Outline for a Philosophy Dissertation

This is a structured outline you can use as a model for a philosophy dissertation. It’s flexible enough for analytic, continental, or applied philosophy, but provides a strong backbone for coherence and depth.

1. Front Matter

• Title page
• Abstract (summary of research question, argument, and contribution)
• Acknowledgments
• Table of contents (plus list of abbreviations, if needed)

2. Introduction

• Research problem: what philosophical issue, debate, or concept you are addressing.
• Aims and objectives: what you seek to clarify, argue, or critique.
• Research questions or thesis statement: the central claim or guiding problem.
• Significance: why this topic matters (in philosophy and possibly beyond).
• Methodological approach: analytic argumentation, conceptual analysis, hermeneutics, phenomenology, critical theory, etc.
• Outline of chapters: brief map of the dissertation.

3. Literature Review (Contextual/Theoretical Framework)

• Historical background: how the problem has developed over time.
• Major positions and thinkers in the debate.
• Current state of scholarship: consensus, divisions, unresolved issues.
• Critical assessment of existing arguments.
• Gap identification: where your work intervenes.

4. Conceptual Clarification (if applicable)

• Definition of key terms and concepts.
• Distinctions (necessary vs. sufficient conditions, kinds of concepts, categories).
• Framework within which the argument will operate.

5. Core Argument (typically 2–4 chapters)

Each chapter builds logically toward your thesis claim. Possible structure:

• Chapter A: Present and critically analyse Position 1 (e.g., Kant’s view, Rawls’s theory, Heidegger’s interpretation).
• Chapter B: Present and critically analyse Position 2 (counter-view or rival tradition).
• Chapter C: Develop your own argument or synthesis, responding to objections.
• Chapter D (optional): Apply your argument to a case, problem, or contemporary issue (e.g., bioethics, AI ethics, political justice).

6. Objections and Replies

• Anticipate criticisms of your argument.
• Systematically respond to counterarguments.
• Show robustness of your position by refining or qualifying claims.

7. Implications and Contributions

• Theoretical significance: what your argument adds to philosophical discourse.
• Practical implications: if relevant, how it shapes ethical, political, or social questions.
• Future directions: where the debate should go next.

8. Conclusion

• Restate central thesis and main lines of argument.
• Highlight contribution to philosophy.
• Closing reflection (on limits, value, and possible future inquiry).

9. References / Bibliography

• Primary texts (canonical philosophers, original sources).
• Secondary literature (commentaries, scholarly articles).

10. Appendices (if needed)

• Technical arguments, extended discussions, translations, or supplementary material.

Philosophy dissertations vary: some are one sustained argument over 80,000 words, others are three or four standalone but related essays (similar to a “PhD by publication”).

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