Thinking Philosophically begins by helping the reader acquire a lively sense of what philosophy is, how it began, why it persists, and how it is related to other fields of study, especially science.Readers are given three methods for thinking about and discussing philosophical problems:The Socratic MethodRunning out the PermutationsRational DialogueThe remainder of the book explores topics and positions in the three most basic areas of philosophy: Theory of Knowledge, Theory of Value, and Metaphysics. Numerous positions are explained, defended, and then critiqued. Each critique leads to a new position which is given the same threefold treatment. This dialectical process allows the reader to move beyond solitary reflection to fruitful philosophical dialogue with others.