, and don’t claim that you did more than you actually accomplished. There should be no surprises at the end of a philosophy essay.

Make your writing extremely clear and straightforward. Use simple sentences and don’t worry if they seem boring: this improves readability. [13] Every sentence should contribute in an obvious way towards supporting your thesis. If a claim might be confusing, state it in more than one way and then choose the best version.

To check for readability, you might read the essay aloud to an audience. Don’t try to make your writing entertaining: in philosophy, clear arguments are fun in themselves.

Concerning objections, treat those who disagree with you charitably. Make it seem as if you think they’re smart, careful, and nice, which is why you are responding to them.

Your readers, if they’re typical philosophers, will be looking for any possible way to object to what you say. Try to make your arguments “airtight.”

4. Citations

If your instructor tells you to use a certain citation style, use it. No citation style is universally accepted in philosophy. [14]

You usually don’t need to directly quote anyone. [15] You can paraphrase other authors; where you do, cite them.

Don’t plagiarize . [16] Most institutions impose severe penalties for academic dishonesty.

5. Conclusion

A well-written philosophy essay can help people gain a new perspective on some important issue; it might even change their minds. [17] And engaging in the process of writing a philosophical essay is one of the best ways to develop, understand, test, and sometimes change, your own philosophical views. They are well worth the time and effort.

[1] Primary author: Thomas Metcalf. Contributing authors: Chelsea Haramia, Dan Lowe, Nathan Nobis, Kristin Seemuth Whaley.

[2] You can also do some kind of oral presentation, either “live” in person or recorded on video. An effective presentation, however, requires the type of planning and preparation that’s needed to develop an effective philosophy paper: indeed, you may have to first write a paper and then use it as something like a script for your presentation. Some parts of the paper, e.g., section headings, statements of arguments, key quotes, and so on, you may want to use as visual aids in your presentation to help your audience better follow along and understand.

[3] Many of these recommendations are, however, based on the material in Horban (1993), Huemer (n.d.), Pryor (n.d.), and Rippon (2008). There is very little published research to cite about the claims in this essay, because these claims are typically justified by instructors’ experience, not, say, controlled experiments on different approaches to teaching philosophical writing. Therefore, the guidance offered here has been vetted by many professional philosophers with a collective hundreds of hours of undergraduate teaching experience and further collective hundreds of hours of taking philosophy courses. The editors of 1000-Word Philosophy also collectively have thousands of hours of experience in writing philosophy essays.

[4] For more about the areas of philosophy, see What is Philosophy? by Thomas Metcalf.

[5] For an explanation of what is meant by an “argument” in philosophy, see Arguments: Why Do You Believe What You Believe? by Thomas Metcalf.

[6] Outside research is sometimes discouraged, and even prohibited, for philosophy papers in introductory courses because a common goal of a philosophy paper is not to report on a number of views on a philosophical issue—so philosophy papers usually are not “research reports”—but to rather engage a specific argument or claim or theory, in a more narrow and focused way, and show that you understand the issue and have engaged in critically. If a paper engages in too much reporting of outside research, that can get in the way of this critical evaluation task.

[7] There are two reasons to avoid extremely controversial theses. First, such theses are usually more difficult to defend adequately. Second, you might offend your instructor, who might (fairly or not) give you a worse grade. So, for example, you might argue that abortion is usually permissible, or usually wrong, but you probably shouldn’t argue that anyone who has ever said the word ‘abortion’ should be tortured to death, and you probably shouldn’t argue that anyone who’s ever pregnant should immediately be forced to abort the pregnancy, because both of these claims are extremely implausible and so it’s very unlikely that good arguments could be developed for them. But theses that are controversial without being implausible can be interesting for both you and the instructor, depending on how you develop and defend your argument or arguments for that thesis.

[8] Whether a thesis is philosophical mostly depends on whether it is a lot like theses that have been defended in important works of philosophy. That means it would be a thesis about metaphysics, epistemology, value theory, logic, history of philosophy, or something therein. For more information, see Philosophy and Its Contrast with Science and What is Philosophy? both by Thomas Metcalf.

