Alfred J. Freddoso home page
http://www.nd.edu/~afreddos/
This is the home page of Alfred J. Freddoso, a professor of Thomistic Studies at University of Notre Dame. It contains course material, such as lecture outlines, handouts, syllabi, and study questions for a number of courses. Most courses concern aspects of ancient (including Presocratic) and medieval philosophy, and philosophy of religion, with particular attention to scholasticism and Thomas Aquinas (1224/5-1274). There are also notes for a course on philosophy of causation (historical and contemporary), and for an introductory philosophy class. A wide variety of supplementary material, ranging from primary and secondary source texts, maps, and some of the author's own translations, can be found within the individual course pages. Freddoso's own philosophical writings, published and unpublished, are available, as is his in-progress translation of Aquinas' Summa Theologica, with commentary. Also available is the complete text of Pope John Paul II's Fides et Ratio, with accompanying commentary and study notes. This site would be of interest to undergraduates with some basic familiarity with the topics covered, who are seeking revision material or further information. It would also be of use to teachers designing courses in any of the topics covered.
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Assembled western philosophers
http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/
'Assembled Western Philosophers' is a subsite of a Web page entitled Philosophy Pages, designed by Garth Kemerling. It provides two extensive lists of key contributors to the Western philosophical tradition, from Plato to the present day. By clicking on a name in the main list on the upper half of the page, the user is taken to a biography of the philosopher. Some of these biographies are illustrated and all are accompanied by lists of primary and secondary source lists, as well as links to online book retailers and additional online information. Within the biographies, there are also helpful links to further explanations of philosophical terms and schools of thought. The more extensive, secondary list of philosophers provides briefer biographies and information, along with links to online versions of texts, where available. This is an extensive site with a wealth of information, and will be of use to undergraduates and teachers.
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Daily translation, The
http://www.univnorthco.edu/philosophy/trans.html
This site gives a new translation task each day, from English into formal logic. Each translation exercise is set in the context of a mock newspaper article, often based on actual past news events. The level of logic required is elementary. An archive of previous translations is made available, and involves one or more possible translations of the sentence plus a brief commentary. Each challenge is presented as a GIF format image. This is part of the University of Northern Colorado Philosophy website, and links to other pages and external sites of interest to philosophy students can be found, including a "Primer" on arguments and their evaluations, and an "Argument Clinic" in which the reader is invited to submit arguments to the faculty for examination and assessment. The Daily Translation would be a useful exercise for undergraduates learning or seeking to maintain basic skills in logic.
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Dartmouth writing program : materials for faculty
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/faculty/toc.shtml
Dartmouth Writing Program: Materials for Faculty is an online collection of humanities teaching resources prepared at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire. With its emphasis on critical thinking, argument and analysis, this study aid and teaching tool will serve as a valuable resource for instructors of introductory undergraduate courses in History and Philosophy. There are foci on Pedagogies and Methods here under the following headings: Teaching the writing process; Teaching argument; Teaching critical thinking; Teaching modes of discourse; Teaching writing through literature; Teaching grammar and style; Creating writing assignments; Using peer groups; Responding to student text; and Managing the 'personal' in student writing. Each subpage opens to an extended discussion of possible teaching approaches and gives sample methods from different courses. Also posted are class assignments, relevant links and course syllabi excerpts to support specific instruction in English Literature, Spanish, and Art History.
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Epistemology lecture notes
http://spot.Colorado.EDU/~tooley/LectureNotes.html
This site contains detailed outlines of seven lectures for an undergraduate course on epistemology run by Professor Michael Tooley at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The subjects covered include: the concept of knowledge; skepticism; theories of justification; perception and the external world; other minds; and knowledge of the past. There is also a relatively brief introductory lecture on epistemology. A detailed table of contents allows for easy searching of particular topics. Despite some unfortunate colour choices for individual pages, the notes are clear and accessible, covering many aspects of the topics in some detail. While it is unlikely that they would stand alone as a first introduction to epistemology, an undergraduate with some background in the subject may find these notes useful for revision purposes.
