Recent Responses
I wonder why there are so few philosophers 0 - 1000 AD?
Jasper Reid
March 29, 2009
(changed March 29, 2009)
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There were actually quite a lot. For instance, there were the Neoplatonists, around the third century, such as Plotinus, Proclus and Porphyry. Then there were the Fathers of the Christian Church, from the third to the fifth centuries. Some of the latter, it is true, do qualify more as theologians... Read more
Can gardening be considered as an art? Thank you.
Douglas Burnham
March 28, 2009
(changed March 28, 2009)
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Well, Kant for one, seemed to ranklandscape gardening very highly, defining it as in essence a kind ofpainting (see section 51 of the Critique of Judgement). Thepoint is that such gardening is about form, order, harmony andrelationships – it is, let us say, akin to abstract painting(although... Read more
I hear this argument a lot: If you're old enough to fight for your country, then you're old enough to do X. X might be "drink," or "gamble," or "do crack cocaine," or "rent a car"; basically anything. Whenever people say this, it strikes me as kind of silly. But at the same time it kind of makes sense, because fighting and dying seems more serious than almost anything else you could possibly do. So I wanted to ask: What do the panelists think?
Douglas Burnham
March 28, 2009
(changed March 28, 2009)
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The claim to which you refer, Isuspect, is a shortened version of one or both of two basicinferences. Either, that killing other people/ risking one's own lifeis an enormous and 'grown-up' responsibility; anyone deemed to becapable of such responsibility should surely be capable of lesserresp... Read more
I am a teacher. I find myself liking smart and well-behaved kids more than the others, and praising their efforts more. Being attentive, concentrating, imagining and thinking vigorously are all morally good traits, right? But when it comes down to it, those things pretty much just amount to being smart. And it bothers me that I'm just praising kids for being smart, rather than praising kids who can't concentrate and feel bad about it, or kids who aren't smart but would like to be. What should I do? I can't understand the difference between trying to be smart and being smart.
Lisa Cassidy
March 27, 2009
(changed March 27, 2009)
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First, I think you should cut yourself some slack. You won’t have the same chemistry with every child or with every class. Sometimes we just do like some people more than others.
Your concern seems to be that the children you enjoy are the ones who are “smart.” Presumably, their academic bright... Read more
I have a question about colors. I always wonder if other people see the same color as I see. For example, we can agree that apple's color is red, but is it possible that we are refering to different colors as RED?
William Rapaport
March 26, 2009
(changed March 26, 2009)
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First, take a look at Question 2384 and its answers, which are closely related to your question. Your question is related to what is called the "inverted spectrum", a philosophical puzzle posed by John Locke, one version of which is this: Is it possible that objects that have the color you... Read more
This has been bugging me for quite some time now. Is knowledge truth? Is truth knowledge? Are these concepts the same?
Peter Smith
March 26, 2009
(changed March 26, 2009)
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It is a requirement for something to be genuinely known to be true that it is true. So knowledge implies truth (in the sense that if X knows that so-and-so, then it is the case that so-and-so).
But that doesn't make knowledge the same as truth. The implication the other way around doesn't hold. T... Read more
Pet owners neuter their animals. They rip out their claws, shave their fur, slice off their tales, and clip their ears. What if I, for whatever reason, wanted to give my dog a sex-change operation? I’m not sure what would drive somebody to do such a thing but should it be considered acceptable? Would that be crossing a line? Would it be cruel? Is it a pet owner’s right since the pet is his/her property? Where do animal cruelty laws come into play?
Jean Kazez
March 26, 2009
(changed March 26, 2009)
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Interesting question. In Texas (for example), animal cruelty laws forbid torturing, killing, "seriously injuring," or cruelly confining an animal. There is no exemption for pet owners; you don't get to do just anything you want to your own pet. Though it seems like "seriously injuring," having... Read more
I've recently become a member of Amnesty International and started giving regular donations. I now feel the urge to give all my money away all the time to try to help others. I recently went into town but suddeny felt overcome with guilt about world poverty and gave all the money on me to an Oxfam shop I saw. I'm sixteen and live at home so know that I could give all the money I have away and still manage to get by just fine with the help of my family. I simply can't find any reasons to justify buying new clothes and going to the cinema with my money when I know I could give it to more important things, such as helping people in poverty, helping fight for human rights, and helping combat climate change etc. Should I give away all my savings and everything I earn? Should I sell everything I own to try and raise money to help these causes? Where should I draw the line? Millie
Eddy Nahmias
March 25, 2009
(changed March 25, 2009)
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Millie, you sound like you may have read Peter Singer's work. If not, you may find it interesting. Here's his website. Of course, his arguments will reinforce your feelings so you may also want to look for some responses to his view. Singer is a utilitarian, which means he thinks (1) that t... Read more
Is there a specific name for the study of good reasoning or good thinking? I guess that some people call this "logic", but definitions of logic that I find on the internet are a bit different (narrower?). In some areas, "methodology" seems an appropriate word. Has epistemology a significant relation to this?
William Rapaport
March 20, 2009
(changed March 20, 2009)
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Some terms that are used for what I think you have in mind are "informal logic" and "critical thinking". To see if those are, indeed, what you have in mind, you might check out the article on Informal Logic in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. And there's some discussion of "critica... Read more
A state legislator recently came to the local high school recently. Naturally, teenage boys and girls tend to be convinced that the world is out to get their gender exclusively. One of the boys asked why it was okay for the insurance company to charge him three times as much as they charged his sister for car insurance. Apparently she’s a reckless driver and he’s a shut-in who hardly uses his car. The legislator said that it was a double standard but that there was no gain in attacking it. Instead of lowering the price for men the insurance company would simply raise the price for women and then nobody would benefit. Is this justification for what the legislator allowed as generalizing, stereotyping, and straight sexism acceptable in a modern society? What about the feminist movement? Is it possible that instead of placing new value in women it’s simply devaluing men? If so is it acceptable? Should we try a new more idealistic approach to equality?
Sally Haslanger
March 20, 2009
(changed March 20, 2009)
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It seems to me that the legislator is misrepresenting the argument for charging young men more than young women. The argument is that insurance companies calculate risks based on statistics they gather about groups. Even though the brother and sister are exceptions to the generalizations, t... Read more