NON-WESTERN PHILOSOPHICAL TRADITIONSNON-WESTERN PHILOSOPHICAL TRADITIONS
November 15, 2023

NON-WESTERN PHILOSOPHICAL TRADITIONS

As explained at the beginning of this chapter, this book is intended primarily for philosophy students, especially new philosophy students, whose focus is mainly or even exclusively on Western philosophical…
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…
LogicMODAL LOGIC
November 15, 2023

MODAL LOGIC

A common extension to the standard formal languages outlined above is to introduce the technical machinery required to evaluate natural language arguments containing modal terminology (that is, talk of possibility…
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…
Traditional Branches of PhilosophyPhilosophy BranchesEPISTEMOLOGY
December 12, 2023

EPISTEMOLOGY

Epistemology is the study of knowledge, including its nature and its extent, and of justification (that is, whether a belief is formed in a valid way to justify its being…
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…
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…
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…
PHILOSOPHICAL BOOKS AND TEXTINTRODUCTORY PHILOSOPHY TEXTS
November 27, 2023

INTRODUCTORY PHILOSOPHY TEXTS

There is no substitute for grappling primary sources. Nevertheless, secondary sources—including scholarly research, literary reviews, historical summaries—are valuable tools. They not only show you how you can begin thinking about…
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…
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…
CLASSICAL PHILOSOPHYHistory Of PhilosophyEPICUREANISM
November 15, 2023

EPICUREANISM

Founded by Epicurus (341–271 BC), this eponymous philosophy is best known through the Roman poet Lucretius (mid first century BC). Like the Atomists, the Epicureans maintained that everything is made…
FORMS OF PHILOSOPHICAL WRITINGWriting PhilosophyOTHER CATEGORIZATIONS OF PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING
November 19, 2023

OTHER CATEGORIZATIONS OF PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING

There are other ways of classifying the forms of philosophic writing you may be asked to produce. The most prominent of these are: The Expository Paper The Argumentative Paper The…
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…
THE EARLY MODERN PERIODHistory Of PhilosophyTRANSCENDENTAL IDEALISM
November 15, 2023

TRANSCENDENTAL IDEALISM

The philosophical system developed by Immanuel Kant (1724–1804), Transcendental Idealism sought to overcome the epistemological problems of Empiricism while providing a rational justification for Liberalism.

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  • Reflections on the Revolution in France: [Original Version]

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  • Meditations – The Classical Translation by George Long (Reader’s Library Classics)

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  • The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance

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  • People of the Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil

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  • Joseph Butler: The Analogy of Religion

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  • A Manual for Creating Atheists

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  • Your Heart Was Made for This: Contemplative Practices for Meeting a World in Crisis with Courage, Integrity, and Love

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  • Primary Readings in Philosophy for Understanding Theology

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  • Metaphysics (The New Hackett Aristotle)

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  • What the Buddha Taught

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  • A Philosophy for Communism: Rethinking Althusser (Historical Materialism)

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  • Osho Zen Tarot: The Transcendental Game Of Zen (79-Card Deck and 192-Page Book)

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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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Embracing Contradiction: An In-Depth Analysis of Dialetheism

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

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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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Terms & Concepts

C

Conjunction

The ordinary language name for the Boolean connective that corresponds to, for example, “and,” “both…and,” and “but.” On a truth table, the conjunction of sentences is true if, and only…
I

Internal meaning

That meaning or purpose originating in, or given to, oneself. https://youtube.com/shorts/7vT0OsU-IiY?feature=share
C

Counterfactual

A contrary-to-fact conditional—for example, “if P were true, then Q would be true.” A counterfactual is true if the antecedent, in conjunction with the laws of nature, logically entails the…
M
Modus ponens“
L
Logical validity
M
Modal logic
C
Causal interactionism
C
Change of Quantifier (Quantifier Exchange) Rule
I
Inconsistent
D
DeMorgan’s Laws
C
Criterion
P
Pragmatism
View All