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Essay writing handbook for philosophy students
http://www.yorku.ca/hjackman/Teaching/handbook.pdf
Essay Writing Handbook for Philosophy Students is an online guide on philosophy essay writing techniques, prepared by Evan Thompson and Duff Waring of York University in Toronto. The document is in PDF, thus requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader. With extended explanations and examples, this guide distinguishes first between analytic and argumentative essays. It describes essay format and issues of academic honesty (and dishonesty). It also tackles a number of common stylistic errors in grammar, punctuation, turns of expression, the politically-correct use of gendered pronouns, abbreviations and common misspellings. Aimed primarily at undergraduates, this resource will provide a good teaching tool for instructors at this level. It is particularly valuable for its unflinching recognition of the current need to reemphasise and develop grammatical and linguistic knowledge at the initial undergraduate levels, along with analytical skills. However, the Handbook's notes on citation style are extremely brief, and instructors may want to refer students to other sources for explanations on the preparation of references and bibliographies.
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Gensler's philosophy exercises
http://www.jcu.edu/philosophy/gensler/exercise.htm
This webpage contains links to multiple-choice quizzes on a variety of philosophical subjects, including: ethics; logic; philosophy of religion; and various historical and contemporary figures in ethics and analytic philosophy. The exercises, which are generally at an undergraduate introductory level, are designed by Harry J. Gensler of John Carroll University. Each quiz contains some brief introductory material on the topic to hand, and an indication of the specific texts on which the quiz qustions are based, though in many cases the exercises could be tackled by any student with a general familiarity with the subject. There are also lists of related sites of interest, both on the home page and on the various exercise pages, though some of the links are broken. This site would be of interest to undergraduates seeking to test or review their basic knowledge of topics in philosophy.
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Guidelines on reading philosophy
http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/reading.html
Guidelines on Reading Philosophy is a site developed by Jim Pryor of New York University. The site is a well written introductory guide for undergraduates who must cope with abstract ideas and technical vocabulary in their texts. Pryor suggests a succession of reading and note-taking strategies in order that students may understand a philosopher's definitions of terms and argument. This simple resource is valuable because it addresses the needs of undergraduate philosophy students very clearly, carefully and specifically. It can certainly be recommended as a teaching tool.
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Guidelines on writing a philosophy paper
http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/writing.html
'Guidelines on Writing a Philosophy Paper' is a site developed by Jim Pryor of New York University. It is a teaching resource aimed at undergraduates. Its primary value is that it acknowledges the subtle differences between composing a paper in Philosophy and in other Humanities disciplines. This field-specific approach is most helpful, as undergraduate Humanities education often focuses broadly on the development of basic argumentation and general analytical ability, without much deeper consideration of the subject itself. Similar undergraduate writing guides often do not address, or only implicitly address, the fact that study in different areas of the Humanities often brings varying analytical skills to the fore. Here, the site encourages the common Humanities concerns of critical, original and analytical thinking and advises on the usual issues related to grammar, style and grading criteria. But the substantial value of the site for both teachers and students of philosophy lies in the emphasis upon foci that are essential to the discussion of philosophical topics. These include consistent inner logic; word choice; contemplation and planning of the argument and mode of expression.
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History of psychology
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/historyofpsych.html
This is an extensive and enjoyable resource outlining the history of psychology largely from a philosophical perspective, beginning with the Presocratics and continuing through to the late 20th century. The site is divided into four main sections covering different eras, and within each section can be found short discussions of a particular figure, movement, or event. Historical figures up until the 'pre-psychology' era are presented in terms of both their general views and any particular ideas they had regarding minds and human cognition. There are also, in each section, links to a great deal of subsidiary information in the form of primary source texts, literature and poetry, diagrams, and timelines, all of which combine to make this a true history of ideas. The author is George Boeree, a Professor of Psychology at Shippensburg University, with a special interest in philosophy. The pages were originally designed for his students, and much of the content is geared towards the undergraduate level. The home page contains a link to a set of interactive quizzes on the main sections of the site. The site would be of use to students seeking to further their knowledge on the subject and/or find out information on areas beyond the more conventional philosophy of psychology and mind topics.
