Recent Responses
Is my memory an important part of who I am or can I be ME without my memories?
Gabriel Segal
May 4, 2013
(changed May 4, 2013)
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Good question. My own take on this is inspired by works of Richard Wollheim, “The Thread of Life”, Derek Parfit , “Personal Identity” and Bernard Williams “The Self and the Future” (though Williams argues for an opposed view). I distinguish between on the one hand, my body and brain, and on the other... Read more
If cause suffering is bad and life is in part suffering, procreate is inherently bad?
Thomas Pogge
May 3, 2013
(changed May 3, 2013)
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Well, with the symmetrical argument you could conclude the opposite:
If causing happiness is good and if life is in part happiness, then procreating is good.
Both conclusions seem inadequately supported. It matters how much suffering and how much happiness one's offspring is likely to face. And there... Read more
Is there a rule or a thing in philosophy that names the philosophical state of believing in something and acting/following those beliefs, (simply because they were taught to you in school, by your friends, and/or by your family), (perhaps most people around you still believing in this thing), automatically sometimes even if your personal views are against it and even when large amounts of evidence are against it or pile up against it? "Teachism" is what I fan-named it. Since I used to be a fan of the paranormal, this would be nice to know.
Thomas Pogge
May 3, 2013
(changed May 3, 2013)
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In "The Fixation of Belief," American philosopher Charles Sanders Pierce distinguishes various methods people use to fix their beliefs. Two of these are related to the phenomena you describe: the "method of tenacity" (where people hang on to beliefs even against piles of evidence) and the "method of a... Read more
Having the opportunity to learn and discover philosophy is in my mind a privilege. Learning and understanding philosophical matters can be enlightening, clarifying, reassuring and ultimately life-changing. Although this may appear as a personal issue but relevant to all those who are interested in philosophy, my question is why might someone feel inadequate or not worthy of gaining such knowledge? I'm very interested and want to expand on the knowledge I already have but I feel guilty at the same time. Why should I get this and not someone else? I think philosophy should be taught in all schools and branched out to all corners of the world.
Allen Stairs
May 2, 2013
(changed May 2, 2013)
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I'm going to read your question not as a psychological one (that as "What would cause someone to feel inadequate or unworthy or learning philosophy?") but rather as a question about whether there could be good reasons for feeling this way.Before we go on, an important preliminary: what I'll say is int... Read more
What does allow scientist to make moral and ethical judgements? I always thought that science is purely neutral and objective(yes I know this is an illusion, even if we destroy all bias and all string pullers(government, private/commercial sector) still even scientists unconsciousness can make the objectivity of his work biased without him even being aware of it), yet I see scientists making moral and ethical(which seem purely subjective to me[based on belief or opinion]) judgements nearly everywhere...
Ian Kidd
May 2, 2013
(changed May 2, 2013)
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You ask a very good question! Much depends here on (first) how one defines 'objectivity' and (second) what objectivity might mean in the case of science and (third) the standing of moral beliefs.Objectivity has lots of possible senses - e.g. being free from biases and prejudices, or being impartial and 'n... Read more
I'm willing to donate about $100 a year, out of my pocket, to help relieve worldwide hunger. But, If I had the opportunity to vote on a proposed new tax in my country that would collect an average of $1000 from each citizen (based on their income) and use all that money to relieve world hunger, I would be happy to vote for this new law. My family income is above average so I'd end up paying more than $1000. But this seems strange, ethically. I'm willing to have myself and my fellow citizens coerced by the state to pay far more towards a good cause than I'm willing to just pay on my own. Is my position defensible in a moral sense?
Eddy Nahmias
May 2, 2013
(changed May 2, 2013)
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This is a very interesting question, one I have struggled with myself, because I feel the same way you do, and I suspect many people feel the exact opposite (they much prefer voluntary donations to coercive taxation). I can think of two explanations for why we have the view we do, one more psychologi... Read more
I am confused about Aristotle's virtue ethics as it applies to Aesop's fable of the boy who cried wolf. Since he was telling the truth the second time, is it actually the townspeople who are behaving immorally by ignoring him? Just because the townspeople could not instantly verify the veracity of his testimony (which can be independently verified), is that really a sufficient reason to let the sheep die? By Aristotle's reasoning, is the boy (an occasional liar) just as immoral as the townspeople (by negligence)?
Allen Stairs
April 30, 2013
(changed April 30, 2013)
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Perhaps you're putting more weight on the fable than fables are meant to bear. Fables are short, stylized ways of conveying a point, and the point here seems clear enough: if you come to be seen as a liar, you risk not being believed when it matters. Though I gather that there's a remark attrib... Read more
In theory of relativity all relations are derived based on one observer in a moving frame relative to another frame. How statistically relevant it is to make conclusions based on just one observer? Who told it is valid?
Allen Stairs
April 28, 2013
(changed April 28, 2013)
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I don't quite recognize relativity in what you're saying. Relativity tells us that an experiment in one inertial (non-accelerating) frame will look the same in any other inertial frame (that part also applies to Newtonian physics) and that the speed of light (in a vacuum) is the same in all iner... Read more
I'm starting a philosophy club at my university and I need a good name! Get creative and let me know what cool names you guys can give me for this club. Hope to hear from you.
Charles Taliaferro
April 27, 2013
(changed April 27, 2013)
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I will try. Sometime philosophers have taken up names based on location or convictions. In the former, there was in the 20th century the Vienna Circle and in the 17th century there was Cambridge Platonism. In terms of convictions there have been movements and societies that employ names... Read more
In his "Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason", Kant argues that it is possible for people to become moral by following the example of Jesus Christ. How then would he comment on Abraham's actions during the Binding of Isaac? Isn't Abraham treating Isaac as a means to an end, even if that commandment is from God during a time when Jesus was not yet born? In other words, is Jesus just one example of moral guidance out of many and there is no one true religion; that is, anyone else can serve the same role?
Charles Taliaferro
April 27, 2013
(changed April 27, 2013)
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Actually, I am 99% sure Kant actually rejected the (at least surface) interpretation of the narrative of the binding. That is, Kant thought it would never be reasonable for Abraham to think God (or any good being) would require a sacrifice of the innocent. My own reading of the text is t... Read more