FORMS OF PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING
The word essay comes from the French infinitive verb essayer, meaning “to try” or “to attempt.” In fact, when the word was first borrowed into the English language, as essay,…
STOICISM
STOICISM
Founded by Zeno of Citium (334–262 BC), early Stoicism shared many similarities with Epicureanism, including the belief that the world was largely deterministic and that the overall goal of the…
THE PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING PROCESS
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…
EPICUREANISM
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…
THOMISM
THOMISM
A school of thought based on the work of Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), Thomism is, like Scholasticism, principally concerned with metaphysics and understanding the attributes of God.
SKEPTICISM (PYRRHONISM)
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…
THE ARGUMENTATIVE PAPER
THE ARGUMENTATIVE PAPER
Essays of assertion, affirmation, and refutation are all examples of the argumentative paper. An effective argument relies on factually true premises or premises for which you have strong support.
THE ESSAY OF ASSERTION
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…
PHILOSOPHY OF LAW
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…
AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY
AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY
The earliest indigenous African philosophy to produce written documents emerged during the seventeenth century, especially in Ethiopia. Zera Yacob (1599–1692), whose Hatata (1667) has been compared to René Descartes’ Discourse…
ESSENTIAL READING IN THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY
ESSENTIAL READING IN THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY
A comprehensive list of essential readings in the history of philosophy.
LOGIC
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…
SCHOLASTICISM
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…
THE ESSAY OF AFFIRMATION
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…
PHILOSOPHICAL FILMS AND TV SHOWS
PHILOSOPHICAL FILMS AND TV SHOWS
Note: Some of these titles may be difficult to find, either in DVD format or streaming. Film Animation Animal Farm (1954)Based on George Orwell’s novel of the same name, farm…
THE PRE-SOCRATICS
The origins of Western philosophy are usually attributed to Thales of Miletus (fl. sixth century BC), who taught that “everything…
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Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control (The Stoic Virtues Series)
$15.99
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Stillness Is the Key
$7.99
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Right Thing, Right Now: Justice in an Unjust World (The Stoic Virtues Series)
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How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
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Letters from a Stoic: Penguin Classics
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Books
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In the Unlikeliest of Places: How Nachman Libeskind Survived the Nazis, Gulags, and Soviet Communism (Life Writing, 53)
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Philosophy, Literature, and the Dissolution of the Subject: Nietzsche, Musil, Atay (Studies in Philosophy, Culture and Contemporary Society)
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The American Evasion of Philosophy: A Genealogy of Pragmatism (Wisconsin Project on American Writers)
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The Complete Essays of Montaigne
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The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
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The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are
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A Manual for Creating Atheists
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On Fear
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Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy
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The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: A Great Gift for Book Lovers
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Being and Time
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This Moment Is the Perfect Teacher: Ten Buddhist Teachings on Cultivating Inner Strength and Compassion
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The Secret of the Yoga Sutra: Samadhi Pada
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The Upanishads (Easwaran’s Classics of Indian Spirituality Book 2)
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The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
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Thinking Out of Sight: Writings on the Arts of the Visible (The France Chicago Collection)
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The Atomos Blog
How do you get from a singularity to infinity?
How do you get from a singularity to infinity?
How do you get from a singularity to infinity?
How do you get from a singularity to infinity?
When the Light of a Dead Star Touches Your Eye
When the Light of a Dead Star Touches Your Eye
The Threshold
The Threshold
Can Math Prove Its Own Sanity? — A Deep Dive into Artemov’s Landmark Paper
Can Math Prove Its Own Sanity? — A Deep Dive into Artemov’s Landmark Paper
What Does the Mind Really Mean?
What Does the Mind Really Mean?
The Symphony of Existence: Strings, Dimensions, and the Persistence of Identity
The Symphony of Existence: Strings, Dimensions, and the Persistence of Identity
Does It Feel Like Anything To Be Claude?
Does It Feel Like Anything To Be Claude?
Natural Function and Perceptual Content
Natural Function and Perceptual Content
Philosophy of Law: An Introduction
Philosophy of Law: An Introduction
Philosophy of Science: An Introduction
Philosophy of Science: An Introduction
Aesthetics: An Introduction
Aesthetics: An Introduction
Epistemology: An Introduction
Epistemology: An Introduction
Ethics: An Introduction
Ethics: An Introduction
Logic: An Introduction
Logic: An Introduction
Metaphysics: An Introduction
Metaphysics: An Introduction
Philosophy of Science: An Introduction
Philosophy of Science: An Introduction
Terms & Concepts
Sublime
Aesthetic experience associated with being overwhelmed—for example, in terms of size (the mathematically sublime) or in terms of power (the dynamically sublime). For Immanuel Kant(1724-1804), this involved the sensation that…
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