From mind-skills
Sharpens concepts, disambiguates terms, and selects philosophical method for analytic philosophy writing. Useful when key terms are ambiguous or thought experiments need tightening.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/mind-skills:mind-conceptual-analysis-and-methodThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
Analytic philosophy stands or falls on **precise concepts and clean distinctions**. Many disputes
Analytic philosophy stands or falls on precise concepts and clean distinctions. Many disputes
dissolve once a term is disambiguated; many arguments fail because a key word shifts meaning between
premises. This skill sharpens the conceptual machinery and picks the method that fits the question, so
the argument from mind-thesis-and-argument rests on terms that bear weight.
mind-objections-and-replies).Mark every term that appears in a premise, conclusion, or objection. For each, write: definition, contrast class, role in the argument, and what would break if the term were replaced by a neighbor. This exposes equivocation before a referee does. If a term is merely decorative, cut it; if it is load-bearing, define it early and reuse it consistently.
| Method | Use when… | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual analysis (necessary/sufficient conditions) | the question is what some concept is | counterexamples; over-fitting with clauses |
| Cases / intuition pumps | a verdict on a scenario adjudicates the theory | unshared or unstable intuitions |
| Explication / conceptual engineering | the folk concept is defective and needs revision | drift from what we cared about |
| Formal modeling | precision or consequence relations matter | opacity — pair with informal exposition |
| Reflective equilibrium | balancing principles against considered judgments | which way the adjustment should go |
【Key terms】precise definitions + neighbors distinguished
【Crucial distinction】the one that does the work
【Method】analysis / cases / explication / formal / reflective equilibrium
【Thought experiment】minimal case + the intuition it licenses (if any)
【Parsimony check】primitives / ad hoc clauses minimized? [Y/N]
【Next】mind-structure-and-exposition
../../resources/external_tools.md — SEP/IEP for standard definitions; logic tools for formal work../../resources/official-source-map.md — Mind's expectation of accessible, informally-glossed technical worknpx claudepluginhub brycewang-stanford/awesome-journal-skills --plugin mind-skillsStructures a sharp thesis and explicit, valid argument for an analytic-philosophy paper. Use when you have an intuition but need a defensible argument with identified load-bearing premises.
Designs logical argument structures for academic papers, policy briefs, or debates — developing a thesis, evidence, warrants, and rebuttals with internal validity and explicit counterargument handling.
Structures a close reading into a consequential PMLA argument: thesis, warrant, stakes, and counter-reading. Use when your essay is descriptive or lacks a "so what."