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How to read a philosophy paper (including this one)
http://www.cariboo.bc.ca/ae/php/phil/mclaughl/courses/howread.htm
How to Read a Philosophy Paper (including this one) is an undergraduate guide which was prepared by Jeff McLaughlin at Thompson Rivers University. The site also has two closely linked pages entitled How to Plan a Philosophy Paper and How to Write a Philosophy Paper. All of these pages provide advice in a chatty, humorous tone, which should instruct students relatively painlessly. At the same time, McLaughlin's efforts are fundamentally thorough and serious. In his reading guide, he explains the basic steps of reading philosophical texts and he presents them as the building blocks of critical thinking in a multi-part and multi-faceted process. He also explains the logical rules and the logical consistency that drive philosophical arguments in an accessible and penetrating manner. In his planning guide, McLaughlin continues in the same vein, notably drawing attention to the difference between a philosophy paper and papers in other disciplines. In his writing guide, McLaughlin again translates the principles of argumentation into the task at hand; he advises students to understand the correlation between those principles and their activities as they compose each paragraph. The guide finishes with a citation style guide. For its general accessibility and clarity, this site can be recommended as a good teaching tool at the introductory post-secondary level.
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Introduction to philosophy : an online textbook
http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/pecorip/scccweb/INTRO_TEXT/default.htm
'Introduction to Philosophy: An Online Textbook' is an electronic text written by Dr Philip A. Pecorino, professor of Philosophy at Queensborough Community College. As the following chapter headings show, the work covers a wide range of topics within Philosophy: The Greeks: The Origins of Philosophy in the West; Philosophy of Religion and the Problem of God; Metaphysics; Epistemology; The Mind-Body Problem; Freedom and Determination; Ethics; Social Philosophy; Political Philosophy; and Philosophy of Arts and Aesthetics. Each chapter contains several sections which discuss the topic at hand and provides hyperlinks to other online materials. There are also: guidelines on how to write Philosophy papers; suggestions of discussion topics; a bibliography of relevant print-based works; and links to relevant websites (although several links were not working at the time of writing).
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Introductory material for ethics
http://webusers.xula.edu/rberman/intromaterials.htm
Introductory Material for Ethics is an online guide to some basic concepts that are used in moral philosophy. The site defines key ethical terms (such as ethics and morality), and outlines the distinctions between the three main areas of moral philosophy: applied ethics; normative ethics; and metaethics. It gives an overview of some basic moral problems at both the theoretical and practical levels, and provides links to key terms in the dictionary that also forms part of the site. The site is offered as part of an online course taught by Robert Berman at Xavier University of Louisiana, and also include a syllabus and outlines of a number of key philosophy texts. A helpful site for students and teachers of moral philosophy.
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Ism book, The
http://www.ismbook.com/
The Ism Book website, written by Peter Saint-Andre, provides a set of brief definitions of various movements, concepts, and ideas in philosophy, religion, politics, the arts, and science (with emphasis on the first three of these areas). The home page has a featured "ism" or word, with its accompanying definition, and the complete list of defined words can be accessed through the "surf the site" section. The definitions are clear and concise, and generally well-informed. Many definitions contain hyperlinks to other related terms on the site. The resource is maintained by one person and is therefore far from exhaustive. It is clearly intended as a guide to these concepts for the relatively uninitiated, and is likely to be most useful as a quick reference guide for those studying AS/A level philosophy and RS, or for those embarking on undergraduate courses.
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Jan Edward Garrett homepage
http://www.wku.edu/~jan.garrett/
This is the home page of Jan Edward Garrett, a professor of philosophy at Western Kentucky University. It contains a variety of information, most notably a teaching section with extensive reading lists, study questions, lecture notes, and syllabi for courses on introductory philosophy, ancient and modern philosophy, philosophy of religion, ethics (theoretical and practical), and international justice. Within each course section, there are links to relevant writings by Garrett himself and by other philosophers. Further writings by Garrett can be found in the Talks/Essays section, and the site also has a brief list of his published research. Another valuable aspect of the site is its extensive set of ethics links, which can be searched alphabetically or by topic. In addition, the home page contains a link to Jan Garrett's Stoic Place site, which is a forum for the presentation and discussion of the history and ideas of stoicism. There is also a link to the Kentucky Philosophical Association. The website uses frames, but a no-frames version is made available on the home page.
