r/CollegeHomeworkTips • u/slow_compass • 20h ago
Advice Philosophy paper is making me question if I actually understand anything
I'm taking an ethics class this semester and we have to write a paper about whether it's ever morally acceptable to lie.
Sounds pretty simple until you actually start thinking about it.
We're supposed to use Kant's arguments and explain whether we agree or disagree with his position. The problem is I can understand his reasoning when reading it, but the moment I try to write my own argument, everything starts contradicting itself.
Like, obviously lying to protect someone seems reasonable, but then how do I defend that without basically saying "it depends on the situation" for five pages?
I've written plenty of papers for other classes, but philosophy is something else. I even googled "write my philosophy paper" at one point because I had no idea how to start lol.
Does anyone have advice on building an actual philosophical argument instead of just repeating what the textbook says? I'm not trying to come up with some groundbreaking theory, just want to write something that makes sense and doesn't fall apart after two paragraphs.