FORMS OF PHILOSOPHICAL WRITINGWriting PhilosophyTHE ESSAY OF REFUTATION
November 20, 2023

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…
PHILOSOPHICAL BOOKS AND TEXTBOOKS TO GUIDE NOVICE PHILOSOPHY STUDENTS
November 27, 2023

BOOKS TO GUIDE NOVICE PHILOSOPHY STUDENTS

This list is aimed at curating those texts that will both challenge a novice researcher, and continually reward repeated encounters as you develop your philosophical interests.
Philosophy BranchesTraditional Branches of PhilosophyPOLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
December 12, 2023

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…
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…
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…
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…
NON-WESTERN PHILOSOPHICAL TRADITIONSHistory Of PhilosophyMIDDLE EASTERN 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…
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…
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…
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…
MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHYHistory Of PhilosophySCHOLASTICISM
November 15, 2023

SCHOLASTICISM

A general term for those philosophers influenced by the medieval rediscovery of classic texts, Scholasticism is broadly characterized by an interest in logic and disputation and is motivated to resolve…
Modern Branches of PhilosophyPhilosophy BranchesPHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE
November 14, 2023

PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE

The study of natural languages is conventionally divided among questions of syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, all of which raise significant issues for the philosophy of language. In terms of syntax…
CLASSICAL PHILOSOPHYHistory Of PhilosophyCYNICISM
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…
POST-KANTIAN PHILOSOPHYHistory Of PhilosophyHEGELIANISM
November 15, 2023

HEGELIANISM

One common theme in post-Kantian philosophy was an attempt to overcome the remaining divisions between noumena and phenomena, and to reconcile the distinct faculties of sensibility and understanding in to…
ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHYHistory Of PhilosophyANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
November 15, 2023

ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

The analytic tradition arose partly as a rejection of Hegelian idealism in favor of what George Edward Moore (1873–1958) called a “common sense” view of the world, alongside developments in…

Books

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

    $90.08
  • Truth as Conceived by Those Who Are Not Professional Philosophers

    $17.51
  • Consciousness Is All: The Magnificent Truth of What You Are

    $25.99
  • How to Love (Mindfulness Essentials)

    $7.99
  • I Am a Strange Loop

    $12.99
  • Wittgenstein: A Very Short Introduction

    $15.30
  • At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails with Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Others

    $28.59
  • Heroes and Philosophy: Buy the Book, Save the World

    $19.95
  • The Metaphysical Thought of Thomas Aquinas: From Finite Being to Uncreated Being (Monographs of the Society for Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy, 1)

    $42.96
  • The Philosophy of Space and Time (Dover Books on Physics)

    $20.00
  • When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

    $7.64
  • This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life

    $9.99
  • The I Ching Workbook

    $18.79
  • Kant’s Philosophical Revolution: A Short Guide to the Critique of Pure Reason

    $21.51
  • Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment

    $28.00
  • Assholes: A Theory

    $17.00
Reexamining Spacetime Substantivalism: A Critique of Modal Arbitrariness and Determinism in Teitel’s Framework

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

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

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

Philosophy StudentPhilosophy StudentDecember 8, 2025
Rule-Following and Artificial Intelligence: A Kripkean Perspective

Rule-Following and Artificial Intelligence: A Kripkean Perspective

Philosophy StudentPhilosophy StudentDecember 8, 2025
The Eternal Coexistence of Consciousness and Spacetime: A Philosophical Inquiry

The Eternal Coexistence of Consciousness and Spacetime: A Philosophical Inquiry

Philosophy StudentPhilosophy StudentDecember 8, 2025
Embracing Contradiction: An In-Depth Analysis of Dialetheism

Embracing Contradiction: An In-Depth Analysis of Dialetheism

Philosophy StudentPhilosophy StudentDecember 8, 2025
Analysis of, and Responses to Edmund Gettier’s “Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?”

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

Philosophy StudentPhilosophy StudentDecember 8, 2025
The Unstable Foundation: A Critique of the Ontological Proof of God’s Existence

The Unstable Foundation: A Critique of the Ontological Proof of God’s Existence

Philosophy StudentPhilosophy StudentDecember 8, 2025
Meta-Modal Actuality: A Dynamic Framework for Possibility, Actualization, and Causality

Meta-Modal Actuality: A Dynamic Framework for Possibility, Actualization, and Causality

Philosophy StudentPhilosophy StudentDecember 8, 2025
Killing, Morality, and the Human Condition: A Philosophical Investigation

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

Philosophy StudentPhilosophy StudentDecember 8, 2025
The Intricacy of Existence: A Philosophical Exploration of Complexity, Contingency, and Divine Agency

The Intricacy of Existence: A Philosophical Exploration of Complexity, Contingency, and Divine Agency

Philosophy StudentPhilosophy StudentDecember 8, 2025
The Ethics of Procreation and the Rational Acceptance of Life: A Critical Engagement with Weinberg’s Argument

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

Philosophy StudentPhilosophy StudentDecember 8, 2025
Imagination, Consciousness, and the Nature of the Soul: A Philosophical Inquiry

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

Philosophy StudentPhilosophy StudentDecember 6, 2025
The Interplay of Karma, Rebirth, and Non-Self in Buddhist Philosophy: A Metaphysical Inquiry

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

Philosophy StudentPhilosophy StudentDecember 6, 2025
Metaphysical Perspectives: A Comparative Analysis of Theism and Atheism

Metaphysical Perspectives: A Comparative Analysis of Theism and Atheism

Philosophy StudentPhilosophy StudentDecember 6, 2025
The Infinite Universe, Death, and the Search for Meaning: A Philosophical Exploration of Existence, the Divine, and Human Mortality

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

Philosophy StudentPhilosophy StudentDecember 6, 2025
The Unconscious Artistry of Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Reflection on Spinoza’s God and the Blind Watchmaker

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

Philosophy StudentPhilosophy StudentDecember 6, 2025
The Ethics of Procreation and the Rational Acceptance of Life: A Critical Engagement with Weinberg’s Argument

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

Philosophy StudentPhilosophy Student

Terms & Concepts

I

Intuition

Knowledge unaided by reason or experience; in this sense, immediate knowledge. https://youtube.com/shorts/pVGjT4OZqso?feature=share
I

Immortality

The idea that one continues to live, in some way, indefinitely https://youtube.com/shorts/7XxFAbnNhy0?feature=share
I

Impression

David Hume’s term for sensations or sense data. https://youtube.com/shorts/qBnnmg9AbH0?feature=share
I
Immoralist
A
Assertion
C
Coherence theory of truth
I
Immediate inference
E
Entitlement
H
Hedon
A
Analytic statement
O
Ought
F
Final cause
View All