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Language
http://www.duke.edu/~pk10/language/language.htm
Language is a website compiled and written by students at Duke University. It presents succinct introductory essays on language and its relations to the following areas: philosophy; neurobiology; psychology; and cultural anthropology. There is also a general essay by the editor of the website. Of prime interest to philosophers is the essay by Marnie Riddle, which outlines the history and basic concepts of the various movements surrounding logical empiricism (including logical positivism), ordinary language philosophy and its roots in the early work of Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951), and some more recent developments in philosophy of language. The other essays also contain material relevant to philosophy of mind, epistemology, and language, such as discussions of the work of the behaviourist B.F. Skinner (1904-1990), and the linguists Noam Chomsky (1928-), and Benjamin Whorf (1897-1941). The essays are clearly divided into sub-sections and a bibliography for each is provided. The essays may be of use to students who are seeking some basic information on language and its significance in certain areas of philosophy.
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Living philosophy : Scottish philosophy site
http://www.livingphilosophy.org.uk/
Living Philosophy is a website created and maintained by a Scottish production company which calls itself "The Radicals". The company seeks to bring classical philosophers alive through playreadings and docudramas at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This website, developed with the assistance of a grant from ScotlandUnltd, contains information about these plays. It also has sections dedicated to David Hume (1711-1776), Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), and Socrates (470 BCE-c.399 BCE). Materials offered include: brief overviews of their lives; and commentaries and bibliographies of their work. The site also provides general information about philosophy and why it should be studied. Accessible and interesting, this resource would be useful for undergraduate use.
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Maria Kannon Zen center: Zen journal
http://www.mkzc.org/zen-journal.htm
The Zen Journal is an online full-text journal, hosted by the Maria Kannon Zen Center, a non-profit organisation 'which offers a setting for people of various backgrounds and faith traditions to practice Zen'. The journal is likely to be of interest to researchers beginning the study of religion and philosophy and those considering the role of philosophical disciplines today, as the articles are aimed at understanding the ways of Zen and applying them in the context of the modern world. Recent articles include a four part series on The Four Bodhisattva Vows, by Ruben L. F. Habito, Practising Zen in Iraq, by Sheila Provencher, and Our Undivided Way by Flint Sparks. Issues of the journal going back to 1996 are available as PDF files.
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MIT OpenCourseWare : linguistics and philosophy
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Linguistics-and-Philosophy/
The Department of Linguistics and Philosophy page of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's OpenCourseWare website offers a variety of freely available course materials within these two disciplines. The courses are divided into those aimed at undergraduates and those for graduates, and range from introductory surveys to more specialist topics. The quantity and type of resources available also varies considerably: some give just a course outline and perhaps a few reading suggestions, whereas others offer detailed lecture notes, lengthy bibliographies, and sample exams and assignments. This site offers a useful resource for those engaged in teaching who are looking for inspiration and ideas, and also for students who are seeking an overview of an area in one of these disciplines.
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Paper writing strategies for introductory philosophy courses
http://www.williams.edu/philosophy/faculty/jcruz/writingtutor/
Paper Writing Strategies for Introductory Philosophy Courses is an outstanding online undergraduate composition guide prepared by Joseph Cruz of the Philosophy Department at Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts. The site seeks to teach undergraduates how to write critical analyses of philosophical questions in a clear, honest, and direct manner. It does this by providing six versions of the same sample paper, from the initial notes, through four drafts, to the finished piece. Cruz has added highly visible explanations all along in the margins of the different versions which greatly clarify the step-by-step process of conceiving, writing and polishing an essay. Throughout the site there are links to a summary page which highlights the key points, giving advice on: general approach; style; substance; references; and closing. While students should remember that not all lecturers will have exactly the same requirements, this is a helpful general guide to essay writing.
