A very common complaint of tutors is that students have not done the reading, and a common complaint from students is that other students have not done the reading. Occasionally students might also complain that they have to do the reading. This is less common because I think it is generally understood that doing some reading is pretty central to a philosophy degree - indeed it used to be called reading philosophy.
Sometimes the problem can just be too much reading, if you are doing three subjects in the first year or four modules in years two and three each one has a heavy reading load and it can get a bit much, but you do need to do at least some of it. Tutors should be able to indicate what is absolutely essential and what is good if you have time or if you are answering a particular essay question. The reading for seminars is carefully chosen to give you the background you need or the tools you need to discuss an issue and so to get the most out of the seminar you do need to do the reading.
Also you will get a lot more out of it and it will help you more if instead of just reading you read with a question in mind. This will help you to maintain concentration and get used to reading as a means to something else. The tutor could suggest some questions as a means to focusing the reading and then everyone can attend the next seminar with something to offer.
Another possibility is to invoke "distributed expertise" (Brown et. al. 1993) and split the reading between the group then one half get more time to study e.g., Bentham, in depth and the other half can really get to grips with e.g., Mill. Then the seminar can be used for briefing each other. I have found this intensifies ones' commitment to get it right because others are depending on you, so I get to know Bentham backwards and I can trust that the handout on Mill will be up to scratch.
The problem of some people not doing the reading is something that needs to be explicitly addressed. The tutor or other students should say what they think about it. Occasionally we all mess up but consistent failure to contribute lets everybody else down as well as the individual concerned. The tutor can help a lot in making expectations explicit and giving reasons for those expectations, but they can also underline those expectations by not to filling in the gaps for people who haven't done the work, but get on with facilitating the increased understanding of those who have made an effort.
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