THE THESIS STATEMENT


The thesis statement is the conclusion of the paper.

A good thesis statement is precise, succinct, and informative.

It is not simply a statement of the general topic, interest or plan.  Nor is it a springboard to jump into other topics.

In testing the quality of your thesis, ask yourself the following questions:
1.  Is your thesis something you can argue for?
2.  Is it worth arguing for? (Could an intelligent person produce counter-argument to your thesis?)
3.  Is your thesis specific enough (with respect to the prompt) that one could distinguish your thesis from that of a fellow class-mate?
4.  Is your thesis illuminating/explanatory?  (Often, good theses include a ‘because’ phrase)
 

Sample Thesis Statements

Good thesis Statements
1.  The generosity exhibited by the Bishop toward Jean Valjean was not in excess of Aristotle’s virtuous mean, for it was in accordance with the Bishop’s ultimate end, flourishing in his purpose.

2.  I will demonstrate that, although implausible alone, Kantian and virtue ethics together form a plausible theory of ethical motivation.

3.  Aristotle’s notion of harmonious functioning for the relationship between a ruler and his subject is fundamentally similar to Confucius’ notion of reciprocity..

Middle-range thesis statements
(The following is pretty good, but not as good as #3).
4. Confucian and Aristotelian ethics are more dissimilar than suggested by Chang Wejen in his paper “Confucian Theories of Norms and Human Rights.”

(The following is a border-line thesis.  It is good in that it is specific, but isn’t as articulate as some of the others)
5.  Ethical relativism is used as more of an excuse than a moral way of resolving conflicts.

Not-so-good theses
6.  The moral purposes presented by Louis Pojman in his article “On the Nature and Purpose of Morality” support ethical relativism.

7.  I shall discuss whether utilitarianism is a valid moral theory. [not only lacking in specificity, but theories can’t be valid/invalid; they can be more or less reasonable/useful/etc.]

9.  Rule utilitarianism and Kantian ethics share certain similarities and differences.

10.  Both rule utilitarianism and Kantian ethics emphasize rules, but they are also different.  [better than 9, but still lacking]