Recent Responses
Do infinite sets exist? Most mathematicians say yes, but to me it seems like infinite sets can only exist if we use inductive reasoning but not deductive reasoning. For example, in the set {1,2,3,4,...} we can't prove that the ... really means what we want it to. No one has shown that the universe doesn't implode before certain large enough "numbers" are ever glimpsed, so how can we say they exist as part of an "object" like a set. We can only do this by assuming the existence of the rest of the set since that seems logical base on our experience. But that seems like a rather weak argument.
Richard Heck
March 8, 2013
(changed March 8, 2013)
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The argument here actually requires two more premises: (iv) that different numbers have different successors and (v) that 1 is not the successor of anything. If (v) failed, 1 could be its own successor and the only number. If (iv) failed, then 2 could be 1's successor and also its own. It's perhap... Read more
Suppose that Google censored radical ideas without anyone knowing it because they believed that part of their role as a member of the corporate establishment was to protect capitalism. Would that be ethical of them? Is it their right?
Allen Stairs
March 3, 2013
(changed March 3, 2013)
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First, a bookkeeping detail. Some people may not like to talk about corporations as having rights, duties or whatnot because they want to keep a clean distinction between corporations and persons. For anyone who thinks that way, substitute talk of management, boards of directors, owners or whatnot... Read more
What is impartiality for a judge deciding something like a legal case? I'm not asking about an impartial decision by the judge, but about an impartial situation. For instance, I'm necessarily partial (in this sense) when deciding a case concerning myself. But it seems that I'm also partial when deciding a case concerning my children, since I love them a lot. A racist is necessarily partial when deciding a case between people from different races, isn't he/she? What about a human deciding a case related to the interests of animals? And what about any decent person deciding a case against a criminal?
Allen Stairs
March 2, 2013
(changed March 2, 2013)
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I'm a little worried about the distinction between the decision and the situation. A judge's decision is impartial, roughly, if it amounts to applying the law to the facts as opposed to tinkering with what the law actually calls for or what the facts actually amount to. The decision can be imparti... Read more
Is knowledge based on memories?
Stephen Maitzen
March 1, 2013
(changed March 1, 2013)
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Very interesting (if tantalizingly brief) question. There's reason to think that all human beings rely on their memories for any knowledge they possess. One might think I can know at least some facts about my present-tense experiences without relying on my memory, but what facts could those be?... Read more
Suppose a stranger steals 100$ from me, then has second thoughts and puts it back, before I ever come to look for or need the 100$. If discovered, should he be punished? Why or why not?
Charles Taliaferro
March 1, 2013
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I am tempted to ask: What would you think if the roles were reversed, and you were the one who took the $100 from a stranger and what you would hope the stranger's response would be if it was discovered that you took the money and then gave it back? But I will try a different approach. Ta... Read more
Are there any philosophers that affirm the substantiality of consciousness without either falling into dualism or property dualism? I personally think that mind is a genuine reality but I'm not so certain that it is a substance in the sense that it is a reality with purely mental properties that exists separately from anything else. But I personally don't think property dualism is a viable alternative either.
Gabriel Segal
March 1, 2013
(changed March 1, 2013)
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Yes. The pioneering physicalists of the 1950s and 1960s, Smart, Armstrong and Place thought that. See http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mind-identity/. I think it is misleading to think in terms of dualism versus monism. Even familiar properties of middle-sized and large ‘physical’ objects, such... Read more
Breaking up with a partner can be very hurtful for him or her. Should I admit that I cheated on him/her and that this is the reason for me to question our relationship or should I rather keep the secret in order not to hurt him/her more than necessary?
Charles Taliaferro
February 28, 2013
(changed February 28, 2013)
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I cannot resist at least trying to respond to your question, but please know that this is a rather personal matter and many would think this is a matter for you to consider in light of respecting your partner and your own judgment about the consequences of making such a disclosure.... Read more
How drunk is too drunk to consent? Lets take several scenarios. A karaoke bar which relies on drunk patrons for entertainment. At least some of those people will inevitably regret their performance. If they were in there right minds they would never have done such a thing but nobody really cared about that. If a person has sex with a person who was so drunk that they had sex with someone they wouldn't normally have sex with then some people consider that bad. Others don't. Depending on how drunk the person was some might consider it rape but another person would disagree. What is the appropriate standard then for consent? I think they if a person is 'blotto' then it is likely rape but to be honest I think a person has to be extremely drunk to be unable to consent to sex, for example so drunk they don't know what is going on. I don't think impaired judgment is a standard to go on. I would also suggest that there is a degree of prudery in the idea that the ramifications of merely having sex do to bad judgment are so significant that we need to protect people from the supposedly awful sexual decisions that they make when they are drunk. It's not like somebody is giving a person booze while they are signing contracts that could have lifelong financial ramifications its just plain old no eternal significance sex. Right? There seems to be some underlying under examined and unarticulated notion to the contrary. Also I must also ask why there is a double standard here. The most men are said to regret is finding that they had sex with someone that they didn't find physically attractive on the morning.
Allen Stairs
February 28, 2013
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A lot to talk about here; I hope others will add their thoughts.
A couple of asides. I'm puzzled that you say it's likely rape if a person is "blotto," to use your word. But I'm more puzzled by something else: you say "I don't think impaired judgment is a standard to go on" and yet you don... Read more
Given how evil slavery was isn't it inappropriate that we (Americans) have portraits of pro-slavery politicians on our money?
Oliver Leaman
February 28, 2013
(changed February 28, 2013)
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You raise a question which is particularly relevant where I live in Kentucky, since the town of Lexington is full of statues of Confederate soldiers, who were presumably defending slavery. Yet the former slave market has only a small plaque commemorating it. Should any civilized person ha... Read more
I am looking for resources on a seemingly simple issue. I believe the seeming simplicity of this issue is quite deceptive: What is a "surface?" What allows anything to "touch?" Where does philosophy stand on this issue? Thank you for your time.
Jonathan Westphal
March 7, 2013
(changed March 7, 2013)
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You should consult:Stroll, A., 1979, ‘Two Concepts of Surfaces’, Midwest Studies in Philosophy 4: 277-291.Stroll, A., 1988, Surfaces, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.The two concepts of a surface are the physical one, in which a surface can be pockmarked or scored, and the geometri... Read more