About
Philosophy belongs to anyone
who asks why.
PhilosophyTheGuide is a free, growing guide to the big questions. We explain hard ideas in plain language and give you tools to practise thinking, not only read about it.
Philosophy begins in wonder.
Our mission
Make clear thinking a skill anyone can learn
Most people meet philosophy through a dense textbook or a quote on a poster. One is too hard and the other is too thin. We sit between them.
Every page starts from a question a real person might ask, such as whether we have free will or what makes an action right. It then walks through the best answers thinkers have given, the objections to each, and where to go next.
We do not tell you what to conclude. We show you how the argument works and leave the verdict to you.
How we write
Four rules every guide follows
Plain language first
Technical terms appear only when you need them, and each is defined the first time it is used.
The strongest objection
Every view is shown with the best case against it. A guide that only argues one side is not finished.
Back to the source
Claims about a thinker cite the work and passage, so you can check what was really said.
Reviewed and dated
Each page shows when it was last reviewed. Corrections from readers are logged at the foot of the guide.
Who it is for
Built for three kinds of reader
Students
Understand the reading before the seminar, map your essay argument and check it for fallacies.
Reading paths →Teachers
Thought experiments and discussion questions you can bring into a lesson as they are.
Classroom tools →Curious readers
No course and no deadline. Pick a question that bothers you and follow it as far as you like.
Beginner guides →The team
The people behind the pages
[NAME]
[One or two lines on background and why they started the site.]
[NAME]
[Areas of philosophy they cover and relevant study or teaching.]
[NAME]
[Qualification and the branches they review for accuracy.]
[NAME]
[Who builds the Argument Mapper and the other tools.]
Questions
Things people ask us
Write to us
Spotted a mistake, want a topic covered or would like to contribute a guide? We read every message.