[9] Also, read the grading rubric, if it’s available. If your course uses an online learning environment, such as Canvas, Moodle, or Schoology, then the rubric will often be visible as attached to the assignment itself. The rubric is a breakdown of the different requirements of the essay and how each is weighted and evaluated by the instructor. So, for example, if some requirement has a relatively high weight, you should put more effort into doing a good job. Similarly, some requirement might explicitly mention some step for the assignment that you need to complete in order to get full credit.

[10] In some academic fields, a “thesis” or “thesis statement” is considered both your conclusion and a statement of the basic support you will give for that conclusion. In philosophy, your thesis is usually just that conclusion: e..g, “Eating meat is wrong,” “God exists,” “Nobody has free will,” and so on: the support given for that conclusion is the support for your thesis.

[11] To be especially clear, this should be an objection to the argument given for your thesis or conclusion, not an objection to your thesis or conclusion itself. This is because you don’t want to give an argument and then have an objection that does not engage that argument, but instead engages something else, since that won’t help your reader or audience better understand and evaluate that argument.

[12] For more information about premises, forms, and objections, see Arguments: Why do You Believe What You Believe? by Thomas Metcalf.

[13] For a philosophical argument in favor of clear philosophical writing, and guidance on producing such writing, see Fischer and Nobis (2019).

[14] The most common styles in philosophy are APA (Purdue Online Writing Lab, n.d.a) and Chicago (Purdue Online Writing Lab, n.d.b.).

[15] You might choose to directly quote someone when it’s very important that the reader know that the quoted author actually said what you claim they said. For example, if you’re discussing some author who made some startling claim, you can directly quote them to show that they really said that. You might also directly quote someone when they presented some information or argument in a very concise, well-stated way, such that paraphrasing it would take up more space than simply quoting them would.

[16] Plagiarism, in general, occurs when someone submits written or spoken work that is largely copied, in style, substance, or both, from some other author’s work, and does not attribute it to that author. However, your institution or instructor may define “plagiarism” somewhat differently, so you should check with their definitions. When in doubt, check with your instructor first.

[17] These are instructions for relatively short, introductory-level philosophy essays. For more guidance, there are many useful philosophy-writing guides online to consult, e.g.: Horban (1993); Huemer (n.d.); Pryor (n.d.); Rippon (2008); Weinberg (2019).

Fischer, Bob and Nobis, Nathan. (2019, June 4). Why writing better will make you a better person. The Chronicle of Higher Education .

Horban, Peter. (1993). Writing a philosophy paper. Simon Fraser University Department of Philosophy .

Huemer, Michael. (N.d.). A guide to writing. Owl232.net .

Pryor, Jim. (N.d.). Guidelines on writing a philosophy paper. Jimpryor.net .

Purdue Online Writing Lab. (N.d.a.). General format. Purdue Online Writing Lab .

Purdue Online Writing Lab. (N.d.b.). General format. Purdue Online Writing Lab .

Rippon, Simon. (2008). A brief guide to writing the philosophy paper. Harvard College Writing Center .

Weinberg, Justin. (2019, January 15). How to write a philosophy paper: Online guides. Daily Nous .

Related Essays

Arguments: Why do You Believe What You Believe? by Thomas Metcalf

Philosophy and its Contrast with Science by Thomas Metcalf

What is Philosophy? By Thomas Metcalf

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161 Great Philosophy Thesis Topics: Take A Look!

Philosophy is one of the most interesting areas of study because it deals with fundamental questions that arise in everyday life. These questions concern reality and further extend to other disciplines. The goal of philosophy is not to simply master facts, but to think through them. This means you critically analyze, discern hidden arguments, and construct logical arguments. What an interesting niche!

As a PhD student, your last step is to write a thesis. This is the last paper that demonstrates you are ready to venture into your philosophy career. To write a great philosophy PhD thesis, the first step is picking the right topic.

In this post, we are going to take a closer look at writing a philosophy PhD thesis to help you identify the best topics. We will demonstrate the main areas of philosophy where you can derive good topics and provide a comprehensive philosophy topics list.

