The Galilean Library: Philosophy for beginners

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Philosophy for beginners

This series of essays is written for beginners and discusses philosophy, introducing the many aspects of this diverse subject. No prior knowledge of philosophy is assumed and simple dialogues at the end of most of the essays help to apply the lessons learned and explain the impact philosophy has on everyday situations. These dialogues follow a story line and the essays are numbered but they can be read in any order.

We welcome comments and feedback and are particularly interested in hearing from you if this series has helped you understand philosophy better. If you want to explore philosophy in more detail or discuss it with others, please consider joining our forum community and taking part in the conversations.


Featured Content

9. Political Philosophy

Jun 09 2005 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
By Paul Newall (2005)

In this article we'll discuss Political Philosophy, from what we mean by the term and what it's good for, through some historical ideas and perspectives, to the common divisions employed today. We'll also ...
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21. Rhetoric

Jun 22 2005 07:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
By Paul Newall (2005)

In this essay we look at rhetoric, introducing the subject and some of its traditional divisions before providing a guide to common rhetorical figures and their uses. As we progress, we will see why rhetoric is of cru...
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20. Epistemology 2

Jun 21 2005 07:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
By Paul Newall (2005)

In our earlier discussion of epistemology we looked at what the term means, some basics of the historical development of the subject, the idea that knowledge could be defined as justified true belief and some problems...
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19. Metaphysics 2

Jun 20 2005 07:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
By Paul Newall (2005)

In this discussion we’ll look again at metaphysics, covering (in more depth) some of the same ground as the previous instalment but also considering some new aspects. In particular, we’ll study metaphysics insofar as ...
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18. Philosophy of History

Jun 19 2005 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
By Paul Newall (2005)

History may not seem to have much to do with philosophy but—just as we have already seen with science, politics and art—it relies on philosophical assumptions and concepts as much as any other subject. In this discuss...
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Other recent content

17. Analytic Philosophy

Jun 18 2005 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
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16. A Guide to Logical Fallacies

Jun 17 2005 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
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15b. Philosophy of Religion, Part 2

Jun 16 2005 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
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15a. Philosophy of Religion, Part 1

Jun 15 2005 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
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14. Philosophy of Mind

Jun 14 2005 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
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13. Free will and Determinism

Jun 13 2005 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
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12. Postmodernism

Jun 12 2005 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
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11. Ethics

Jun 11 2005 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
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10. Truth

Jun 10 2005 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
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8. Reading Philosophy

Jun 08 2005 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
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7. Aesthetics

Jun 07 2004 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
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6. Philosophy of Science

Jun 06 2004 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
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5. Epistemology 1

Jun 05 2004 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
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4. Logic

Jun 04 2004 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
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3. Metaphysics 1

Jun 03 2004 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
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2. Doing Philosophy

Jun 02 2004 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
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1. What is Philosophy?

Jun 01 2004 08:00 PM | Hugo Holbling in Philosophy for beginners
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