Tools for Philosophical Thinking
Move beyond introductory logic into the working methods of analytical philosophy. Learn to unearth concealed premises, construct precise counterexamples, dissect thought experiments, and navigate the trade-offs of theoretical consistency.
Like Duolingo, but for Tools for Philosophical Thinking. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
A short one: 11 levels across 2 sections, about 22 minutes end to end, roughly 4 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Testing and Breaking Arguments and Calibrating Intuitions and Resolving Conflict. It assumes you already know the basics.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Tools for Philosophical Thinking
- An enthymeme leaves out the logical bridge connecting an observed fact to an action
- A factual drop in road deaths cannot yield an obligation without a bridging principle
- Surfacing the bridge reveals the assumption that warrants the policy recommendation
- Descriptive premises assert factual states of affairs testable by evidence
- Normative premises claim how things ought to be, requiring value judgments
- Sorting an unstated premise instantly shows if a dispute needs data or ethics
- The principle of charity demands framing an opponent's unstated premise at its strongest
- Charitable reconstruction prevents cheap straw-man dismissals of provocative claims
- Attributing a catastrophic risk threshold tests the core philosophical concern
- Refusing a necessary logical premise signals a conflict with an unstated priority
- Inconsistency typically reveals an unvoiced loyalty, such as preserving family legacy
- A counterexample isolates structural invalidity by keeping premise-conclusion forms while swapping terms.
- The substitute terms must be uncontroversial so only the flawed inference carries the weight.
- Refuting the factual claim directly fails to expose the broader structural error in the logic.
- Testing sufficiency means showing all definition conditions are met yet the concept remains absent.
- The principle of charity demands framing an opponent's unstated premise at its strongest.
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Tools for Philosophical Thinking the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
Someone says: 'Driverless cars drastically reduce road deaths, so we must mandate them.' What is missing?
Get it right to open this lesson and 10 more in the app.
How to learn Tools for Philosophical Thinking, step by step
Go in order. 11 short levels across 2 sections, about 22 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
Testing and Breaking Arguments
- Uncovering Concealed Premises
- Constructing Surgical Counterexamples
- 2
Calibrating Intuitions and Resolving Conflict
- Dissecting Thought Experiments as Intuition Pumps
- Balancing the Web of Belief
2 sections · 4 units · 11 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about Tools for Philosophical Thinking
How do I learn Tools for Philosophical Thinking?
Go in order: start with Testing and Breaking Arguments, then Calibrating Intuitions and Resolving Conflict. On Tomo that's 11 short levels, about 22 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for Tools for Philosophical Thinking?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. Tools for Philosophical Thinking is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is the Tools for Philosophical Thinking course free?
Yes. Tools for Philosophical Thinking is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn Tools for Philosophical Thinking?
11 levels across 2 sections, about 22 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start Tools for Philosophical Thinking?
No. It's pitched at an intermediate level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
Tools for Philosophical Thinking is taught in the Professor style: clear, structured, thorough. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Tools for Philosophical Thinking today.
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