University Center for Writing-based Learning

Zac B., DePaul faculty and former Writing Center tutor

Please keep in mind that these are only general guidelines; always defer to your professor's specifications for a given assignment. If you have any questions about the content represented here, please contact the Writing Centers so that we can address them for you.

Introduction

Many philosophy and theology classes require students to perform some degree of exegesis, which is an unduly intimidating term most commonly encountered with regard to philosophical and religious texts. Exegesis is also known as argument reconstruction, and in this type of writing your task is to read through a text critically and then put the argument back together in your own words. It is not all that different from paraphrasing, for in exegesis you must restate the key claims of the philosopher or religious work in a clear and concise way. In lower-level courses you may need to write an exegesis on its own as an assignment, but in more advanced courses this type of writing will be incorporated into larger papers in which you are moving beyond this initial step and providing original insights as well.

It is important to distinguish between exegesis and interpretation. In philosophy courses especially, exegetical writing will typically require that you withhold your own interpretations and simply explain what the author is saying. Think of it as an opportunity to demonstrate to your professor that you’ve both read and understood the assigned text. Many writers struggle with philosophy papers if they do not first understand the basics of exegetical writing, so if you are puzzled about how to do this, it is a good idea to read through the resources below and/or schedule an appointment with a writing consultant who specializes in this discipline.

Philosophical vs. Religious Exegesis

It is important to distinguish between religious exegesis and the type of exegesis you will most likely see in philosophy classes. Traditionally, the term “exegesis” was associated with the interpretation of religious texts. As such, in a theological or religious context the term is most commonly used to describe the act of interpreting a certain section from a religious text in order to arrive at the text’s meaning.

In philosophical contexts, exegetical writing involves less interpretation and more restating. Instead of weighing in on the meaning of a philosophical argument, you’re basically just walking your reader through the steps of a philosopher’s argument in order to establish that you understand it. It’s important to be aware of these two major uses of the term “exegesis,” and if you’re still confused about which one applies to your particular assignment you can refer to your assignment prompt, consult your syllabus, or ask your professor.

Steps in Writing Exegesis

Read (and reread) the text you’ll be writing about. It’s important that you understand what the author is saying before you attempt to reconstruct the argument!
When you have a good grasp on what the text is saying, annotate it (i.e. take notes in the margins). If you write out the author’s points in the margins while you read, this will save a lot of time later when you’re looking back at the text. Try to identify the author’s primary claim(s), which is also known as the “thesis” or “conclusion” of the argument.
Create a reverse outline of the argument. Open a blank Word document and start making a list of bullet points for individual points the author makes (these are generally the premises of the argument). Creating a reverse outline, which is really just the skeleton of an argument, makes it a lot easier to write the paper itself. Be sure to include page numbers for each point so you can include proper citations in your paper! Most philosophy and religious studies courses require either MLA or Chicago style citations—refer to our Citations page for more detailed information.
Now that you have your list of bullet points, begin writing your exegesis. In a philosophical argument, individual points or premises don’t exist is isolation. Draw out the logical connections between each step of the argument. For example, I might have the following points listed in my reverse outline:

Horses have four legs
Horses run faster than people
People have two legs
Running fast helps escape predators

Now, I can put this information together in a way that acknowledges the logical relationship between the individual points:

“If horses have four legs and run faster than human beings, then clearly having four legs is better than having two. This is particularly important because running speed is directly related to an animal’s ability to escape predators.”

Helpful Tips

Although exegetical assignments do not typically include many direct quotes, remember that paraphrases should also include citations. Some professors do not require citations when you are only using the assigned text, so check with your instructor to see what his or her expectations for citations are.
Take advantage of your professor’s office hours if you are having trouble understanding the text itself. Philosophers are often hard to understand, and this is especially true when taking a philosophy class for the first time. Don’t be embarrassed about asking your professor to help you work through the text during office hours.
Stay focused on the argument. It’s tempting to describe in detail the examples that philosophers use or other secondary elements of the text, but remember that you’re primarily concerned with the specific claims and conclusion(s) the author is drawing. So, if Plato is using a dialogue to elucidate the nature of the Good, then stay focused on the Ideas and don’t worry so much about the personalities of the people having the dialogue.

Additional Resources

The UNC-Chapel Hill Writing Center offers useful step-by-step guidelines for argument reconstruction, as well as other aspects of writing philosophy papers.

This resource from the University of Toronto provides more detail as to how one should approach an exegetical essay.

The Department of Philosophy at DePaul provides some helpful Word document handouts on writing philosophy papers at the undergraduate level.

View a list of tutors who specialize in writing exegeses