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Write a 100-word abstract of Socrates’s defense at his trial: the section of the dialogue that runs from the beginning of the trial until the jury breaks to vote.
Today, every article published in a scientific journal is prefaced by an abstract. Usually written by the article’s author, an abstract runs a paragraph or so (rarely more than 250 words). The abstract appears immediately after the title and the author’s name on the first page. Abstracts inform busy readers of an article’s essence. They usually include the main results being reported. They also describe the method by which these results were obtained.
What readers look for in the abstracts of scientific journals won’t do for readers of philosophy. There is usually no brief way to state the "methodology" guiding the philosopher to his conclusions. Not all philosophical essays are designed to yield "results" as are reports of scientific research.
State in a few words the main idea, theme, or thesis of the article. Indicate or sketch the line of argument being used to establish this idea.
A long abstract can amount to a short summary. Unlike a summary, an abstract is always very brief. The brevity is achieved by ignoring all side issues, details, examples, illustrations, and anything else not essential to fulfilling the two requirements mentioned above.
Pick out the few paragraphs that are really essential. Preserve only the central ideas from the article. Choose carefully what can be omitted.
Apology
August 30, 1999