Author: Timothy Eshing Category: Logic and Reasoning Word count: 1000 Editor’s note: for many readers, this essay would be more profitably read after reading Formal Logic: Symbolizing Arguments in Sentential Logic by Thomas Metcalf. There are many varieties of formal logic of varying complexity. Here we survey one that’s somewhat more complex than sentential or … Continue reading Formal Logic: Symbolizing Arguments in Quantificational or Predicate Logic
Category: Logic & Reasoning
Bayesianism
This essay is an introduction to Bayesianism. Bayesianism says that degrees of belief or justification can be represented by probabilities, and that we can assess the rationality of degrees of belief — of credences — by seeing whether they follow a certain set of rules.
Is it Wrong to Believe Without Sufficient Evidence? W.K. Clifford’s “The Ethics of Belief”
An introduction to W.K. Clifford’s “The Ethics of Belief.”
Indoctrination: What is it to Indoctrinate Someone?
An introduction to the concept of indoctrination or what it is to indoctrinate someone, and whether that's problematic or bad or not.
Critical Thinking: What is it to be a Critical Thinker?
An introduction to the theory and practice of critical thinking: what is it to be a critical thinker?
Formal Logic: Symbolizing Arguments in Sentential Logic
An introduction to sentential logic or symbolic logic.
Pascal’s Wager: A Pragmatic Argument for Belief in God
Author: Liz Jackson Categories: Philosophy of Religion, Epistemology, Historical Philosophy, Logic and Reasoning Word Count: 996 Should you believe there’s a God? To answer this, we might examine arguments for theism—like first-cause and design arguments—and arguments for atheism—like arguments from evil. These arguments offer evidence for and against God’s existence.[1] Pascal’s wager, originally proposed by … Continue reading Pascal’s Wager: A Pragmatic Argument for Belief in God
What is Philosophy?
Author: Thomas Metcalf Category: Metaphilosophy Word count: 1000 Listen here If you’ve ever wondered whether God exists, whether life has purpose, whether beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what makes actions right or wrong, or whether a law is fair or just, then you’ve thought about philosophy. And these are just a few … Continue reading What is Philosophy?
Epistemic Injustice
Author: Huzeyfe Demirtas Categories: Epistemology, Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Sex and Gender, Philosophy of Race, Logic and Reasoning Wordcount: 996 Suppose a jury rejects a Black defendant’s testimony because they believe that Black people are often untrustworthy. Or suppose the male members of a board reject a female colleague's suggestions because they … Continue reading Epistemic Injustice
Dutch Book Arguments
Author: Daniel Peterson Categories: Epistemology, Philosophy of Science, Logic and Reasoning Word Count: 1000 Philosophers looking to support a position about how certain we ought to be of some belief, given our other beliefs, sometimes take advantage of Dutch book arguments. These arguments show that alternative positions lead to accepting a series of bets, each … Continue reading Dutch Book Arguments