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)
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]