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Isn't racist to find the word "nigger" racist? As in when it's merely said around you and not directed towards you. When someone calls another an "asshole," there isn't a normally a particular ethnicity that comes to mind -- yet The "N" Word is automatically associated with people of African descent. This all seems to fit into the ideology of race making racism possible.
Allen Stairs
April 4, 2013
(changed April 4, 2013)
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I'll have to admit that I'm having a bit of trouble following you.In the sorts of cases that matter for this discussion, the "N" word is a slur. It's also a slur that, unlike "asshole," has a racial meaning. It's belittling someone because of their race. I think we agree on all that. The reason th... Read more
Is Searle's 'chinese room' internally consistent? Does it not presuppose an agent who can understand the manipulation of symbols? If so, why not conceptualize our consciousness analogously to a computer's more fundamental structures bestowing it the capacity to 'run' softwares?
Gabriel Segal
April 3, 2013
(changed April 3, 2013)
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If the article portrayed our consciousness analogously to a computer's more fundamental structures bestowing it the capacity to 'run' softwares then it probably would be internally inconsistent. But it doesn't.
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Is the relation of the mind to the brain analogous in some way to the relationship between a magnetic field and a magnet? I have in mind the way in which a magnetic field clearly depends on the physical state of an object--the magnet--but is distinct, and quite different from this object. Thanks!
Gabriel Segal
April 3, 2013
(changed April 3, 2013)
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Yes. I like to think of the mind as being or being like a computer program or ensemble of programs. A program is a pattern. Programs... patterns ... clearly depend on the physical make-up of the patterned material, but are distinct, and quite different from this material. Of course the material... Read more
Can a thing being distinct from something else be considered a property of that thing? (If my mind is distinct from my body can "being distinct from my body" be considered a property of my mind. It seems to me that if something is distinct from something else it is separate from it and therefore cannot somehow be considered a property of it. But I have a feeling I am missing something. Thank you Samantha R.
Gabriel Segal
April 3, 2013
(changed April 3, 2013)
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It depends what you mean by ‘property’. If a property of a thing cannot be separate from it, and ‘being distinct from a thing’ is not itself separate from the thing, then ‘being distinct from my body’ would not count as a property of my mind. But why use the term ‘property’ so restrictively? One... Read more
I'm against Designer Babies. Is there any rule in ethics that makes it wrong? We can think of many problems with it, like kids who have better genes will bully others, and the parents get to choose talents that might not be enjoyable to the kid later in life. Any other problems that you can think of? Thank You for your time! Sincerely, Bailey
Oliver Leaman
April 1, 2013
(changed April 1, 2013)
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I don't see what is wrong with designer babies, anymore than with the ways that parents try to shape their children as they grow up. Why should someone with better genes, whatever they are, bully someone else? If it were possible for example to exclude certain illnesses, or make them less likely,... Read more
Throughout Plato's Republic, he makes alot of claims, that all stem from the question "what is justice", from there the soul to the analogy of the state, to the forms etc, my question is, does Plato actually believe in these analogies or are the just that, analogical statements to help his arguments
Sean Greenberg
March 31, 2013
(changed March 31, 2013)
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As I understand the Republic, the overarching aim of the work is to explain the nature of justice, specifically justice as a quality of individual human beings: in order to elucidate the nature of justice in the individual, Socrates introduces an analogy between justice in the state and justic... Read more
Am I guilty of some kind of inconsistency if I reject scientific consensus about evolution, global warming, the big bang, etc., but still make regular use of modern technology?
Allen Stairs
March 30, 2013
(changed March 30, 2013)
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No inconsistency. Your computer works whether you accept the quantum story that explains its microprocessors or not. You might run a risk of unreasonableness; the evidence for the things you mention is pretty good, and the same might hold for whatever gets included in your "etc." And if some of... Read more
Is the positing of an infinite regress a legitimate explanation in philosophy respectively are infinite regresses logically possible?
Stephen Maitzen
March 29, 2013
(changed March 29, 2013)
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Are infinite regresses logically possible?
Surely it's logically possible for infinitely many positive or negative integers to exist, and they represent a kind of infinite regress: for every negative integer, there's a smaller one; for every positive integer, there's a larger one. Even those... Read more
We often hear people saying about how a certain artist or composer is better than another. Many people, for example, believe Bach and Verdi to be better musicians than, say, Rihanna or Justin Bieber. I share this same belief, but it is mostly based on intuition than on rational arguments. It is certainly true that Bach was able to develop a musical theme in a much more organized and logical way than Rihanna is, but does it really mean that Bach is a better musician than Rihanna? Is it true that there is such thing as a good and a bad composer or is it all just a matter of taste? Could you point out to me some arguments and readings which are relevant to this type of question?
Stephen Maitzen
March 29, 2013
(changed March 29, 2013)
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Aesthetics isn't my area, but since no one else has responded I'll take a stab at it. To someone who thinks that aesthetic judgments can't be objectively true or false -- someone who thinks that aesthetic judgments are in that respect fundamentally subjective -- I'd pose two questions:
(1) We... Read more
What is evil, and what is good? Do you believe is changes depending on where you go? Tim Age 11
Charles Taliaferro
March 28, 2013
(changed March 28, 2013)
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Hello Tim. This is Charles. Age 60! You have asked a deep question. I will reply with what I have found to be sound in all the years I have considered a question like that, but then step back and note how other philosophers would answer you. In general, I think that "evil" refers to t... Read more