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Preface | |
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A Note to Students | |
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Recognizing Philosophical Issues | |
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Philosophical Problems Involve Fundamental Ideas | |
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Philosophical Problems Involve Questions of Meaning, Truth (Rational Defensibility), and Logical Relations | |
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Philosophical Problems Are Not Straightforwardly Empirical | |
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Two Case Studies | |
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Taking Your First Philosophy Course | |
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Study Questions | |
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Postscript: Divisions of Philosophy | |
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Why Philosophize? | |
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How Philosophers See Their Goals | |
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The Relevance of Philosophy | |
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The Lure of Philosophical Issues | |
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Postscript: Are Gurus Philosophers? | |
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Thinking Critically: Clearing Up Some Misconceptions | |
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Philosophy Is Not Merely Quibbling Over Words | |
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The Choice Between Competing Theories Is Based on Reason and Does Not Require Absolute Certainty | |
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Philosophical Theories Are More Than Personal Beliefs | |
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Why Be Rational? The Cultural Roots of Reason | |
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Critical Thinking | |
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Doing Philosophy: Getting Started | |
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Preparing to Philosophize | |
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What Kind of Claim Is Advanced? | |
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The Claims: A Summary | |
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Exercises | |
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What Is the Meaning of Key Terms? | |
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Exercises | |
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Doing Philosophy: Further Considerations | |
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Do the Arguments Support the Thesis? | |
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Exercises | |
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Are the Premises True? | |
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Are the Assumptions Correct? | |
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Exercises | |
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Are the Logical Consequences Plausible? | |
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Exercises | |
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How Adequate Is the Theory? | |
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Exercises | |
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Five Common Informal Fallacies | |
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Exercises | |
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An Example of Philosophical Analysis: Near-Death Experience | |
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Are Any Informal Fallacies Committed? | |
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An Example of Philosophical Analysis: Equality of Opportunity | |
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Reading Philosophy | |
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Kinds of Philosophical Writings | |
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Preparing to Read Philosophy | |
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Reading for Understanding | |
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Reading Critically | |
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Writing Philosophy | |
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The Nature of a Critical Philosophy Essay | |
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Organizing Your Essay | |
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Achieving Clarity | |
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A Sample Essay | |
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Postscript: A Note on Research Materials | |
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Answers to Exercises | |
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Appendix | |
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Glossary | |
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Index | |