Recent Responses
Will somebody please enlarge on the difference between Linguistics and Philosophy of Language? Many thanks, Jordanne.
Emma Borg
April 3, 2008
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The general distinction between the two fields is, I think, the same as the relationship between many subjects and the philosophy of those subjects (e.g. science and the philosophy of science), which is that while the subject itself is directly concerned with collating empirical findings and seeking... Read more
There are fairly obvious reasons that preventing someone from achieving their desires is immoral. But is it also immoral to influence just what those desires are (e.g., through advertising)? Do we have rights, not only to pursue our goals, but to have goals which are autonomous (so to speak) from external influences?
David Brink
April 3, 2008
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Perhaps you're thinking that frustrating someone's desires harms them or makes them worse off and is, therefore, always objectionable. Even if that were true, many would think that we should care not just about people's welfare but also about how we treat them. For instance, many would claim that... Read more
Do you think that volunteer organ donors should get preferential treatment over non-organ donors in regards to receiving organs?
David Brink
April 3, 2008
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I'm not sure if this is a question of principle or policy. Let's start with the question of principle. Certainly, volunteer organ donors deserve moral kudos, but should they get to move ahead of others in line to receive organ transplants? That really depends on what the principles should be gui... Read more
Great site. How does our approach to knowledge about the past differ from our approach to knowledge about the future?
Allen Stairs
April 3, 2008
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Others may have things to add, but one obvious way is that many of our beliefs about the past are caused by things that happened in the past and produced traces, either directly or indirectly, in our brains. But on the usual view about how the universe is wired up, our beliefs about the future are... Read more
Supposing I am involved in an argument in which I am claiming a certain kind of behaviour to be wrong and my opponent points out that I have behaved in this way in the past. Would this constitute a strong response? If I make no attempt to claim that it was 'ok' for me to have behaved in such a way can I escape the charge of hypocrisy? Alongside this, if the person is able to accuse me of hypocrisy does it reject the point or merely my alleged 'right' to speak about it? thanks Alastair
David Brink
April 3, 2008
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If you endorse some ideals or moral demands but nonetheless act contrary to those ideals or demands, you may open yourself up to the charge of hypocrisy. At the very least, you would seem to open yourself up to the charge of weakness of will. Exactly what the line is between mere weakness of will... Read more
I'm a philosophy student, and like most philosophy students (and philosophers), I've been known to rhapsodize about Plato. Even if I don't agree with all of his views, he is 'the' philosopher, a great man, and so we put him up on a pedestal. But I've had a sort of crisis of consciousness. The Republic is, more or less, a fascist book, no? If I met anyone in real life who held the views Plato claims to in the Republic, I would be horribly disturbed-- I wouldn't devote my life to seriously considering her philosophy. I understand the merits of distancing yourself from emotions when doing philosophy, and just considering the ideas on their own merits. Isn't that what philosophy's all about, actually? But at the same time, I don't really want to seriously consider fascism, I don't think it deserves it. And why are people still seriously discussing Plato's ethics like they might have something useful to tell us? Shouldn't we stop at "Plato was a fascist"? And what does it say about philosophy that a fascist like Plato is one of our biggest heroes?
Douglas Burnham
April 3, 2008
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I'm not convinced that we should equate Plato's political philosophy with fascism, although certainly this claim has been made seriously and with rational argument. But let's put that to one side.
It seems to me that there are two questions here. First, should we judge historical figures by the... Read more
I married from back home because of certain cultural pressures. He seemed like an all around nice guy but when he got here he changed. He admitted that he had put on a show in order to convince me to bring him here and now he is trying to control me. He also always fights with me over money matters. At the moment we are separated but not divorced and I am contemplating whether or not I should divorce him. He does not leave me alone but constantly hurts me and thinks I am cheating on him. I also caught him trying to start affairs with women both abroad and local and I feel I cannot trust him. When he came here I liked him but now I feel little to nothing towards him and I think he wants to use me for some end (hence why he wants to get back). Also he frequently hints that it's good to use women for money and etc., and then dump them for other women... Although this may not be the right place to ask such a question but what do you philosophers think of the situation? I think it would be interesting to have a philosopher's outlook on things (even though i have only given you a brief description of what is going on!). Thanks.
Jyl Gentzler
April 3, 2008
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Leave him. He's a creep.
Let me explain. From your description of him, your husband seems to regard and treat you as a mere object for his own satisfaction, and his satisfaction consists largely in giving you pain. If this is accurate, then it seems to me that you are under no obligation to cont... Read more
Can philosophy of mathematics influence mathematics, or it is just an abstraction of what actually works?
Alexander George
April 2, 2008
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As Peter Smith's examples make clear, sometimes "the philosophy of mathematics" appears in other than philosophy journals and is done by other than people in philosophy departments. Another instance of this is the long current of constructivism in mathematics. The development by mathematicia... Read more
Can philosophy of mathematics influence mathematics, or it is just an abstraction of what actually works?
Alexander George
April 2, 2008
(changed April 2, 2008)
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As Peter Smith's examples make clear, sometimes "the philosophy of mathematics" appears in other than philosophy journals and is done by other than people in philosophy departments. Another instance of this is the long current of constructivism in mathematics. The development by mathematicia... Read more
In many Western countries divorce laws have requirements that force the party with the greater income to continue in paid work and pay alimony to allow the other party to maintain the style of living to which they "have become accustomed during the marriage," or with similar wording. However, I am having a hard time reconciling this with some of the replies to question #1796, which referred to the obligation to have sex during marriage. Most people would certainly agree that one is not obliged to have sex with a partner, or an ex-partner after a relationship has broken up. The arguments there focused on people having an "inalienable right to one's body", but surely this same argument could be used against forcing people to do work they don't want to do? More specifically, how is forcing person A to work against their will to provide financial support for person B *ethically different* from obliging person A to have sex against their will to provide sexual satisfaction for person B?
Sally Haslanger
March 30, 2008
(changed March 30, 2008)
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There are lots of complex issues here (as in the previous question r#1796 referred to).
In response to the earlier question, I focued on rights and obligations because those were the terms in which the question was asked. Prof. Soble emphasized there that many other moral considerations ar... Read more