Main Areas to Consider for Your Philosophy PhD Thesis

Before picking the most popular thesis topics for your study, it is important to understand the different areas of philosophy. This will help you narrow down to the area of interest and write a great thesis:

Epistemology : This is one of the top areas to base your philosophy PhD thesis topics. Epistemology deals with questions about belief and knowledge. Some of the questions that epistemology seeks to answer include what is the difference between believing something and knowing something? What determines whether a belief is rational or not?
Metaphysics : This is an area of philosophy that focuses on what reality is. In this area of study, you will seek to answer questions on ontology, nature, persons, objects, modality, time, space, and laws of nature, among others. According to Plato, in addition to what is observable, there is an additional realm of eternal entities such as beauty, justice, and goodness.
Logic : Logic in philosophy, is the study of inference patterns. Unlike in psychology, logic in philosophy is about questions of exploring when a specific claim is supported by other claims. Logical validity is closely connected to concepts such as if, and, or, not, some, and then.
Political philosophy : This is a branch of philosophy that involves concepts and values related to political matters. Other areas you can base your philosophy thesis topics include moral philosophy and history of philosophy.

How To Select the Best Topics of Philosophy for Your Thesis

When it comes to picking a thesis topic, no effort should be spared to make sure you select the best. Here are some of the main reasons why you should go for good philosophy topics.

Picking a great philosophy thesis topic allows you to identify and fill areas that are lacking. This is an opportunity to leave a mark in the field of philosophy.

Unlike other assignments where the tutor provides you with the topics to work on, the philosophy thesis is one case when you have the opportunity to choose. Therefore, go ahead and pick what pleases you.

The topic you select determines the ease of writing your PhD thesis. For example, a topic with ample resources is easy to work on compared to the one that has none.

With good philosophy research topics, defending your thesis becomes easy.

Interesting Philosophy Topics for Your Dissertation

Now that we have looked at the top areas, you can base your philosophy PhD thesis on; we are going to list popular topics that you can consider. Note that most of the topics take the form of a question because philosophy is all about questioning and seeking logical answers.

Why we should stop capital punishment and adopt permanent solutions to help solve crimes.
Can a person be happy without a family?
A vacation or well-paid job: What would you take?
Should people always obey the rules? A closer look at the line between breaking rules and rebellion.
A closer look at modern life values.
What makes people commit crimes even when they know that they will face capital punishment?
Is there life after death?
Loneliness: Reconstructing its meaning.
Wealth: Is it possible to be rich without having a lot of money?
The main characters that define a person: Is it possible to change them?
Understanding why religion is important above anything else for a lot of people around the globe.
Reasons why we cannot declare humanity as a supreme religion.
Evaluating life existence: Are humans the only living organisms?
What makes people kill in the name of religion?
Morality and religion: Why are they different, yet they talk about the same thing?
What makes women to be considered less strong physically as compared to men?
How can the custom of dowry be eliminated from people’s minds?
To love or to be loved: Which is more important?
What is the value of truth? Are there instances when lying is good?
What is the perfect life? What prevents people from living it?
Is it possible for parents to be the best friends to their children in real sense?
Evaluating how the age of maturity and age of marriage are defined by society.
Why social behavior and ethics cannot be separated.
What is the best way to boost a person’s creativity?

Good Philosophy Thesis Topics

Are animals different from people?
A deeper look at things that make human life meaningful.
What are the pros and cons of total control?
Is it possible to create an ideal society?
What are the best ways to reach peace in the world?
Exploring the roles of good and evil.
Should the church be involved in politics?
Euthanasia: Is it ethical?
Evaluating the relationship between war and peace.
Social media: A deeper look at how it has affected people’s moral behavior.
Analyzing the impact of beauty on human development.
Is it possible to always think positively?
Should parents be held responsible for the actions of their children?
A deeper look at supernatural: Is there any proof?
Suicide: What are the associated pros and cons?
Can animal experiments be justified?
What are the pros and cons of communism?
What are the pros and cons of utilitarianism?
Evaluating the pros and cons of artificial intelligence.
Ethics: Can we justify the experiments on human beings?
Can we connect traditions supported by science and force people to follow them as customs?
Is there a moral obligation to be honest?

