Writing PhilosophyTHE PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING PROCESS
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…
FORMS OF PHILOSOPHICAL WRITINGWriting PhilosophyTHE ARGUMENTATIVE PAPER
November 19, 2023

THE ARGUMENTATIVE PAPER

Essays of assertion, affirmation, and refutation are all examples of the argumentative paper. An effective argument relies on factually true premises or premises for which you have strong support.
LogicRELEVANCE LOGICS
November 15, 2023

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…
Modern Branches of PhilosophyPhilosophy BranchesPHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
November 14, 2023

PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

Many of the topics within the philosophy of science overlap with topics in metaphysics, epistemology, and the philosophy of language insofar as they apply within our scientific practice. Metaphysical issues,…
FORMS OF PHILOSOPHICAL WRITINGTHE ESSAY OF ASSERTION
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…
FORMS OF PHILOSOPHICAL WRITINGTHE ESSAY OF AFFIRMATION
November 20, 2023

THE ESSAY OF AFFIRMATION

The essay of affirmation takes the position I agree. If you want to write an essay agreeing with—affirming—the ideas of another, such as a philosopher, a simple statement of agreement…
History Of PhilosophyANALYTIC PHILOSOPHYLOGICAL POSITIVISM
November 15, 2023

LOGICAL POSITIVISM

Originally founded by Auguste Comte (1798–1857), Positivism was primarily a view about science. Influenced by Immanuel Kant’s (1724-1804) assertion that knowledge of things-inthemselves was impossible, Comte argued that our scientific…
CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHYHistory Of PhilosophyCONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
November 15, 2023

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…
LogicHIGHER-ORDER LOGICS
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…
Writing PhilosophyWHAT PHILOSOPHY PROFESSORS WANT FROM STUDENT WRITERS
November 24, 2023

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…
PHILOSOPHICAL BOOKS AND TEXTGUIDES TO PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING
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.
FORMS OF PHILOSOPHICAL WRITINGTHE PERSONAL ESSAY
November 20, 2023

THE PERSONAL ESSAY

The personal essay is a self-reflective search for meaning. Unlike most philosophical writing, it is not argumentative. Instead, it is exploratory and speculative, often even somewhat confessional. It is typically…
Modern Branches of PhilosophyPhilosophy BranchesPHILOSOPHY OF MATHEMATICS
November 14, 2023

PHILOSOPHY OF MATHEMATICS

The philosophy of mathematics is traditionally concerned with the ontological and epistemological foundations of mathematics. The two questions, of ontology and epistemology, are intimately related, as a satisfactory account of…
PHILOSOPHICAL BOOKS AND TEXTPHILOSOPHICAL BOOKS AND TEXT
November 23, 2023

PHILOSOPHICAL BOOKS AND TEXT

ESSENTIAL READING IN THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY BOOKS TO GUIDE NOVICE PHILOSOPHY STUDENTS INTRODUCTORY PHILOSOPHY TEXTS GUIDES TO PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING INTRODUCTORY LOGIC TEXTS CRITICAL THINKING AND LOGIC TEXTBOOKS
Traditional Branches of PhilosophyPhilosophy BranchesAESTHETICS
December 12, 2023

AESTHETICS

Aesthetics is concerned with the nature of art (whether visual, literary, dramatic, or in some other medium) and the way in which art is experienced. Two principal related issues, therefore,…

Books

  • Against the New Politics of Identity: How the Left’s Dogmas on Race and Equity Harm Liberal Democracy―and Invigorate Christian Nationalism

    $19.95
  • GREYISM: Black People In a White Society

    $15.00
  • The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes

    $14.17
  • How States Think: The Rationality of Foreign Policy

    $24.99
  • The Subjection of Women (Dover Thrift Editions: Philosophy)

    $4.00
  • I Am the Word: A Guide to the Consciousness of Man’s Self in a Transitioning Time (Mastery Trilogy/Paul Selig Series)

    $17.00
  • Human – All-Too-Human – A Book for Free Spirits

    $49.20
  • The Alignment Effect: The missing link between where you are and where you want to be

    $19.97
  • The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity

    $22.92
  • The Stoic Challenge: A Philosopher’s Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer, and More Resilient

    $12.99
  • Aesthetic Theory (Volume 88) (Theory and History of Literature)

    $30.50
  • Night Vision: Seeing Ourselves through Dark Moods

    $21.49
  • I Ching, the Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes: An updated translation annotated with cultural & historical references, restoring the I Ching to its shamanic origins

    $30.99
  • Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide

    $18.99
  • Illusions : The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

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  • Self-Reliance and Other Essays

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Aesthetics: An IntroductionAESTHETICSAtomos

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Ethics: An IntroductionAtomosETHICS

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Terms & Concepts

H

Historicism

Originally the view that all human knowledge is irreducibly historical, and thus to some extent relativistic, historicism increasingly came to mean the (largely unfalsifiable) view that historical development is subject…
O

Ordinary language

The meaning of expression (words) in everyday use (as opposed to words coined or defined for technical philosophical purposes). https://youtube.com/shorts/G-Aamz1bSmg?feature=share
I

Immoralist

One who rejects ultimate or absolute moral claims, even if they do not violate moral rules. https://youtube.com/shorts/VZ02RJGKjkk?feature=share
P
Pragmatic theory of truth
T
Transcendent
C
Compensatory justice
T
Tautological equivalence
U
Underdetermination
C
Cosmology
N
Necessity
F
Forms
M
Mimesis
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