Kris McDaniel

The primary value of philosophy can only be seen by someone who has really worked through a philosophical problem.

0.4 Here is a suggestion for how to read this book critically. Read each chapter at least three times,

it’s a good idea to memorize the technical jargon when it first appears so you don’t waste precious brain power remembering definitions when you should be working through philosophical puzzles.

Philosophy is easy for no one. But everyone can think philosophically if they are willing to work hard at it—and it is deeply rewarding for those who do.
0.13

This book is a guided tour of contemporary metaphysics.

LLogicians call an argument valid (this is a technical term!) when it is not possible for the argument to have all true premises and a false conclusion.

Logicians call an argument factually correct when all of its premises are true.

Logicians call an argument sound when it is both valid and factually correct.

Metaphysics is the philosophical study of reality. In a way, metaphysics is the least applied and most theoretical of the subfields discussed so far.

Metaphysical questions are very hard to answer conclusively, but this isn’t because there are no answers to them.