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The patient has disease x), would that explain the evidence we have? The evidence supplies the premises of the argument, and the conclusion is that some hypothesis is true because it accounts for the evidence. When we are using hypothetical reasoning, it is not usually enough to find some hypothesis that can explain the evidence. We want to find the best hypothesis. What makes a hypothesis a good hypothesis? Philosophers have argued for several criteria. 1. Simplicity: the best-known is probably Ockham’s razor, which says ‘Don’t multiply entities beyond necessity’.

Don’t be afraid to challenge: try to find inconsistencies in the text, but also try to find ways to interpret the text to remove the inconsistencies. Ask what interpretation best fits the purpose of the author. Does an interpretation presuppose ideas that were not available to the author? Know the point of any example used: examples can seize the imagination and memory, but knowing its purpose and what it is supposed to show is central to understanding the text. Look up key words in a dictionary of philosophy: don’t be lazy, and don’t use a normal dictionary (for philosophical words) as they won’t capture or explain the relevant sense.

Practise précis (either rewrite a passage more briefly in your own words or, if you have the text electronically, try deleting words while retaining the argument); b. g. a detective story); c. select quotations that make important points (good for revision); d. ; e. do some argument mapping. Writing philosophy What you need to know Different types of knowledge are needed to do well in philosophy. Each is tested by different types of question on the exam. The 3-mark questions How to do philosophy ask you to define a term.