Making Sense of Philosophy Papers
By Alondra, a Peer Tutor
As a student double majoring in computer science and philosophy, I have taken several philosophy courses ranging from “17th and 18th Century Western Philosophy” to “AI and the Future of Humanity.” After taking all these courses I have ended up reading various philosophy papers and philosophical texts that have been assigned readings for each course.
I recall being excited about my first philosophy course, “AI and the Future of Humanity,” since it genuinely sounded interesting. After a few weeks into the semester, I won’t say that my excitement was crushed, because it wasn’t, but with the frequency of readings, complexity, and unfamiliarity with this type of literature, I was struggling to complete all the readings. And if I did complete the reading, then I struggled to pick out the most relevant parts. It was during this class and subsequent ones that I learned some helpful strategies to manage and get through all of the pages of readings that I still use in my current philosophy courses.
At first, I struggled to identify the argument made by the author. This made it difficult for me to get the main idea of the paper and focus on the most important details. I have learned it is helpful for me to make note of the author’s conclusion, either mentally or physically, and look at the premises the author uses to reach the conclusion. Additionally, I make note of any confusing sections and questions I have. By doing this, I can ask these questions during class discussion. Through practice, I have developed my ability to use active reading and engage with the text to help me get the most out of the readings. For me, this involves taking notes, rereading confusing sections, and asking questions.
In my most recent philosophy course, “Ethics, Politics, and Technology,” I formed a new habit while reading (specifically, when rereading texts for assigned papers I have to write). As I revisit the reading–assuming I read the paper already–I will highlight relevant details related to the prompt that I can use for my paper. Previously, I would only make note of the page numbers in the reading with relevant information and reference those pages as I write. However, highlighting makes it much more clear which details I should focus on.
I have also learned that even if I can start the semester out strong by using this first strategy, it can be difficult to maintain this since some classes have readings for nearly every class or every week. When my motivation runs low, it doesn’t help that some of these papers span several pages and are time-consuming. This resource on the UNC Learning Center website discusses some strategies that I use to stay motivated. Particularly useful for me is breaking down the reading into chunks and choosing an environment that allows me to focus.
When reading, I benefit from being in an environment where I am comfortable and can focus. Even though I am extremely comfortable in my room, I found the Music Library in Wilson Library is a place where I am often more productive. So, I do most of my readings in the Music Library and my room. And I will likely not do an entire reading in one sitting, instead I will break it down into smaller, more manageable sections. By doing this, I feel less overwhelmed and actually complete my readings.
“If the readings don’t feel hard, then you are probably doing something wrong.” I once had a professor say something along these lines in one of my philosophy classes at the start of a semester. I interpret this to mean that reading philosophy papers involves a lot of effort on the reader’s part. To get the most out of these readings, it is good to engage deeply with the text. While I don’t think reading philosophy papers has become “easy,” it has definitely become more manageable and remains very interesting to me.