Skip to main content
search
History Of Philosophy
November 15, 2023

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…
Writing Philosophy
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…
Writing Philosophy
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…
POST-KANTIAN PHILOSOPHYHistory Of Philosophy
November 15, 2023

PRAGMATISM

Pragmatism was a philosophical movement in the United States concerned with the relationship between abstract theory and practical activity, and with the value of philosophical reflection.
PHILOSOPHICAL BOOKS AND TEXT
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.
History Of PhilosophyCLASSICAL PHILOSOPHY
November 15, 2023

ARISTOTLE

Aristotle (384–322 BC) was born in Stagira but moved to Athens as a young man to study at Plato’s Academy. Following Plato’s death, Aristotle traveled, became tutor to Alexander the…
Logic
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…
Logic
November 15, 2023

QUANTUM LOGIC

Most non-classical logics are motivated by either philosophical considerations, such as the metaphysical status of the future, or technical concerns about the neutrality of the logical connectives or the notion…
History Of Philosophy
November 15, 2023

THE PRE-SOCRATICS

The origins of Western philosophy are usually attributed to Thales of Miletus (fl. sixth century BC), who taught that “everything was made of water” and thus that the universe, all…
Writing Philosophy
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 Philosophy
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…
FORMS OF PHILOSOPHICAL WRITINGWriting Philosophy
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…
Philosophy BranchesTraditional Branches of Philosophy
December 12, 2023

PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION

Many religions distinguish between truths accessible through reason (natural theology), and truths accessible through faith (revealed theology). Both natural and revealed theology raise interesting philosophical questions about these two sources…
History Of Philosophy
November 15, 2023

THE SOPHISTS

The Sophists were not a single school but a professional grouping of largely itinerant teachers of rhetoric, philosophy, and legal argumentation. Their importance lies not in any specific doctrines but…
PHILOSOPHICAL BOOKS AND TEXT
November 27, 2023

ESSENTIAL READING IN THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

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

Books

  • Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny

    $17.83
  • The Journey: Big Panda and Tiny Dragon

    $12.33
  • Logic: A Complete Introduction (Complete Introductions)

    $15.89
  • Master Critical Thinking for Teens: The Complete Guide to Improving Decision-Making Skills, Mastering Problem Solving, and Conquering Logical Fallacies

    $14.97
  • The Gay Science

    $9.70
  • The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antonius

    $17.46
  • Life of Qi: The Science of Life Force, Qi Gong & Frequency Healing Technology for Health, Longevity, & Spiritual Enlightenment.

    $17.62
  • On the Infinite, the Universe and the Worlds: Five Cosmological Dialogues (Collected Works of Giordano Bruno)

    $17.00
  • The User Illusion: Cutting Consciousness Down to Size

    $15.99
  • The Buddhist and the Ethicist: Conversations on Effective Altruism, Engaged Buddhism, and How to Build a Better World

    $21.95
  • The Journey of the Mind to God (Hackett Classics)

    $14.00
  • Theory of Form: Gerhard Richter and Art in the Pragmatist Age

    $30.00
  • Meditations: The Illustrated (Marcus Aurelius)

    $13.99
  • How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking

    $23.19
  • The Stoic Man’s Guide: Daily Strategies for Modern Men: How to Embrace Timeless Stoicism for Happiness, Resilience, and Well-Being

    $11.99
  • Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

    $13.29

Terms & Concepts

T

Truth-functional connective

A logical connective whose truth value is determined by the truth value of the constituent statement(s) and the meaning of the connective itself. https://youtube.com/shorts/ebqlKPM0lxo?feature=share
M

Monadic predicate

A single-place predicate. (See also Argument and Arity.) https://youtube.com/shorts/QciSm8ZOzDc?feature=share
I

Inference rule

In a formal system of logic, a principle whereby one statement is inferred from another or others; the logical rules by which validity is defined. https://youtube.com/shorts/IcuiD9lPVFg?feature=share
E
Extended
I
Identity of indiscernibles
N
Necessary and sufficient condition
A
Abstract
C
Categorical syllogism
A
Areté
N
Necessary truth
F
Four Noble Truths
I
Immediate inference
View All