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FORMS OF PHILOSOPHICAL WRITINGWriting Philosophy
November 19, 2023

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…
FORMS OF PHILOSOPHICAL WRITINGWriting Philosophy
November 19, 2023

THE POSITION PAPER

A position paper may be viewed as a type of argumentative paper in that it states a claim—your position—concerning a topic, issue, or question and presents a justification for that…
Logic
November 15, 2023

NON-CLASSICAL LOGIC

While both the predicate calculus and the modal propositional calculus may be seen as extensions of the basic propositional calculus, there are also a variety of formal languages intended as…
Writing Philosophy
November 22, 2023

THE PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING PROCESS

Writing is work, and for many of us, writing is hard work. Writing philosophy adds to this labor an element of intimidation. Whether you are writing an expository—explanatory and descriptive—essay…
History Of PhilosophyPOST-KANTIAN PHILOSOPHY
November 15, 2023

UTILITARIANISM

The French Revolution sparked legal and political reforms across Europe, which brought with them their accompanying philosophical frameworks.
Philosophy BranchesTraditional Branches of Philosophy
December 12, 2023

METAPHYSICS

Metaphysics is the philosophical investigation of reality, including the nature of the world and the entities it contains. While such an investigation inevitably overlaps with natural philosophy—the sciences, especially physics…
History Of Philosophy
November 15, 2023

THE PRE-SOCRATICS

The origins of Western philosophy are usually attributed to Thales of Miletus (fl. sixth century BC), who taught that “everything was made of water” and thus that the universe, all…
History Of Philosophy
November 15, 2023

ATOMISM

Atomism was founded by Leucippus (who flourished around 440 BC) but was primarily elaborated by Democritus (c. 460-370 BC) as a way of reconciling the Eleatic doctrine of the impossibility…
FORMS OF PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING
November 20, 2023

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…
Logic
November 15, 2023

HIGHER-ORDER LOGICS

The language sketched above is better referred to as first-order predicate calculus, as the language only quantifies over (first-order) individuals. A stronger language, second-order predicate calculus, can therefore be constructed…
CLASSICAL PHILOSOPHYHistory Of Philosophy
November 15, 2023

CYNICISM

Founded by Antisthenes (c. 445–360 BC), who taught the importance of individual virtue over material luxury, Cynicism was contemptuous of political institutions and organized religion. It rejected refined philosophical speculation…
PHILOSOPHICAL BOOKS AND TEXT
November 27, 2023

INTRODUCTORY LOGIC TEXTS

There are some fairly firm distinctions between critical thinking and formal (symbolic) logic texts. Whereas critical thinking focuses broadly on argumentation, formal logic is the study of the principles of…
THE EARLY MODERN PERIODWHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?
November 15, 2023

EMPIRICISM

Empiricism covers a range of views prioritizing experience as the primary source of knowledge. During the Early Modern Period, this view was expounded by the so-called British Empiricists—Locke, Berkeley, and…
History Of PhilosophyNON-WESTERN PHILOSOPHICAL TRADITIONS
November 15, 2023

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…
PHILOSOPHICAL BOOKS AND TEXT
November 27, 2023

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.

Books

  • Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West

    $23.99
  • The Power of Your Subconscious Mind: There Are No Limits to the Prosperity, Happiness, and Peace of Mind You Can Achieve Simply by Using the Power of the Subconscious Mind, Updated

    $16.00
  • Angels and Us

    $43.99
  • Silence: In the Age of Noise

    $12.69
  • A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World

    $14.99
  • 100 Great Philosophers who Changed the World

    $12.95
  • Walden: The Original 1854 Edition (A Henry David Thoreau Classics)

    $8.97
  • Nicomachean Ethics

    $14.99
  • The Way, the Enemy, and the Key: A Boxed Set of The Obstacle is the Way, Ego is the Enemy & Stillness is the Key

    $32.40
  • A Search for Clarity: Science and Philosophy in Lacan’s Oeuvre (Diaeresis)

    $34.95
  • Kant’s Philosophical Revolution: A Short Guide to the Critique of Pure Reason

    $21.51
  • The Complete Book of Yoga: Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga

    $8.99
  • Unidentified Flying Hyperobject: UFOs, Philosophy, and the End of the World

    $21.99
  • Democracy: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

    $11.95
  • Word and Object (Studies in Communication)

    $15.95
  • Kant’s Rational Religion and the Radical Enlightenment: From Spinoza to Contemporary Debates (Bloomsbury Studies in Modern German Philosophy)

    $39.95

Terms & Concepts

P

Positive right

An entitlement to something. That which obligates another to do or provide something for the holder of a positive right, so that this individual may pursue their interests. https://youtube.com/shorts/a8FTvDXbVnI?feature=share
R

Rights

Entitlements, natural or conventional, to do or have something without either interference or compulsion from an external source. https://youtube.com/shorts/YziZSYqaKS8?feature=share
B

Bhagavadgītā (“Gītā”)

The sixth book of the Hindu epic poem, Mahabharata. https://youtube.com/shorts/nTvz-LOmW8s?feature=share
P
Principle of universal causation
A
Absolutism
V
Void
S
Singular statement
L
Logical possibility (Logically possible statement)
A
Akrasia
D
Dharma
C
Categorical syllogism
A
Ad hominem argument
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