The Philosopher's Toolkit

A new edition of the bestselling guide to the study of philosophy: the ideal intellectual 'toolkit' for sharpening analytical skills and building philosophical acuity

Whether used as a guide to basic principles or a resource for key concepts and methods, The Philosopher's Toolkit equips readers with all the intellectual 'tools' necessary for engaging closely with philosophical argument and developing fluency in the methods and language of philosophical inquiry. Featuring accessible explanations, practical examples, and expert guidance, this text empowers readers to understand traditional philosophical thinking and to engage with new ideas.

• Focuses on the practical methods and concepts necessary for philosophical inquiry

• Presents a versatile resource for both novice and advanced students in areas of philosophy, critical theory, and rhetoric

• Adopts a pluralistic approach to teaching philosophy, making this a suitable resource for many courses

• Delivers extensive cross-referenced entries, recommended readings, and updated online resources

• Covers an array of topics, from basic tools of argumentation to sophisticated philosophical principles

• Fully revised and updated to include new topics and entries as well as expanded recommended reading lists to encourage further study

Auteur

Peter S. Fosl is Professor of Philosophy and Chair of PPE at Transylvania University, Kentucky. He is author of Hume's Scepticism (2020), co-author of The Critical Thinking Toolkit (Wiley Blackwell, 2016) and The Ethics Toolkit (Wiley Blackwell, 2007), editor of The Big Lebowski and Philosophy (Wiley Blackwell, 2012), and co-editor of Philosophy: The Classic Readings (Wiley Blackwell, 2009). Julian Baggini is Academic Director of the Royal Institute of Philosophy and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent. He was the founding editor of The Philosophers' Magazine and has written for numerous newspapers and magazines, as well as for the think tanks The Institute of Public Policy Research, Demos, and Counterpoint. He is the author, co-author, or editor of over 20 books, including How the World Thinks, The Virtues of the Table, The Ego Trick, Freedom Regained, and The Edge of Reason.

Texte du rabat
"Fosl and Baggini have written a text that is crisp, clear, careful, coherent, and comprehensive. Andalliteration asideit's a joy to read."
Robert Arp, Philosophy Instructor and Researcher, US Department of Defense In the nearly twenty years since it was first published, The Philosopher's Toolkit has become a breakaway bestseller, helping readers all over the world to develop philosophical literacy and fluency in the foundations of philosophical thinking. Clear, comprehensive, and written in a highly accessible style, this compendium of essential philosophical methods, concepts, and terminology combines precise definitions with concise explanations and thoughtful suggestions for their practical application. Now in its third edition, The Philosopher's Toolkit offers revised and expanded coverage of metaphysics, logic, the philosophy of science, and continental philosophy. Many of the original entries have been enhanced, extended, and updated, and a more extensive list of recommended readings reflects an evolving multimedia landscape, identifying the most useful and stable supplementary digital resources to support classroom use. As in prior editions, the short entries collected here are deeply informed by the history of philosophy and are fortified by lively examples that help readers grasp sophisticated philosophical concepts and principles. The book is organized alphabetically by tool, and runs the gamut from the basics of argument, rhetoric, and reasoning to the formation of radical critiques of knowledge and the limits of philosophical methodology. Accessible to the non-specialist yet trusted by working philosophers, The Philosopher's Toolkit has guided thousands of readers through the principles of effective reasoning and critique without sacrificing nuance. This latest edition strengthens its reputation as an unparalleled introduction and quick reference resource for anyone interested in becoming proficient with the tools of the philosophical trade.

Contenu
Acknowledgements xiii

Alphabetical Table of Contents xv

Preface xix

Internet Resources for Philosophers xxi

1 Basic Tools for Argument 1

1.1 Arguments, premises, and conclusions 1

1.2 Deduction 7

1.3 Induction 9

1.4 Validity and soundness 15

1.5 Invalidity 19

1.6 Consistency 21

1.7 Fallacies 25

1.8 Refutation 28

1.9 Axioms 31

1.10 Definitions 34

1.11 Certainty and probability 38

1.12 Tautologies, selfcontradictions, and the law of noncontradiction 42

2 More Advanced Tools 47

2.1 Abduction 47

2.2 Hypotheticodeductive method 51

2.3 Dialectic 55

2.4 Analogies 58

2.5 Anomalies and exceptions that prove the rule 61

2.6 Intuition pumps 64

2.7 Logical constructions 66

2.8 Performativity and speech acts 69

2.9 Reduction 72

2.10 Representation 76

2.11 Thought experiments 80

2.12 Useful fictions 82

3 Tools for Assessment 85

3.1 Affirming, denying, and conditionals 86

3.2 Alternative explanations 90

3.3 Ambiguity and vagueness 93

3.4 Bivalence and the excluded middle 97

3.5 Category mistakes 100

3.6 Ceteris paribus 102

3.7 Circularity 104

3.8 Composition and division 108

3.9 Conceptual incoherence 110

3.10 Contradiction/contrariety 112

3.11 Conversion, contraposition, obversion 115

3.12 Counterexamples 118

3.13 Criteria 121

3.14 Doxa/paradoxa 123

3.15 Error theory 125

3.16 False dichotomy 128

3.17 False cause 129

3.18 Genetic fallacy 132

3.19 Horned dilemmas 135

3.20 Is/ought gap 138

3.21 Masked man fallacy 141

3.22 Partners in guilt 143

3.23 Principle of charity 145

3.24 Questionbegging 149

3.25 Reductios 152

3.26 Redundancy 154

3.27 Regresses 156

3.28 Saving the phenomena 158

3.29 Selfdefeating arguments 161

3.30 Sufficient reason 164

3.31 Testability 167

4 Tools for Conceptual Distinctions 171

4.1 A priori/a posteriori 172

4.2 Absolute/relative 176

4.3 Analytic/synthetic 179

4.4 Belief/knowledge 182

4.5 Categorical/modal 185

4.6 Cause/reason 186

4.7 Conditional/biconditional 189

4.8 De re/de dicto 191

4.9 Defeasible/indefeasible 194

4.10 Entailment/implication 196

4.11 Endurantism/perdurantism 199

4.12 Essence/accident 202

4.13 Internalism/externalism 205

4.14 Knowledge by acquaintance/description 208

4.15 Mind/body 211

4.16 Necessary/contingent 215

4.17 Necessary/sufficient 219

4.18 Nothingness/being 221

4.19 Objective/subjective 225

4.20 Realist/nonrealist 227

4.21 Sense/reference 230

4.22 Substratum/bundle 232

4.23 Syntax/semantics 234

4.24 Universal/particular 236

4.25 Thick/thin concepts 239

4.26 Types/tokens 241

5 Tools of Historical Schools and Philosophers 245

5.1 Aphorism, fragment, remark 245

5.2 Categories and specific differences 248

5.3 Elenchus and aporia 251

5.4 Hegel's master/slave dialectic 254

5.5 Hume's fork 257

5.6 Indirect discourse 260

5.7 Leibniz's law of identity 263

5.8 Ockham's razor 267

5.9 Phenomenological method(s) 270

5.10 Signs and signifiers 273

5.11 Transcendental argument 276 **6 Tools fo...