Reading Abstract and Comment Directions

1.  Required Format -

    a.  Name, Class, Section, and Date at top. One Page to 1and1/2 page - Word-processed, 12 point font - double spaced.

    b. Bibliographical Information after Name, Class, and Section- MLA or Turabian or University of Chicago Manual of Style format is OK - Must use page numbers unless absent because an Internet Source.  For most of the abstract and comments you will be using an anthology format as the excerpts come from Solomon, Martin, and Vaught.   The goal is to focus on the primary source material.  However, if you do use specific material from Solomon, Martin, and Vaught's editorial comments, you should note that.  If you quote, use in-text citation format or endnotes.  If you use an idea from Solomon, Martin, and Vaught's comments, be sure to cite it.

Example:

Plato. Republic. Book II.   Morality and the Good Life: An Introduction to Ethics through the Classical Sources. 5th ed. Eds. Robert C. Solomon, Clancy W. Martin, and Wayne Vaught. Trans. G.M.A. Grube. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 92-95.

NOTE:  There are different translators for Aristotle and Augustine.  See bottom of page in Solomon. Martin, and Vaught where the primary source begins.

  • If you use specific items from Solomon, Martin, and Vaught's comments in your abstract, you should also include a bibliographical entry.  For example:
  • Robert C. Solomon, Clancy W. Martin, and Wayne Vaught. "Introduction to Plato."  Morality and the Good Life: An Introduction to Ethics through the Classical Sources. 5th ed. Eds. Robert C. Solomon, Clancy W. Martin, and Wayne Vaught.  Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 68-69.
  • In both of these cases, the entries should have hanging indents, but I can't show this in html.
    •

       2.  Content

        a.  Abstract (Short Summary) = essentially a boiled down summary.  The minimums for an abstract as described by Hugo Bedau, Thinking and Writing About Philosophy. 2nd ed. Bedford/St. Martins, 2002 (17) are as follows:

        *State in a few words the main idea, theme, or thesis . . .  [may be several ideas, themes, or theses]

        *Indicate or sketch the line of argument being used to establish this idea [or ideas]

        *Restate any definition, distinction, principle, and so on necessary to understand . . .

     A rule of thumb, although it is not exact, is one or two sentences per paragraph when a work is organized in ordinary modern paragraphs.

    The purpose of the abstract or short summary is for you to capture the essence of what you have read, reinforcing and demonstrating your understanding.  When the work is not modern, it may also involve translating the old fashioned language and examples into modern terms.

        b.  Comment - Engage with the reading and show me that you have engaged with the reading by writing a brief comment.  Some examples of the types of comments students might make are:

    *Identifying one key strength and one key weakness of the argument.

    *Locating and briefly discussing an important assumption behind the argument

    *Explaining why the reading is or is not relevant to a consideration of ethics or to our lives today

    *Discussing an implication of the views or argument if adopted

    *Pointing out questions that the text raises, but does not address.