Recent Responses
What philosophical works have been dedicated to the topic of rational decision making, the adoption of values, or how people choose their purposes in life?
A slim, accessible book on
André Carus
April 16, 2017
(changed April 16, 2017)
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A slim, accessible book on part of this question (and only part!) is Decision Theory and Rationality by José Luis Bermúdez (Oxford University Press 2009). It requires little or no technical knowledge of decision theory, and shows how decision theory can't possibly be an... Read more
If the basis of morality is evolutionary and species-specific (for instance, tit for tat behaviour proving reproductively successful for humans; cannibilism proving reproductively successful for arachnids), is it thereby delegitimised? After all, different environmental considerations could have favoured the development of different moral principles.
There's an ambiguity in the
Allen Stairs
April 16, 2017
(changed April 16, 2017)
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There's an ambiguity in the words "basis of morality." It might be about the natural history of morality, or it might be about its justification. The problem is that there's no good way to draw conclusions about one from the other. In particular, the history of mo... Read more
Is there any problem, moral or otherwise, in mixing money and enlightenment? For instance, asking people to pay spiritual guidance. Should philosophers receive a salary?
Even spiritual teachers have
Allen Stairs
April 13, 2017
(changed April 13, 2017)
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Even spiritual teachers have to eat. One might be suspicious of someone who withheld "enlightenment" unless the seeker paid, though in many traditions, support for spiritual guidance comes from voluntary donations.
Whatever one thinks about people who explicitly clai... Read more
When a person, and especially a talented one, dies young, people sometimes mourn not just what they have in fact lost, but what might have been. But is mourning what might have been predicated on the belief that things could have been otherwise? And if someone is a thoroughgoing determinist and thinks that there's only one way things ever could have turned out, would it be irrational for such a person to mourn what might have been?
One way to interpret the
Stephen Maitzen
April 13, 2017
(changed April 13, 2017)
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One way to interpret the mourner's state of mind is this: the mourner is thinking (optimistically) about the life the young person would have led had he/she not died young. That state of mind is consistent with believing that the young person's death was fully determin... Read more
Is there a particular philosophical discipline that deals with large numbers of people doing something innocuous, but having a deleterious effect on a much smaller number of people? If so, does it have a name? Like blame-proration, guilt-apportionment, or anything? Thanks!
Perhaps an example would help
Allen Stairs
April 9, 2017
(changed April 9, 2017)
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Perhaps an example would help, but I think I have the idea. We might want to start by modifying your description a bit. You wrote of large numbers of people doing something innocuous but having a bad effect on a small number of people. If you think about it, however, t... Read more
1. Stella is a woman and she is mortal. 2. Joan is a woman and she is mortal. 3. Liz is a woman and she is mortal...etc How many instances of women being mortal do I need before I can come to the general conclusion that all women are mortal?
the short answer: you need as
Andrew Pessin
April 6, 2017
(changed April 6, 2017)
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the short answer: you need as many instances as there are (or have been, or will be) women.
a longer answer: if what you're asking is how many instances do you need before it might be reasonable to infer that all women are mortal -- well there's no absolute answer to... Read more
Does a stereotype need to be largely false to be objectionable? Many people seem to think so, as when they respond to criticism of stereotypes by replying, "Some stereotypes exist for a reason."
"Largely false" is an
Andrew Pessin
April 6, 2017
(changed April 6, 2017)
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"Largely false" is an interesting phrase -- and there are several different things one might mean by a stereotype, and it's being "true" or "somewhat/largely" true ... plus there are different sorts of "offenses" one may commit when using stereotypes -- but to be br... Read more
What is the difference between marital relationship and a committed relationship in all aspects, except the legal bond?..is there really a difference?
The difference is exactly
Jonathan Westphal
April 6, 2017
(changed April 6, 2017)
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The difference is exactly that marriage is a legal bond, and it involves certain obligations and requirements (for example those having to do with property) that may not be implied by the "committed relationship". It is as a result a more serious affair. There is also... Read more
Is there a way to confirm a premises truth? When I looked it up I found two ways suggested. The first was the idea that a premise can be common sense, which I can't compartmentalize from the idea that appeals to consensus are considered a fallacy. The second was that it can be supported by inductive evidence, which to my knowledge can only be used to support claims of likelihood, not certainty.
The answer will vary with the
Allen Stairs
March 30, 2017
(changed March 30, 2017)
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The answer will vary with the sort of premise. For example: we confirm the truth of a mathematical claim in a very different way than we confirm the truth of a claim about the weather. Some things can be confirmed by straightforward observation (there's a computer in... Read more
Can we perceive the natural laws, which have shaped our ability to perceive?
I'm not sure I would use
Stephen Maitzen
March 30, 2017
(changed March 30, 2017)
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I'm not sure I would use quite the verb "perceive" to describe our cognitive grasp of natural laws, but I don't see any reason why we can't discover at least some natural laws, including those that have shaped our ability to perceive (or discover). That is, I don'... Read more