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…
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…
History Of PhilosophyTHE ELEATIC SCHOOL
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…
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…
CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHYHistory Of PhilosophyTHE FRANKFURT SCHOOL
November 15, 2023

THE FRANKFURT SCHOOL

A group of philosophers, cultural critics, and social scientists based around the Frankfurt (Germany) Institute for Social Research were primarily concerned with integrating philosophical analysis with then-recent results in the…
PHILOSOPHICAL BOOKS AND TEXTPHILOSOPHICAL BOOKS AND TEXT
November 23, 2023

PHILOSOPHICAL BOOKS AND TEXT

ESSENTIAL READING IN THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY BOOKS TO GUIDE NOVICE PHILOSOPHY STUDENTS INTRODUCTORY PHILOSOPHY TEXTS GUIDES TO PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING INTRODUCTORY LOGIC TEXTS CRITICAL THINKING AND LOGIC TEXTBOOKS
CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHYHistory Of PhilosophySTRUCTURALISM
November 15, 2023

STRUCTURALISM

Structuralism refers to research undertaken in the social sciences, predominantly in France, between the 1950s and 1970s, which sought to understand various social phenomena as a “closed system” of elements.
WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?WHAT IS THE “SUBJECT MATTER” OF PHILOSOPHY
November 12, 2023

WHAT IS THE “SUBJECT MATTER” OF PHILOSOPHY

“There is a common misunderstanding that philosophy—like chemistry or history—has a content to offer, a content that a teacher is to teach and a student is to learn,” writes Professor…
Philosophy BranchesTraditional Branches of PhilosophyMETAPHYSICS
December 12, 2023

METAPHYSICS

Metaphysics is the philosophical investigation of reality, including the nature of the world and the entities it contains. While such an investigation inevitably overlaps with natural philosophy—the sciences, especially physics…
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…
LogicBASIC LOGICAL SYMBOLS
November 15, 2023

BASIC LOGICAL SYMBOLS

¬ one-place logical connective read as “not” or as “is not the case” ~ alternative notation for “not” & two-place logical connective read as “and” ˄ and
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…
Modern Branches of PhilosophyPhilosophy BranchesPHILOSOPHY OF MATHEMATICS
November 14, 2023

PHILOSOPHY OF MATHEMATICS

The philosophy of mathematics is traditionally concerned with the ontological and epistemological foundations of mathematics. The two questions, of ontology and epistemology, are intimately related, as a satisfactory account of…
Writing PhilosophyWRITING PHILOSOPHY
November 24, 2023

WRITING PHILOSOPHY

How Do You Do Philosophy? Writing Is Central To Philosophy What Philosophy Professors Want From Student Writers What Is Good Writing? What Is Good Philosophical Writing? Grading Criteria for Philosophy…
Writing PhilosophyTHE PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING PROCESS
November 22, 2023

THE PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING PROCESS

Writing is work, and for many of us, writing is hard work. Writing philosophy adds to this labor an element of intimidation. Whether you are writing an expository—explanatory and descriptive—essay…

Books

  • Designing the Mind: The Principles of Psychitecture

    $17.99
  • The Guide of the Perplexed, Vol. 2

    $37.62
  • On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History

    $4.99
  • Pensées (Penguin Classics)

    $13.00
  • Toward the Postmodern (Philosophy and Literary Theory)

    $50.00
  • The Passion of the Western Mind: Understanding the Ideas that Have Shaped Our World View

    $15.69
  • Many Lives, Many Masters: The True Story of a Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient, and the Past-Life Therapy That Changed Both Their Lives

    $9.54
  • The Book of Five Rings

    $7.63
  • Nothing & Everything: How to stop fearing nihilism and embrace the void

    $6.99
  • Afrosofian Knowledge and Cheikh Anta Diop: Geo-ethical and Political Implications (Philosophy of Race)

    $45.00
  • Radical Love: From Separation to Connection with the Earth, Each Other, and Ourselves

    $12.29
  • How States Think: The Rationality of Foreign Policy

    $24.99
  • Ethics

    $4.89
  • The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom

    $26.00
  • A Brief History of Everything (20th Anniversary Edition)

    $12.99
  • Philosophy: 50 Essential Ideas

    $9.40

The Atomos Blog

Philosophy of Law: An IntroductionAtomosPHILOSOPHY OF LAW

Philosophy of Law: An Introduction

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Philosophy of Science: An IntroductionAtomosPHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

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Aesthetics: An IntroductionAESTHETICSAtomos

Aesthetics: An Introduction

Atomos EditorAtomos EditorJanuary 10, 2026
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

Atomos EditorAtomos EditorJanuary 10, 2026
Metaphysics: An IntroductionAtomosMETAPHYSICS

Metaphysics: An Introduction

Atomos EditorAtomos EditorJanuary 10, 2026
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

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Feminist Philosophy: An IntroductionAtomosFEMINIST PHILOSOPHY

Feminist Philosophy: An Introduction

Atomos EditorAtomos EditorJanuary 10, 2026

Terms & Concepts

L

Logical equivalence (logically equivalent statements)

Two statements are logically equivalent if they have the same truth values in all possible circumstances. It is never the case that one of the statements is true while the…
C

Connective

In symbolic logic, a connective (negation, conjunction, disjunction, conditional, andbiconditional) is used to make new statements out of simpler ones. https://youtube.com/shorts/HSdrQUSwJT8?feature=share
A

Appeal to unqualified authority

An informal fallacy constituted by relying on an unqualified authority as evidence for the truth of a claim. https://youtube.com/shorts/YClpmw15AVU?feature=share
A
Attribute
P
Proposition
F
Facticity
T
Third Man argument
H
Hasty generalization
I
Intension
I
Internal meaning
A
Appeal to pity (ad misericordiam)
E
Existential introduction
View All