The Philosopher's Tool Kit [Paperback]

A concise introduction to the basic elements of argumentative prose and the conceptual tools necessary to understand, analyze, criticize, and construct arguments: as well as to the philosophical mainstays of metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophical analysis.A concise introduction to the basic elements of argumentative prose and the conceptual tools necessary to understand, analyze, criticize, and construct arguments: as well as to the philosophical mainstays of metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophical analysis.Part 1 Categories, Classification and Definition: Categories; Classification; Definition; Essential Terms of Metaphysics. Part 2 Assessing Claims: Necessary Truths - Analytic Truths, Logical Truths, Necessary-Synthetic Truths; Contingent Truths - Synthetic Truths, Truths of Natural Law; Essential Terms of Epistemology. Part 3 Assessing Inferences: Deductive Inferences - Analytic, Logical/Categorical, Necessary-Synthetic Transcendental, Completely Enumerative; Inductive Inferences - Relative Frequency, Sui-Generis Making-Probable Relation, Incompletely Enumerative, Causal/Lawful Regularity; Abductive Inference; Essential Terms of Epistemology. Part 4 Philosophical Analysis: Kinds of Analysis - Same and New-Level Analysis; Tools of Analysis - the Negative Way, Abstraction and Precision, Distinction and Principled Distinction Thought-Experiments; Essential Terms of Philosophical Analysis. Part 5 Philosophical Writing: Criticize, Understand, Then Write; Be Negative at First; Identify Philosophical Commitments of Your View; Distinguo! Using Latin and Special Terms; Special Terms for Writing Philosophy.US