more and more philosophers are using LaTeX to write their stuff, and hey, i'm one of them. i do it because, well, mainly because i'm a big geek and find it fun, but also because it produces nice .pdfs (and everyone can read .pdfs, and do so without lining bill gates' pocket), makes it easier to focus on the structure and content of what i write, and, well... did i mention i was a big geek?
getting started
i'm all for more philosophers switching to LaTeX for writing papers. (see here for a few reasons why you should.) but (a) it can be intimidating, and (b) even those who want to don't know where to start. so here are a few suggestions...
the software
windows:
MiKTeX, a complete compiler and library package
TeXnic center, a nice front-end
JabRef, a nice java-based .bib database manager
mac:
get the whole works (compiler, libraries, front-end, and database manager) in the macTeX distribution
unix/linux:
wait -- you run linux and you don't have LaTeX?!?
guides
the not so short introduction to LaTeX -- an excellent place to start
the LaTeX wiki
josh parson's package for typesetting begriffschrift-style logical notation. (with modifications by richard heck.)
pointers on logical symbols
LaTeX is much more friendly to mathematicians than philosophers; here are some tidbits and tricks on getting the techy, logicky stuff to come out right. (Coming soon!)
philosophically useful stuff
LaTeX dissertations at rutgers
like most universities, rutgers has some fairly specific style requirements for theses and dissertations. these document classes (based off ones the rutgers math department tossed around for a number of years) gets most of the details of that style right, and provide options and commands for tinkering with other various parts. highly recommended to anyone at ru who wants to LaTeX a dissertation.
a little package of tools for keeping track of named and numbered propositions in your document, getting them to set uniformly, etc. still pretty young, so use with care.