Finally, a guide to writing philosophy essays that addresses the needs of instructors as well as students. Writing to Reason is both an informative guide to writing effective essays and a valuable aid to grading papers that facilitates clearer communication between instructors and students.


Writing to Reason presents the concrete steps of writing a clear, organized, and well-argued philosophical essay. It also addresses common mistakes and confusions about philosophical writing. The key principles of successful philosophical writing are presented in an easily-referenced numerical format, where the numbered sections correspond to the comments instructors most often make when grading papers. Instead of making the same comments and corrections in one paper after another, instructors simply refer students to the relevant numbered section of the book for detailed explanations of key points. The result is clearer communication between instructors and students. The grading process becomes more efficient for instructors and more edifying for students.