Wikipedia, being one of the most important and trustworthy knowledge sources online, comes handy when researching sources for essay writing. What drew my attention recently is its definition of a philosophical essay which contains the following guidelines:

Thesis Defence in a Philosophical Essay

A philosophical essay presents a reasoned defense of some thesis. So a philosophical essay typically does at least one of the following:

  • Defend a thesis by offering plausible reasons to support it
  • Defend a thesis by showing that arguments against it are unconvincing
  • Criticize a thesis by showing that the arguments for it are unconvincing
  • Contrast two or more views on a given issue and argue for one view over the other

Very helpful!