Recent Responses
It sounds to me like the arguments about the existence of God are displaced from what the essence of the argument is "really" about. It seems pretty clear from the equations of quantum mechanics that there is a Deity. However, whether She takes any interest in human beings, let alone the quotidian details of our everyday lives, is another matter. That is where the argument "really" seems to be: if we posit that there is a Deity, what reasons do we have to believe that She cares about our everyday lives or intercedes in response to a prayer? It may well be that She is like a parent with grown children: "I took care of you and raised you to adulthood and gave you all the skills and abilities you need to take care of yourself on your own. Good luck!" Isn't that the basis of the argument in favor of free will? If we do have free will, then why would God respond to our prayers?
I'd add: foundations of
Allen Stairs
February 5, 2016
(changed February 5, 2016)
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I'd add: foundations of quantum mechanics is my field. I have at least a nodding acquaintance with many of the physicists and philosophers who work in this area. I don't know a single one of them who thinks that the equations of quantum mechanics provide evidence... Read more
Is a Ph.D. in Philosophy from a Russian University essential when applying to U.S. Ph.D. full funding programs in Philosophy? Is the world rank of that Russian University important for the purpose ?
No. A PhD would't be
Allen Stairs
February 5, 2016
(changed February 5, 2016)
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No. A PhD would't be necessary. We have had Russian students in our PhD program, and they did not come to us with PhDs. The most important thing will be evidence of philosophical ability. Course records matter; so do informative letters of reference. The writing samp... Read more
The Milgram experiment. We often listen to authoritative figures and do things we're uncomfortable doing, for what we hope will be result in a better good. For example, I don't think there's one parent who didn't feel terrible having to see their child go through the pain of chemotherapy, but they did/do go ahead with it regardless. They put their trust in doctors in that the pain is necessary to help get rid of the child's cancer. Can't that argument be made for the teachers in the Milgram experiment, where the teachers didn't blindly choose to hurt the subjects, but rather, they assumed that the study they were part of was done in the hopes of positive results which would be for the public's benefit (including that of the person getting zapped)?
You raise an interesting
Michael Cholbi
February 5, 2016
(changed February 5, 2016)
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You raise an interesting point: Usually, experiments such as Milgram's are used to cast doubt on the existence or durability of moral integrity and character. If otherwise ordinary individuals , those very unlikely to inflict potentially deadly electrical shocks, do... Read more
Is perfume an art
There are several ways of
Nickolas Pappas
February 4, 2016
(changed February 4, 2016)
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There are several ways of taking your question. One might respond by asking "Has our culture treated perfume as art?" -- but the answer there is No; and I assume that you already know that.
If you're asking philosophers this question, you might also be asking som... Read more
What's an ancestral?
An "ancestral" is a kind of
Louise Antony
February 4, 2016
(changed February 4, 2016)
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An "ancestral" is a kind of relation that is a sort of generalization of a more specific relation. It's easiest to explain this by means of an example. Consider the relation "being the parent of" This is a relation that holds between any person who ha... Read more
So for the past month I've been having a great deal of anxiety over something kind of strange. I've always overthought everything in my life, which led me to wondering whether we as human beings are able to control our thinking. Sometime it seems as if random thoughts pop into my head for no reason at all. For example I could just be at work and randomly think of the upcoming superbowl. However, why did I do that? Did I choose to think about that? Or did the subconcious part of my brain send me that thought? Wondering about this kind of frightens me. I know it's irrational to be scared of it, but it makes me think that we don't really have free will. Do we really control our thoughts? Please answer.
First, let me reassure you
Louise Antony
February 4, 2016
(changed February 4, 2016)
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First, let me reassure you that the experience you describe, of having random thoughts pop into your head, is extremely common, and not a sign of anything wrong. (That said, if these occurrences are worrying you, or if the content of the thoughts is disturbing, pl... Read more
Is it morally justified to steal a thing from someone who also stole it?
Great question about a
Charles Taliaferro
February 4, 2016
(changed February 4, 2016)
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Great question about a paradoxical matter. In ordinary cases, if I stole something it does not become my property in the sense that I have rightful ownership of it; I may have it as a possession (something I possess) but I lack possessory rights to exclude others... Read more
Is information same thing as knowledge?
Though I'm not sure what the
Yuval Avnur
February 4, 2016
(changed February 4, 2016)
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Though I'm not sure what the context of your question is, and though that might make some difference, I can point to one major difference between information and knowledge that might be relevant in most contexts. Knowledge either is or requires a state of mind... Read more
It sounds to me like the arguments about the existence of God are displaced from what the essence of the argument is "really" about. It seems pretty clear from the equations of quantum mechanics that there is a Deity. However, whether She takes any interest in human beings, let alone the quotidian details of our everyday lives, is another matter. That is where the argument "really" seems to be: if we posit that there is a Deity, what reasons do we have to believe that She cares about our everyday lives or intercedes in response to a prayer? It may well be that She is like a parent with grown children: "I took care of you and raised you to adulthood and gave you all the skills and abilities you need to take care of yourself on your own. Good luck!" Isn't that the basis of the argument in favor of free will? If we do have free will, then why would God respond to our prayers?
I'd add: foundations of
Allen Stairs
February 5, 2016
(changed February 5, 2016)
Permalink
I'd add: foundations of quantum mechanics is my field. I have at least a nodding acquaintance with many of the physicists and philosophers who work in this area. I don't know a single one of them who thinks that the equations of quantum mechanics provide evidence... Read more
One classification of evil is natural evil, those evils that are explained by laws of nature, without need for a personal agent. But is it appropriate to call natural disasters evil? The usual connotation of evil is something that pertains to personal agents so that it seems to me that to classify natural disasters evil would seem misleading. If my argument is valid, why does "natural evil" become a common term in the discussion of the problem of evil?
My hunch is that the use of
Stephen Maitzen
February 4, 2016
(changed February 4, 2016)
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My hunch is that the term "natural evil" arose from the older label "the problem of evil" as a way to divide the data into events caused by agents and events not caused by agents.
I don't think the choice of terminology is significant. One can refer to the probl... Read more