STOICISM
Founded by Zeno of Citium (334–262 BC), early Stoicism shared many similarities with Epicureanism, including the belief that the world was largely deterministic and that the overall goal of the…
PYTHAGOREANISM
Based on the teachings of Pythagoras (c. 570–495 BC) and the school he established inCroton in southern Italy, we may…
Read More
LOGIC
LOGIC
Logic is concerned with studying the inferences we make, and the formal languages developed to systematize those inferences. This includes both the proof-theories and semantics for these languages, as well…
EPICUREANISM
EPICUREANISM
Founded by Epicurus (341–271 BC), this eponymous philosophy is best known through the Roman poet Lucretius (mid first century BC). Like the Atomists, the Epicureans maintained that everything is made…
ORDINARY LANGUAGE PHILOSOPHY
ORDINARY LANGUAGE PHILOSOPHY
Between the 1940s and the 1960s, analytic philosophy shifted away from investigating the (supposed) underlying logical structure of language. While it was still primarily concerned with conceptual analysis, this was…
PREDICATE CALCULUS (PREDICATE LOGIC)
PREDICATE CALCULUS (PREDICATE LOGIC)
The next development of the propositional calculus is the predicate calculus. This considers the logical relationships that hold between predicate expressions, along with the quantifiers ∃x (“there is at least…
THE ELEATIC SCHOOL
THE ELEATIC SCHOOL
Based in the Ionian colony of Elea (modern-day Velia) in southern Italy, and primarily associated with Parmenides (early fifth century BC) and Melissus of Samos (mid fifth century BC), the…
WHAT IS GOOD PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING?
WHAT IS GOOD PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING?
Writing effectively for a philosophy course does not merely start with the general principles of good writing just outlined, it sets out to show mastery of these principles. It embodies…
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…
CLASSICAL PHILOSOPHY
CLASSICAL PHILOSOPHY
The Classical Period in philosophy was dominated by the teachings of Plato (427–347 BC) and Aristotle (384–322 BC) but gradually fell into a decline following the conquest of the independent…
ETHICS
ETHICS
Ethics is the study of morality and can be divided into three main areas of inquiry. Descriptive ethics concerns the actual moral beliefs held by specific individuals or societies and…
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…
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…
INTUITIONISM
INTUITIONISM
One of the most familiar non-classical logics is intuitionism, which, in simple terms, is based upon the rejection of the law of excluded middle: (P ∨ ¬P). There are both…
RELEVANCE LOGICS
RELEVANCE LOGICS
A relevance logic is motivated by the idea that the premises of a valid argument must be somehow “relevant” to its conclusion. The idea is motivated by the fact that…
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.
TRANSCENDENTAL IDEALISM
The philosophical system developed by Immanuel Kant (1724–1804), Transcendental Idealism sought to overcome the epistemological problems of Empiricism while providing…
Read More
-
Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control (The Stoic Virtues Series)
$15.99
-
Stillness Is the Key
$7.99
-
Right Thing, Right Now: Justice in an Unjust World (The Stoic Virtues Series)
$28.00
-
How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
$13.12
-
Letters from a Stoic: Penguin Classics
$14.52
Books
-
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
$14.99 -
The Visionaries: Arendt, Beauvoir, Rand, Weil, and the Power of Philosophy in Dark Times
$18.79 -
Perceiving Purpose
$18.07 -
Existential Rationalism: Handling Hume’s Fork (Unlock Tao)
$14.95 -
An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation
$11.95 -
UNDERSTANDING PHILOSOPHY: The Smart Student’s Guide to Reading and Writing Philosophy (Philosophy Study Guides)
$9.95 -
The Dogma of Hell: Illustrated by Facts Taken From Profane and Sacred History
$7.95 -
The Gay Science
$21.53 -
The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers
$12.91 -
Healing Love Through the Tao: Cultivating Female Sexual Energy
$19.95 -
Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam
$12.46 -
Fanged Noumena: Collected Writings 1987-2007
$20.99 -
The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten: 100 Experiments for the Armchair Philosopher
$15.05 -
Henry at Work: Thoreau on Making a Living
$15.98 -
Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing
$10.99 -
Matter into Feeling: A New Alchemy of Science and Spirit
$4.26
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
Contraposition by limitation
A two-step inference involving the subalternation from the E-proposition to its corresponding O-proposition and then contraposing the result. Contraposition by limitation is a valid inference only for the E-proposition on…
Communism
The political theory derived from Marx’s argument in favor of a class war that would result in publicly owned property and “each works and is supported according to his abilities…
View All