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Peter Suber courses
http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/courses.htm
This is the course website of former Profesor of Philosophy at Earlham College, Peter Suber, and features a variety of undergraduate teaching material on a number of topics, including: ethics; Kant; metaphilosophy; artificial intelligence; philosophy of law; rationalism and empiricism; scepticism; symbolic logic; and logical systems. The range and extent of material varies from course to course, and while some of it is clearly only of interest to students enrolled in the course, there is much of broader value here. There are, for instance, various guides to taking notes, making presentations and leading discussions, and writing papers. The Essay Assignment section as found on many of the individual course pages gives detailed and sound advice. There are also some subject-specific items of note, such as a set of logic exercises, and some discursive handouts on classical scepticism (on the Skepticism page), the ontological argument (on the Rationalism and Empiricism page), and various aspects of logical systems. Other topics, such as Kant and Metaphilosophy, are presented primarily in terms of a series of detailed questions designed to point the student towards key aspects of the subject. Of particular note is the Kant page, with a variety of pages that aid the student in navigating the complex structure and concepts of Immanuel Kant's (1724-1804) Critique of Pure Reason. There are also lists of sites of subject-specific and general philosophical interest, though some of the links are now outdated. This site would be of use to the undergraduate looking for basic information on the topics covered, or in search of guides to good practice in philosophical writing and presentation.
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Philosophical society, The
http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/cite/staff/philosopher/philsocindex.htm
'The Philosophical Society' is the homepage of the organisation founded in 1913 to encourage the study of practical philosophy among members of the public. The society's membership is made up of professional philosophers and non-professionals. It has its own journal 'The Philosopher' which is published twice a year and this site allows access to a selection of articles from the journal. It also provides information about membership; the society's history; talks; meetings; conferences; books; and courses. An online forum is provided to encourage discussion on philosophical topics. The site contains a search engine and is easy to navigate. The society's president is Brenda Almond, Emeritus Professor of Moral and Social Philosophy at the University of Hull.
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Philosophical terms and methods
http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/vocab/index.html
Philosophical Terms and Methods is an online teaching tool written by Jim Pryor of New York University. This site is aimed generally at undergraduates in order to teach them the fundamental components and characteristics both of philosophical arguments and of analyses of philosophical arguments. This is not solely an introductory site: different levels of undergraduates and their instructors can benefit by consulting or recommending this resource. The site explains in detail and formally defines the following: what an argument is; valid, sound, persuasive and arguments; conditionals and consistency; good and bad forms of argument; analysing concepts; and thought experiments and counter-examples. In addition to these clear and helpful explanatory essays, site users will find a Philosophical Glossary for Beginners attached to the site, with definitions of such terms as ad hoc, and ad hominem arguments, among others. Commonly used foreign words and phrases are also included.
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PhiloSophos
http://www.philosophos.com/
Designed for the lay philosopher, PhiloSophos, created Gregory Klempner, is dedicated to realising the maxim that philosophy is not just for professional philosophers. The site makes available various resources for the lay philosopher, including articles from its ejournal, 'Philosophy Pathways.' Also available are the logs of its 'Ask a Philosopher' section, with past questions and answers freely available. Additionally, the site carries information on distance learning programs leading to Associate and Fellowship awards from the International Society for Philosophy, and links to further sites of interest.
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Philosophy 1100 : introduction to ethics
http://spot.colorado.edu/~tooley/Philosophy1100.html
This website provides a variety of learning and teaching material from Michael Tooley's undergraduate course, An Introduction to Ethics, which covers both theoretical and applied ethics (although emphasis is to some extent on the latter). Although primarily designed for his own students, certain sections are clear and extensive enough to be potentially of value to those outside the course, students and teachers alike. Among the areas that teachers of introductory ethics might find of use are a set of critical exercises, along with accompanying lecture material. Essay and debate assignments and topics may also provide some inspiration for instructors. For students, there is a useful guide to writing philosophy papers in ethics. Beginning students in ethics may also find the general lecture materials and the specific notes on various topics in ethics (suicide, abortion and euthanasia) of interest. The site is clearly laid out and accessible, and forms part of Tooley's larger philosophy home page, which features similar material for some other areas of philosophy.
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