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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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| Avoiding Philosophical Relativism | |
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| Philosophical Theories Are More Than Personal Beliefs | |
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| Why Be Rational? | |
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| The Cultural Roots of Reason | |
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| Critical Thinking | |
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| Exercises | |
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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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| 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 | |