Philosophy Thesis Topics For Seniors

Do developed nations have a moral obligation to address issues such as famine in developing countries?
Circus in zoos: Are they ethical?
Exploring the ethics of cryptocurrencies: A case study of Bitcoin.
Should incarcerated criminals be allowed to have children?
What are the pros and cons of marriage?
Dog and cat: Which is more superior?
Should human beings claim a stake in other planets such as moon and mars?
What are the pros and cons of genetically modified objects?
What are the pros and cons of childless families?
Elderly health: Who should decide whether to take the elderly to care centers: the elderly, their children, or healthcare professionals?
Steroids in sports: Is it ethical to use steroids to enhance results outcome in athletics?
Machiavelli ideas: Exploring the negative and positive features.
Why is cloning banned in most countries?
Can torture be justified?

Philosophy Thesis Topics on Human Sciences

A critique of the global assumptions and practices of human behavior
In what ways do the constructions of human nature affect our lineation and associations?
Adopting positivism in a world always awash with negative news
A systematic approach to the natural behavior of man
Greek philosophers’ role in shaping human sciences
The origin of existential phenomenology in Europe
The American infusionism into cultures of the world: its impact

Philosophy Topics for Research Paper

Evil persons and evil actions: a philosophical perspective
The effect of the ideology of Darwinism on natural selection
Intervention vs. information: distinguishing the differences
Melancholia in teenagers: a psychological analysis
Relating depression to interactive children
The logic behind madness in dreams
The Modern Virtue Theory: the relationship between value, dignity, and human virtue: their relationship
Sex and sexuality in the 21st century

Philosophy Research Paper Topics for Undergraduate Students

Monistic modern science vs. pluralistic modern science
The influence of moral philosophy in our understanding of folk psychology
The impossibility of escaping mental externalism
How has the emergence of technology in the 21st century
Empathy and morality in developing fiction stories and folklores
When is voluntary suicide justified?
Fate, destiny, and free will: evaluating the relationship between them

Philosophy Research Topics on Renaissance

Scientific revolution: its impact on the renaissance period
Rome vs. Northern Europe: comparing the High Renaissance
Some godfathers of the Renaissance: their contributions
Sexuality and eroticism in the 16th century renaissance art
The Great migration: its impact on literature and art
Early Renaissance: its impact on medical innovations
Technological advancements in renaissance culture and art
Naturalistic beauty in the renaissance period

Philosophical Research Topics for Masters’ Thesis

The impacts and benefits of the renaissance period on man
Are people good or evil by nature?
The limitations to free will in personal decision making
Utilitarianism: a detailed argument for or against
How are morals relevant to culture and(or) society
Aesops’ fables: how have they contributed to human philosophy?
What roles do group selection and altruism play?
What role has Bolzano’s mathematical knowledge played in human philosophy?

Buddhist Philosophy Topics List

Buddhism vs. Hinduism: the view of sin and punishment
Evaluating misconceptions regarding sexuality in the Buddhist religion
The relationship between Buddhism and Shinto with China
The four noble truths of Buddhism: a thorough analysis
The confluence of Hinduism and Buddhism in India: an in-depth study
What role did Mahatma Gandhi play in advancing Buddhism ideologies and practices?
What are the elements of the Buddhism religion that makes it sacred?

Fun Philosophy Paper Topics

What role do aesthetics play in the study of philosophy?
What role do ethics play in the survivability of a society?
In what way has logic been crucial in helping man make rational decisions?
A thorough analysis of the philosophy of mind with fundamental tenets
The African philosophy: what are the major revolutions?
Western philosophy vs. others: why does it have a greater acceptance?
For what reasons do post-classical and medieval philosophies have a place in the contemporary world?

Topics in Philosophy on Epistemology

Evaluating the concept of skepticism among different categories of readers
Knowledge and justification: the internalist account vs. externalist account
Factors contributing to contexualism in epistemology
What are the impacts of certain alternative accounts of knowledge?
The epistemology of lotteries: what are the pros and cons?
The different positions in epistemology: their pros and cons
The concept of Shoemaker’s self-blindness
How is the epistemology of attitudes different from other mental states?

Philosophy Term Paper Topics

The concept of happiness
Why is egoism considered a negative trait in man?
Understanding the motive behind the acts of charity
Past generations vs. the current generation: which is more affectionate?
Understanding the concept of true friendship
What role does technology play in the absence of emotions in some people?
Time management in campus students vs. time management in high school students
Can obsession ever replace true love?

