ESSENTIAL WRITING SKILLS
Having just walked through the basic process of writing a philosophy paper, we turn now to the essential skillset you should develop and apply not only to the writing of…
INDIAN PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy on the Indian subcontinent between 1000 BC and the early centuries of the first millennium was comprised of six…
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GRADING CRITERIA FOR PHILOSOPHY ESSAYS
GRADING CRITERIA FOR PHILOSOPHY ESSAYS
The eight skills just listed are so central to philosophical writing that we may count them among the criteria most instructors use in grading essay assignments. Keep these eight skills…
HERMENEUTICS
HERMENEUTICS
Originally applied to scriptural exegesis (interpretation), hermeneutics is more generally the theory and method of all “textual” interpretation. In the modern context, this refers to both verbal and non-verbal “texts”…
MIDDLE EASTERN TRADITIONS
MIDDLE EASTERN TRADITIONS
As the Middle East is often called the cradle of civilization, it is also the source of some of the earliest philosophical literature. Much of it is devoted to what…
FORMS OF PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING
FORMS OF PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING
The word essay comes from the French infinitive verb essayer, meaning “to try” or “to attempt.” In fact, when the word was first borrowed into the English language, as essay,…
THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD
THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD
Philosophical thought during the Enlightenment was characterized by a rejection of existing sources of authority. The broadly Aristotelean scientific worldview was undermined by a period of scientific revolution—conventionally beginning with…
THE ESSAY OF ASSERTION
THE ESSAY OF ASSERTION
The essay of assertion takes the position I believe. It is an argumentative essay in which you convey to the reader some belief or beliefs that you hold. If you…
GUIDES TO PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING
GUIDES TO PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING
As with developing any skill, learning to write philosophically takes practice. Here are some links to academic sites, along with several style guides, to aid you.
PRAGMATISM
PRAGMATISM
Pragmatism was a philosophical movement in the United States concerned with the relationship between abstract theory and practical activity, and with the value of philosophical reflection.
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
Political philosophy is at least as old as Plato (428/227 or 424/423-348/347 BC) and is concerned with the nature of the state and, more broadly, with coercive institutions, and their…
PLATO
PLATO
Plato (427–347 BC) was born into a powerful family in Athens but abandoned politics after the execution of his teacher, Socrates; he subsequently traveled, became influenced by the Pythagoreans, and…
CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
While the focus of western philosophy has primarily been on the analysis and understanding of our most basic concepts, another important theme has been the preparation and education of man…
THE ESSAY OF REFUTATION
THE ESSAY OF REFUTATION
The essay of refutation takes the position “I disagree.” Its objective is to persuade the reader that the argument of another is false, flawed, unlikely, implausible, or in some other…
THE EXPOSITORY PAPER
THE EXPOSITORY PAPER
We have already touched on the expository paper, but let’s discuss it briefly here. Look at the adjective expository. It is derived from the noun exposition, which is the noun…
WHAT PHILOSOPHY PROFESSORS WANT FROM STUDENT WRITERS
WHAT PHILOSOPHY PROFESSORS WANT FROM STUDENT WRITERS
Some 2,300 years ago, Aristotle introduced the syllogism into the intellectual world. A threeelement formula, it is the elementary building block of syllogistic logic and deductive reasoning. The syllogism combines…
STRUCTURALISM
Structuralism refers to research undertaken in the social sciences, predominantly in France, between the 1950s and 1970s, which sought to…
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Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control (The Stoic Virtues Series)
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Stillness Is the Key
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Right Thing, Right Now: Justice in an Unjust World (The Stoic Virtues Series)
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How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
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Letters from a Stoic: Penguin Classics
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Books
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The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
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The Tao of Pooh1st (first) edition Text Only
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Essays in Humanism
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The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe
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Critique of Pure Reason (Penguin Classics)
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Emerson’s Essays: The Complete First & Second Series
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The Beauty of Everyday Things (Penguin Classics)
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A Calendar of Wisdom
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The Prince (Hardcover Library Edition)
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The Classical Heritage in Islam (Arabic Thought and Culture)
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Kant’s Rational Religion and the Radical Enlightenment: From Spinoza to Contemporary Debates (Bloomsbury Studies in Modern German Philosophy)
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Imaginomicon (Revised Edition): Accessing the Gateway to Higher Universes (A New Grimoire for the Human Spirit)
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According to Plan: The Elites’ Secret Plan to Sabotage America
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Being and Nothingness
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The Experience of Insight: A Simple and Direct Guide to Buddhist Meditation
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Hegel (Studies in Continental Thought)
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The Atomos Blog
How do you get from a singularity to infinity?
How do you get from a singularity to infinity?
How do you get from a singularity to infinity?
How do you get from a singularity to infinity?
When the Light of a Dead Star Touches Your Eye
When the Light of a Dead Star Touches Your Eye
The Threshold
The Threshold
Can Math Prove Its Own Sanity? — A Deep Dive into Artemov’s Landmark Paper
Can Math Prove Its Own Sanity? — A Deep Dive into Artemov’s Landmark Paper
What Does the Mind Really Mean?
What Does the Mind Really Mean?
The Symphony of Existence: Strings, Dimensions, and the Persistence of Identity
The Symphony of Existence: Strings, Dimensions, and the Persistence of Identity
Does It Feel Like Anything To Be Claude?
Does It Feel Like Anything To Be Claude?
Natural Function and Perceptual Content
Natural Function and Perceptual Content
Philosophy of Law: An Introduction
Philosophy of Law: An Introduction
Philosophy of Science: An Introduction
Philosophy of Science: An Introduction
Aesthetics: An Introduction
Aesthetics: An Introduction
Epistemology: An Introduction
Epistemology: An Introduction
Ethics: An Introduction
Ethics: An Introduction
Logic: An Introduction
Logic: An Introduction
Metaphysics: An Introduction
Metaphysics: An Introduction
Philosophy of Science: An Introduction
Philosophy of Science: An Introduction
Terms & Concepts
Mimesis
In aesthetics, the modeling or representation of an object by a work of art. The mimetic theory of art dominated aesthetics from Plato and Aristotle, but was eventually challenged by…
Indeterminacy of translation
Thesis of Willard Van Orman Quine (1908-2000) stating that, in the context of radical translation (that is, translation based purely on observable behavior), it is possible to construct multiple translation…
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