Evaluate Kant’s categorical imperative by applying his theory to contemporary moral controversies.

1. The thesis of the paper should be stated somewhere in the first paragraph of the essay.

2. Some attempt should be made, either at the beginning or the end of the paper, to say why the thesis is

interesting or important.

3. It is often helpful to include a strategy paragraph before the actual argumentation begins, explaining

how you plan to defend my thesis.

4. By making reference to the strategy paragraph, or to an outline, you should be able to point to any

paragraph in the essay and say just what it is supposed to contribute to the defense of the thesis.

5. If you cannot defend your thesis adequately, perhaps a weaker version of your thesis can be defended.

Then you can say what would need to be done in addition to what you have done to defend the stronger

version.

6. A large part of the point of philosophical writing is to bring precision and clarity to abstract, vague,

and slippery issues.