Essay due in today- help?

I'm new to philosophy and so far, am regretting taking it as a wild module. :frown:

Anyway.

I have an essay due in at 5pm and I have done...**** all. I don't know how to write a philosophy essay, at all.

There are loads of questions to choose from, but I've narrowed it down to-

"How (if at all) can you be sure you are not dreaming?"

I am really stuck, don't even know how to begin. Any help is very appreciated!

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Reply 1

Spacecam

umm... get off TSR and start typing?

Reply 2

Em_maK

I would if I knew what to type and how to start it.

Reply 3

Spacecam

Seriously though, you should plan it first (duh). Find some key quotations and use them. Pretty much sorta like an English Literature essay. Use the quote/point and explain it whilst linking it (if you can) to another. Offer two way arguments for each point but your essay MUST have a firm conclusion from your point of view. IMO there's far too many rhetorical statements in Philosophy.

Reply 4

BigBadSaint

Maybe say something about pain?? Like when you pinch yourself to see if you are awake??

Reply 5

emilyjane_09

Don't put lots of rhetorical questions in-it makes your argument look weak. I do 4 essay subjects-Philosophy is the hardest by far!

Reply 6

AlwaysSilverDoe

I'm guessing that question is based off Descartes, get a copy of his book if you can, and scan read it like your life depends on it!

Reply 7

emilyjane_09

Also, have you searched TSR for a thread question on this on D+D? I find those threads really useful for Philosophy. If not, go to your local library and take out a book which will illustrate the basic arguments. Then, just add some quotes and a definitive conclusion.

Reply 8

Em_maK

I have the book, it makes me want to die inside. :bricks:

Thanks for help everyone :smile:

Reply 9

emilyjane_09

Trust me, I know the feeling when writing those essays... Good luck anyway :smile:

Reply 10

AlwaysSilverDoe

I: Many of the things I used to be certain of, I now know to be nonsense. To find some firm foundation for science, I must try to establish what is absolutely true. So, I'll imagine that some evil genie is deceiving me about absolutely everything.
II: I can't be sure of the things I know, but I can be sure that I know things. I think therefore I am.
III: All ideas have a cause. The cause must either be inside me, or something else. Infinity and perfection are not within me, so the idea of an infinite and perfect God must have come from something outside me, so God must exist.
IV: A perfect God would not cause the imperfection of deceit, so He is not deceiving me about the things of which I have clear and certain knowledge.
V: I am certain that I know material objects, inasmuch as I can define them by mathematics. This knowledge doesn't make things exist, but my knowledge of God makes me certain that they are something.
VI: I imagine that I have a body and that my knowledge comes from my senses. Using several senses together I can determine what is true. But we don't always have time for this, so we often make mistakes.

Just a quick summary of Descartes arguments I had on my laptop from last years course, hope it might help as a basic outline? I don't know, lol I have far too much Philos stuff to find anything! Like 169 documents...loads of repeated stuff so that was the best I could find sorry! :smile:

Reply 11

Em_maK

I really suck at intro's. In fact I suck at essays in general.

I am soooo out of my depth here, and its only the first bloody year.

arghhhhhhhh

Reply 12

RealityIsDull

then forget the intro for just now? start some of the main body of essay and the intro might come to you as you are writing that?

Reply 13

c0nfus3d

phliosophy, is it that bad???

Reply 14

emilyjane_09

You obviously don't suck at essays! You're in uni, you've done well for yourself. Just relax. Get off the internet, settle down with your books and clear your head. Make a stab at it, it'll be a weight off your mind. :smile:

Reply 15

ChloeGsy

DO NOT CONCLUDE WITH YOUR OWN OPINION.
at the end, evaluate all that you have said (basically the two sides of the argument) and then fall down on one side with a phrase such as "it would seem that from the evaluation of both points of view that view X/philosopher Y poses the stronger/more realistic/more coherant theory..."
basically, make a point, then quote, then explain how this helps answer the question.
don't just ramble on all what you know about Descartes or whoever, just only use what you can evaluate with reference to your question.
Always link to the previous paragraph/philosopher and the opening statement at the beginning of each paragraph and then as much as you can throughout to make sure you are still focussing on answering the question.
Little--no rhetorical questions - makes you sound too poncy and irritating.
No use of the phrase "in essence"....

hope some of this helps.. :smile:

Reply 16

the666thmessiah

Wel im guessing your a uni student, but whatever advice you could take from an A2 A student doing philosophy here you go:

I find it quite difficult t plan my essays before, they are quite limiting.
Most essays like to have intros.
Leave a massive blank area at the top
Then get started on anything you want. You dot have to write with the perspective the question is asking. Its asking you if you can be certain that you are not dreaming, you could in theory write about the fact that you are certain it is all a dream...

Its always good to use as many names of philosophy in there as possible and use plenty of quotes... Id reccomend looking into daulist thought as they often iinvolve disembodied existance, and so are the most open to allow for life to all be an illusion (in which many idealists fall into)...

An obvious brilliant place to start is Plato, especially his analogy of the cave in the republic. You could then move onto philosophers like Decartes and even Kant (who believes it is real, but we simply impose order on chaos, so while we exist we do not know the world for how it truely is)...

trust me once you get started on these philosophers youll be able to go nuts with your essay... when youv done it go to the introduction and outline what your gonna be saying in your essay...

Good Luck!!

Reply 17

ChloeGsy

PLATO ALL THE WAY!
move from the word "dream" to "reality" in your research and you will find a whole lot more

Reply 18

PremierPotters

bring idealism into it, which is basically us -> sense data -> nothing

Reply 19

chester.

Perhaps think it about from another direction....think about why people might argue that we ARE dreaming and see if you can find ways to counteract them. Try and find some structure to what you think and literally just type as it's coming into your head. You don't have the time to be planning as it's due today, so start typing and once you have an essay written, even though it might be crap, you have something to work with and to fix. :smile:

Good luck!