Interesting Philosophy Topics for Research Paper

Can there be true love among teenagers?
What impact do religious beliefs have on science?
Testing the viability of the concept “You Only Live Once”
What are some fundamental flaws in various epistemological theories?
The unique characteristics of classical philosophy
What are the major revolutions of the African philosophy
An in-depth analysis of the limitations of metaphysics as a philosophy branch
Nature: is there an inherent order or it’s all chaos and chance?
Did the age of technology make us less happy?

Top-Notch Philosophy Topics to Write a Research Paper on

Perfection: why do we strive for it if it is unattainable?
What role does proper management play in making our lives meaningful?
To be liked or to be respected: which is more important?
The absolute way of attaining a happy mind
The possibility of having happiness without sadness
A critical look at a world without reliance on modern technology
The chances of robots taking over the world in the future
Parallel universes: do they exist or are they just fables?
What role do parents play in instilling morals in their children?
In what ways is man different from animals?
Top reasons why we should care about our neighbors
The judicial system: is it truly serving justice?
Can a woman be the head of the home?
The effect of knowing your purpose in life on behavior
Where do shooting stars fall?
The possibility of loving more than two people

Easy Topics for Philosophy Research Paper

Does fate exist in the modern world?
What are the chances of achieving an ideal society?
Why should you work when you will still die?
What are the components of the human consciousness?
Reasons why it is easier to do bad than to do good
Feminism: is it overhyped?
Foundationalism and Coherentism
The concept of anger in the Buddhism religion and how to manage it

Your Philosophy PhD Thesis Simplified – Nothing but Fun!

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If you are in a philosophy class, do not let the dissertation give you stress. You can select any of the above topics, and use writing help to make thesis writing professional and fun.

Make PhD experience your own

100+ Philosophy Research Paper Topics

One of the most difficult tasks philosophy students faces each year is in having to come up with a philosophy topic to write a paper on. Students can get notifications of big projects months ahead of time and then spend weeks trying to figure out whether their philosophy essay topics are good enough to earn a good grade.

We get it. It’s hard to pull this task together with schedules and responsibilities. This is why we work to find philosophical topics that are current and relatable. We stick to important issues that are at the forefront of the discipline and bring them to you in one convenient philosophical topic for the essay list.

Finding the right philosophy topics can turn regular assignments into A+-winning assignments and we’ve done the work to help you and hundreds of other students get started with these philosophy paper topics. Here are our top 100 philosophy topics for the current school year:

Argumentative Philosophy Research Paper Topics

Do people naturally have good and bad qualities?
Do we need family support to find happiness?
How humans can be happy without reproduction?
What is the definitive explanation of happiness?
Do most people feel they aren’t living their full lives?
Would you marry for money if it meant you could never be happy?
Would you like to live your life more than once?
Would you rather work vocationalation job or a high-paying job?
Are personalities unique or are they just template?
Do you think that it is moral to follow all the rules?

Good Philosophy Paper Topics for All Levels

Does one need to lead a moral life to achieve happiness?
Why do people find life harder than expected?
Which is the better teacher? Experience or learning?
Do people always do what they want at that moment?
Is truth universal or does it change because of perspective?
Do animals have a better sense of morals than humans?
Can people gain an education without proper schooling?
Does one need to be literate to understand philosophy?
Which ie preferable? Determinism or Free Will?
Is capital punishment ethical in today’s world?

Controversial Topics in Philosophy

How does society shape a person’s life and beliefs?
Do you need a lot of money to live a rich life?
Why are some people living without actually experiencing things?
Is spiritual power more important than free will?
Do genetics play a bigger role in the way people behave?
What impact does the word “love” have on positivity?
What is the real reason we live our lives?
Is it possible to form a perfect world?
Do religion and philosophy contradict one another?
Can a world exist without laws or regulations?

Fun Philosophy Paper Topics for High School

What would be your form ideal government?
What are the different ways in which humans understand each other?
How is the concept of happiness defined by different philosophers?
Is existence simply a dream experienced by a larger being?
If you can spend a week in any period, which would it be?
Are we alone in our galaxy or are there other intelligent life forms?
What does it mean to have free will versus determinism?
If you can change one thing from your past, what would it be?
Does religion limit our abilities to explore the meaning of life?
What does it mean to be loved or to love others?

