Writing PhilosophyWHAT IS GOOD WRITING?
November 24, 2023

WHAT IS GOOD WRITING?

What is good music? What is good art? What is good writing? Such questions unleash many opinions. The branch of traditional philosophy called Aesthetics is devoted to answering such questions…
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…
THE EARLY MODERN PERIODWHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?EMPIRICISM
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…
FORMS OF PHILOSOPHICAL WRITINGWriting PhilosophyTHE EXPOSITORY PAPER
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…
THE EARLY MODERN PERIODHistory Of PhilosophyTHE EARLY MODERN PERIOD
November 15, 2023

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 EARLY MODERN PERIODHistory Of PhilosophyLIBERALISM
November 15, 2023

LIBERALISM

A political philosophy whose central claim is that a government’s authority is justified only insofar as it secures the liberty of its subjects, Liberalism is generally traced to John Locke…
Writing PhilosophyHOW DO YOU DO PHILOSOPHY?
November 24, 2023

HOW DO YOU DO PHILOSOPHY?

How do you do philosophy? Unlike many of the questions asked in the name of philosophy, this one has a straightforward answer. You do philosophy primarily through writing. Now, if…
PHILOSOPHICAL BOOKS AND TEXTINTRODUCTORY LOGIC TEXTS
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…
Philosophy BranchesTraditional Branches of PhilosophyNATURAL PHILOSOPHY
December 12, 2023

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY

An important historical branch designation rather than a current one, natural philosophy was the study of nature and the physical universe by philosophical (that is, largely empirical reason-based) methods.
Writing PhilosophyWHAT IS GOOD PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING?
November 24, 2023

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…
NON-WESTERN PHILOSOPHICAL TRADITIONSHistory Of PhilosophyPHILOSOPHIES OF EAST ASIA
November 15, 2023

PHILOSOPHIES OF EAST ASIA

The dominant philosophical traditions in this part of the world began in Ancient China from the sixth century to 221 BC, which saw the development of China’s great philosophical movements…
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…
History Of PhilosophyPYTHAGOREANISM
November 15, 2023

PYTHAGOREANISM

Based on the teachings of Pythagoras (c. 570–495 BC) and the school he established inCroton in southern Italy, we may conclude that, in many ways, Pythagoreanism was more ofa mystery…
LogicPREDICATE CALCULUS (PREDICATE LOGIC)
November 15, 2023

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…
Philosophy BranchesTraditional Branches of PhilosophyPHILOSOPHY OF LAW
December 12, 2023

PHILOSOPHY OF LAW

The philosophy of law is concerned with all aspects of theoretical reflection on laws and legal systems and therefore encompasses historical and sociological studies in addition to the philosophical questions…

Books

  • The World as I See It (Deluxe Hardcover Book)

    $9.99
  • Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work

    $19.90
  • The Logical Alien: Conant and His Critics

    $56.76
  • Wise-Love: Bhakti and the Search for the Soul of Consciousness (The Bhakti Trilogy)

    $12.35
  • The Courage to Be

    $29.28
  • Basic Writings of Nietzsche (Modern Library Classics)

    $21.91
  • 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
  • Objectivity (Mit Press)

    $19.49
  • Beyond Pure Reason: Ferdinand de Saussure’s Philosophy of Language and Its Early Romantic Antecedents (Leonard Hastings Schoff Lectures)

    $75.00
  • A Rulebook for Arguments

    $12.71
  • A Handbook for New Stoics: How to Thrive in a World out of Your Control; 52 Week-by-Week Lessons

    $18.63
  • Embracing the Void: Rethinking the Origin of the Sacred (Diaeresis)

    $100.00
  • R. Saadia Gaon: A Leader of Generations (Emunot: Jewish Philosophy and Kabbalah)

    $90.08
  • Unweaving The Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder

    $16.99
  • The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are

    $14.02
  • The Routledge Companion to Islamic Philosophy (Routledge Philosophy Companions)

    $62.95
Reexamining Spacetime Substantivalism: A Critique of Modal Arbitrariness and Determinism in Teitel’s Framework

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Reexamining Spacetime Substantivalism: A Critique of Modal Arbitrariness and Determinism in Teitel’s Framework

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Rule-Following and Artificial Intelligence: A Kripkean Perspective

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Analysis of, and Responses to Edmund Gettier’s “Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?”

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Killing, Morality, and the Human Condition: A Philosophical Investigation

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The Ethics of Procreation and the Rational Acceptance of Life: A Critical Engagement with Weinberg’s Argument

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Imagination, Consciousness, and the Nature of the Soul: A Philosophical Inquiry

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The Interplay of Karma, Rebirth, and Non-Self in Buddhist Philosophy: A Metaphysical Inquiry

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Metaphysical Perspectives: A Comparative Analysis of Theism and Atheism

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The Infinite Universe, Death, and the Search for Meaning: A Philosophical Exploration of Existence, the Divine, and Human Mortality

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The Unconscious Artistry of Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Reflection on Spinoza’s God and the Blind Watchmaker

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The Ethics of Procreation and the Rational Acceptance of Life: A Critical Engagement with Weinberg’s Argument

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Terms & Concepts

F

Fallacy

An error in reasoning. While fallacious reasoning can be apparently persuasive argument,there is a flaw either in the structure of the reasoning (a formal fallacy) or because the arguerhas committed…
P

Principle of sufficient reason

The principle that every event has an explanation. https://youtube.com/shorts/5ElqBnnwa_Y?feature=share
F

Fideism

The view that faith is independent of, or even opposed to, reason. https://youtube.com/shorts/aH6w5Ay8tH0?feature=share
Z
Zend-Avesta
C
Claim
M
Myth of the given
C
Cause
E
Existential quantifier
T
Third Man argument
C
Complement
D
Divine command theory
D
Duhem-Quine Thesis
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