Traditional Branches of PhilosophyPhilosophy BranchesLOGIC
December 12, 2023

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…
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…
CLASSICAL PHILOSOPHYHistory Of PhilosophySKEPTICISM (PYRRHONISM)
November 15, 2023

SKEPTICISM (PYRRHONISM)

Pyrrhonian Skepticism was founded by Pyrrho of Elis (c. 360–275 BC), who argued that knowledge is impossible. The Skeptics proposed various arguments for their conclusions, including Platonic doubts about the…
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…
ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHYHistory Of PhilosophyLOGICAL ATOMISM
November 15, 2023

LOGICAL ATOMISM

Although mostly associated with the logical analysis of language, analytic philosophy began in the philosophy of mathematics. Working independently, both Gottlob Frege and Bertrand Russell pursued programs of reducing mathematics…
WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?PHILOSOPHY AS METHOD
November 12, 2023

PHILOSOPHY AS METHOD

Our digital age suggests a useful analogy to further explain the role of philosophy in intellectual life. Philosophy is analogous to an operating system (OS), a software platform that enables…
Writing PhilosophyGRADING CRITERIA FOR PHILOSOPHY ESSAYS
November 24, 2023

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…
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…
Writing PhilosophyGOOD PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING
November 23, 2023

GOOD PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING

BASICS OF GOOD PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING: A DEEPER DIVE Having surveyed the elements of good writing from 30,000 feet, let’s swoop in on some of the most important specifics. This means…
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…
POST-KANTIAN PHILOSOPHYHistory Of PhilosophyUTILITARIANISM
November 15, 2023

UTILITARIANISM

The French Revolution sparked legal and political reforms across Europe, which brought with them their accompanying philosophical frameworks.
Modern Branches of PhilosophyPhilosophy BranchesBIOETHICS
November 14, 2023

BIOETHICS

A branch of ethics concerned with the moral and political issues raised by medical science, and with advances in medical technology, bioethics has now become a largely autonomous area of…
Writing PhilosophyESSENTIAL WRITING SKILLS
November 21, 2023

ESSENTIAL WRITING SKILLS

Having just walked through the basic process of writing a philosophy paper, we turn now to the essential skillset you should develop and apply not only to the writing of…
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…
PHILOSOPHICAL BOOKS AND TEXTESSENTIAL READING IN THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY
November 27, 2023

ESSENTIAL READING IN THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

A comprehensive list of essential readings in the history of philosophy.

Books

  • Philosophy as a Way of Life: Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault

    $45.95
  • A Degree in a Book: Philosophy: Everything You Need to Know to Master the Subject – in One Book! (A Degree in a Book, 2)

    $24.99
  • Utilitarianism

    $7.00
  • Love in the Western World

    $35.15
  • The Man in the High Castle and Philosophy: Subversive Reports from Another Reality (Popular Culture and Philosophy, 111)

    $17.99
  • TAO TE CHING: as read by Wayne Dyer

    $4.17
  • Pensées (Penguin Classics)

    $13.00
  • The Prince (Hardcover Library Edition)

    $9.99
  • God-ordained Marriage: How to Pray and Prepare for your God-ordained Love Story

    $19.99
  • Los engarces de las sabidurías (Spanish Edition)

    $18.37
  • Heidegger and the Destruction of Aristotle: On How to Read the Tradition (Studies in Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy)

    $32.00
  • Modern French Philosophy: From Existentialism to Postmodernism

    $48.80
  • Utilitarianism (Dover Thrift Editions: Philosophy)

    $4.00
  • 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
  • Michel Foucault: Beyond Structuralism and Hermeneutics

    $34.00
  • The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius (Shambhala Pocket Library)

    $12.95

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Terms & Concepts

S

Self-evident

That which is obvious and not subject to doubt. https://youtube.com/shorts/mBt_9jXRDnU?feature=share
T

Thin concept

Evaluative concept without a substantial descriptive quality (as opposed to a thick concept,which is both substantially descriptive and evaluative). Examples include “good” and“permissible.” https://youtube.com/shorts/8kdeyUK9OW0?feature=share
M

Monadic predicate

A single-place predicate. (See also Argument and Arity.) https://youtube.com/shorts/QciSm8ZOzDc?feature=share
S
Subjectivism
D
Duty
E
Empiricist
E
Exclusive disjunction
I
Impartiality
D
Divine command theory
I
Informal fallacy
F
Fascism
C
Cultural relativism
View All