“This new edition of Martinich’s classic handbook is a treasure-trove of clear and intelligent advice about how to write philosophy essays. It is the product of decades of reflection by a master teacher about how to help students master the skills of philosophical thinking, reading, and writing. With excellent exposition and illuminating examples Martinich talks through the process of writing a quality philosophy essay, and the book is filled with excellent advice, bits of wise guidance, warnings, and helpful strategies. Teaching philosophy typically involves written assignments, and there are few places to turn for help about how to write an excellent philosophical essay. Martinich’s book is simply the best book available on the subject. Part of the book deals with informal logic and the process of argumentation, but to me the most helpful chapters deal with composition and the process of writing itself – of identifying a topic, arriving at a theme or problem for a paper, developing a strategy for dealing with it, and writing coherent paragraphs and beyond. Martinich takes the whole process seriously and walks the student through it with wit, sensitivity, and attention to detail. All of us have students who can benefit from Martinich’s guidance. Writing with such clarity and sensitivity about how to think and write philosophy is a remarkable achievement; the book is a resource that every philosophy teacher should know and recommend.” Michael Morgan, Indiana University
“There are several introductory texts to philosophical writing; Martinich’s is the best. Clear, concise, and cogent, Martinich not only discusses the qualities of good philosophical writing but, as always, displays them in a work that undergraduates from all disciplines can read with great benefit.” Mark Bernstein, Purdue University
From the Back Cover
A. P. Martinich’s best-selling text, Philosophical Writing: An Introduction, has garnered high praise for its ability to help students with little or no experience in philosophy craft a well-written philosophical essay while learning to think analytically and gaining confidence in their essay-writing skills. This substantially updated new edition features a new chapter on how to read a philosophical essay, along with new sections on rhetoric in philosophical writing, and quantification and modality. Fresh essay examples have also been added, providing the reader with concrete examples of all the stages that go into creating a successful philosophy essay. The new edition offers a companion website where students can easily access additional examples and expanded coverage of other helpful topics relating to philosophical writing. Written with clarity and wit and offering invaluable guidance, Philosophical Writing: An Introduction, 4th Edition 4th Edition, is an essential resource for all philosophy students.
About the Author
A. P. Martinich is Roy Allison Vaughan Centennial Professor in Philosophy and Professor of History and Government at the University of Texas at Austin. His publications include The Two Gods of Leviathan (1992) and Hobbes: A Biography (1999); and, as co-editor, A Companion to Analytic Philosophy (Blackwell, 2001), Analytic Philosophy, 2nd ed. (Wiley Blackwell, 2012), and The Philosophy of Language, 6th ed. (2013). Martinich is also Vice-President of the Board of Directors of the Journal of the History of Philosophy. Martinich has also contributed to The Philosophers’ Magazine and Think.
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