Topics for Philosophy Paper on the Classics

What does it mean to understand our universe?
Does happiness come from our actions toward others?
Are our thoughts evidence that we exist?
What is the definition of evil as it relates to the modern world?
Could societies exist without laws and regulations?
Are people born good or evil or are they raised to be one or the other?
Is torture a justifiable form of punishment?
How can past leaders influence today’s youth positively?
Is beauty truly in the eye of the beholder?
Can we refocus our minds to think more positively?

Easy Philosophy Paper Topics for High School

What does it mean to be moral in today’s world?
Can wars be justified if it supports the greater population?
What does it mean to be a postmodern philosopher?
What are today’s most important life values?
What is the current perspective on the definition of loneliness?
How does one prepare for life after death?
Would you like to repeat your life with full knowledge of the prior?
Does something better than nothing always lead to benefits?
Do people choose to suffer or is it a feeling beyond our control?
Should people have to right to die by suicide?

Philosophy Topics to Write About Quickly

Do we exist in some form after death?
Do supernatural entities exist in the world?
Are video games negatively impacting people’s moral values?
How does one boost his or her ability to be creative?
Is it important to spend your entire life learning?
What does it mean to be mentally conscious?
What is the definition of loneliness and have you experienced it?
What are the most important character traits for leaders to have?
Does one need a lot of money to be considered rich?
Are we alone in the universe or is there another life?

Philosophical Topics for Essays on Current Issues

Are parents responsible for how their children behave?
Are the U.S. and U.K. meritocratic societies?
Has social media had an impact on people’s morals?
Do you agree with the notion that love only exists for 3 years?
Are humans more likely to cause trouble because of boredom?
Is capital punishment morally justified in modern society?
Do humans have the same ideas about what is right and what is wrong?
How does death affect how humans view life?
Is it complicated to live a life of happiness?
Should teenagers be given the responsibility to make their own choices?

Philosophy Thesis Topics for a Big Project

Do religion and the belief in God change a person’s behavior?
Are Machiavellian ideals still relevant in today’s government?
Is animal experimentation ever justified to protect humans?
What are the pros and cons of a utilitarian society?
What are the pros and cons of a communist government?
Why are humans the only species to be violent?
Is economic justice more important than legal justice?
Should women have univerabortion rightstion?
What impact did the 20th-century wave of philosophy have on the U.S.?
How do you know that you are different from other people?

Philosophy Research Paper Topics

What are the tendencies we see most in humans?
Are our morals connected to or influenced by culture?
Would you live your life a second time?
Should religion have a voice in a nation’s government?
What do you think makes for an ideal society?
Are truths relative to specific situations or circumstances?
What is the most important aspect to gain human knowledge?
What is something that veritably upsets you?
What is something in your life that you would like to change?
What is the most effective way to increase one’s IQ?

Getting a good grade on a philosophy research paper requires you to consider several different options and narrow down those options to a topic you feel you can conduct complete philosophy research on. The topic should also be something that interests you and verges into new areas in the discipline and area of study. This can be a difficult task for many students, so we create custom philosophy research topics to suit every situation. If you can’t find a topic you like from this list, just give us a call, email us, or send us a message via chat. We can direct you to a qualified philosophy expert writer to create a custom list of philosophical ideas to fit your assignment needs.

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2.6 Writing Philosophy Papers

Identify Claims

Think Like a Philosopher

Write Like a Philosopher

Collect Evidence and Build Your Case

Consider Counterarguments

Accurately Represent Source Material

Organize Your Paper

Introduce Your Thesis

Make a Logical and Compelling Case Using the Evidence

Connections

Summarize Your Argument in the Conclusion

Department of Linguistics and Philosophy

2.6: Writing Philosophy Papers

Learning Objectives

Identify Claims

Think Like A Philosopher

Write Like A Philosopher

Collect Evidence and Build Your Case

Consider Counterarguments

Accurately Represent Source Material

Organize Your Paper

Introduce Your Thesis

Make a Logical and Compelling Case Using the Evidence

CONNECTIONS

Summarize Your Argument in the Conclusion

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