Traditional Branches of PhilosophyPhilosophy BranchesAESTHETICS
December 12, 2023

AESTHETICS

Aesthetics is concerned with the nature of art (whether visual, literary, dramatic, or in some other medium) and the way in which art is experienced. Two principal related issues, therefore,…
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.
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 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…
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.
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…
Philosophy BranchesBRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY
December 12, 2023

BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy embraces the most ambitious field of inquiry—the universe, including the self and everything both physical and metaphysical. It is impossible to list all the branches of philosophy, which are…
CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHYHistory Of PhilosophyEXISTENTIALISM
November 15, 2023

EXISTENTIALISM

A broad philosophical and literary movement that flourished during the first half of the twentieth century, Existentialism emphasized the uniqueness of human experience over the generalizations of traditional scientific or…
History Of PhilosophyATOMISM
November 15, 2023

ATOMISM

Atomism was founded by Leucippus (who flourished around 440 BC) but was primarily elaborated by Democritus (c. 460-370 BC) as a way of reconciling the Eleatic doctrine of the impossibility…
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…
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…
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…
History Of PhilosophyTHE SOPHISTS
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…
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…
STRATEGIC WRITING CHOICESWriting PhilosophySTRATEGIC WRITING CHOICES FOR PHILOSOPHY CLASS
November 18, 2023

STRATEGIC WRITING CHOICES FOR PHILOSOPHY CLASS

Writing philosophy should not be easy, but you cannot allow it to become impossible. Here are five strategic rules of thumb for embarking on a successful writing project for philosophy…

Books

  • Letters from a Stoic (Collins Classics)

    $7.99
  • The ethics of ambiguity;

    $158.00
  • The Compassionate Brain: How Empathy Creates Intelligence

    $16.03
  • A Thousand Brains

    $15.39
  • Tao Te Ching: With Over 150 Photographs by Jane English

    $19.74
  • Confessions

    $38.00
  • Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment

    $10.89
  • Be Not Afraid of Life: In the Words of William James

    $17.29
  • On Liberty

    $8.99
  • Context Changes Everything: How Constraints Create Coherence

    $44.50
  • Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees: Expanded Edition

    $25.69
  • The Second Sex

    $4.99
  • Shape: The Hidden Geometry of Information, Biology, Strategy, Democracy, and Everything Else

    $16.79
  • Pablo Escobar: Beyond Narcos (War On Drugs Book 1)

    $4.89
  • The Art of Living: Peace and Freedom in the Here and Now

    $11.37
  • Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will

    $23.49

The Atomos Blog

Philosophy of Law: An IntroductionAtomosPHILOSOPHY OF LAW

Philosophy of Law: An Introduction

Atomos EditorAtomos EditorJanuary 10, 2026
Philosophy of Science: An IntroductionAtomosPHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

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Aesthetics: An IntroductionAESTHETICSAtomos

Aesthetics: An Introduction

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Epistemology: An IntroductionAtomosEPISTEMOLOGY

Epistemology: An Introduction

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Ethics: An IntroductionAtomosETHICS

Ethics: An Introduction

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Logic: An IntroductionAtomosLOGIC

Logic: An Introduction

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Metaphysics: An IntroductionAtomosMETAPHYSICS

Metaphysics: An Introduction

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Philosophy of History: An IntroductionAtomosPHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY

Philosophy of History: An Introduction

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Philosophy of Language: An IntroductionAtomosPHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE

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Philosophy of Mind: An IntroductionAtomosPHILOSOPHY OF MIND

Philosophy of Mind: An Introduction

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Philosophy of Technology: An IntroductionAtomosPHILOSOPHY OF TECHNOLOGY

Philosophy of Technology: An Introduction

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Environmental Philosophy: An IntroductionAtomosENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHY

Environmental Philosophy: An Introduction

Atomos EditorAtomos EditorJanuary 10, 2026

Terms & Concepts

I

Internal meaning

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

Autonomy

From the Greek words for “self” and “law,” self-legislation, or the ability to freely determine one’s life. https://youtube.com/shorts/YnnWDlFeXtY?feature=share
B

Bayes’s Theorem

Named after Thomas Bayes (1701?-1761), Bayes’s Theorem describes how to update belief in the likelihood of an event, given the occurrence of evidence relevant to that event. While Bayes’s Theorem…
T
Tabula Rasa
I
Induction
R
Relational predicate
P
Primary qualities
A
Animism
P
Preestablished harmony
A
Anatta
M
Method of doubt (Methodological doubt)
R
Raven Paradox
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