Recent Responses
Can the mind "feel" things even though nothing has happened? If so how does this work? For example, someone swung a textbook at my head playfully, and even though he did not hit me, I still felt something where he would have hit.
Eddy Nahmias
April 16, 2009
(changed April 16, 2009)
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The brain and nervous system "combine" information from different sensory modalities, so it is quite likely that when you visually perceive that you are about to be hit, other parts of your brain respond, including perhaps sensory systems that normally perceive pain in that part of the head and/... Read more
Is anyone ever truly an atheist? In extreme conditions someone who has never in their life prayed to, or believed in, a God of some kind or another will openly worship them. There is a very good quote that goes with this. "There are no atheists in foxholes and it isn't an argument against atheism, but an argument against foxholes." So can anyone ever truly be an atheist?
Alexander George
December 18, 2005
(changed December 18, 2005)
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It is interesting that many people, when they think of thosecircumstances that almost compel an adoption of a religious outlook,think of the death bed. They rarely think of how the world of theliving might strike one (and I'm not thinking here about arguments from design).
But to turn... Read more
I recently considered getting a nose job. Whenever I told people this, they were horrified and started ranting and raving at me about superficiality, shallowness and vanity. The most frequent comment was, 'It's better to have a beautiful mind than a beautiful face.' What confuses me is that this seems just as shallow as only caring about physical appearances. So much of the world is based on physicality and aesthetics - why is finding a beautiful face more significant than a beautiful idea more shallow? In fact physical beauty can sometimes be a great inspiration for thoughts and ideas. Recently I have begun to think that judging people on physical appearances is no less shallow than judging them only on the contents of their minds. Is this valid at all? Should I go back to the 'better clever than ugly' camp? Thanks for your time.
Nalini Bhushan
December 18, 2005
(changed December 18, 2005)
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I agree completely with Oliver on this one. But perhaps, perhaps, one worry your friends have is the following: that wanting a nose job is just the beginning of a whole cluster of potential future wants, in the wings, waiting to emerge, from a chin job to a tummy tuck, to ... that is... Read more
I was hoping you could help me with something personal. My general question is, is there any philosophically rigorous defense for being lazy? Here are the specifics: I'm 20. My parents started me playing cello since I was 4: weekend music school, recitals, the whole bit. And I enjoyed it while I did it, and got good at it. Now I'd like to stop. Naturally, my parents are up in arms: "you can't stop." "why not?" "because 1) you've invested so much time. 2) you owe it to yourself to continue. 3) it's part of who you are, you like it, and it's in your best interest to continue. You shouldn't abandon a rewarding activity just because you're lazy. 4) you have the potential to bring others joy through your music". How do I respond to these claims? I feel like the ideas behind the claims traffic in philosophy, that there are equally philosophically defensible rebuttals, and that I don't know them. As another piece of information, and I think this applies to a lot of young people caught in this situation, I'll borrow a fact that I believe from psychology. Psychology teaches us that a lot of the reasons for our actions are unconscious - we know we have needs, but we can't articulate them. But it obviously won't do to say to a zealous parent: "I know I don't want this, but I can't explain it. It's unconscious". Any help for me here? Thanks from Minnesota... -Jordan
Alexander George
December 18, 2005
(changed December 18, 2005)
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Perhaps you'd be interested in reading the great English philosopherBertrand Russell's (1872-1970) essay "In Praise of Idleness". It'sreprinted in his book In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays. You can find a copy of this essay on-line here.
Log in to post comme... Read more
Within my grade at school, certain people seek out (I'm not sure if they do it consciously or unconsciously) the negative aspects of other people in the grade, without seeing any of their good qualities (which I believe they, like everyone, have). I was wondering why people do this, not only at school but in society in general? Why must so many people spend so much time (and I mean A LOT of time) focusing on such insignificant and often superficial aspects of people?
Jyl Gentzler
December 18, 2005
(changed December 18, 2005)
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And here’s another way in which focusing on the negative traits of others serves a self-defensive function. If I notice how virtuous, intelligent, witty, and beautiful X is, then I might be forced to notice how my own traits pale in comparison. In contrast, if I notice the peccadillos of... Read more
How do we know modern day math is correct? An example would be one is equal to zero point nine repeating. You can divide them both by three, and get point three repeating, but if you times point three repeating by three you can only get point nine repeating... another question could be, where does the rest of it go?
Daniel J. Velleman
December 17, 2005
(changed December 17, 2005)
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For the answer to the question about 0.999..., see Question 181.Mathematicians try to ensure the correctness of math by never accepting a mathematical statement as true without a proof. Of course, it's always possible that a mathematician will make a mistake when writing or checking... Read more
My name is Michael V. and this might be somewhat of a strange question. I have been interested in philosophy for about three years now and have done some reading specifically in existentialism. When I came across a book called "Nausea," by Sartre, I was blown away. The "nausea of the hands" he began talking about opened up so many perceptual doors to me. And even though he explained it well enough in the book, I can't help but notice that this "nausea" has become a curse. I know I am prone to anxiety from living my own life and stuff, so I guess I would like to have some knowledge dropped on me as to what exactly is the difference between plain neurosis and this "nausea"? mike.
Alexander George
December 17, 2005
(changed December 17, 2005)
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I was also very moved reading La Nausée, but it didn't ignite anenduring interest in Sartre's philosophy so I'm unable to say whatconnection he thought there was between Roquentin's experience and his views in, say, Being and Nothingness. In general, I think the question of the relati... Read more
Within my grade at school, certain people seek out (I'm not sure if they do it consciously or unconsciously) the negative aspects of other people in the grade, without seeing any of their good qualities (which I believe they, like everyone, have). I was wondering why people do this, not only at school but in society in general? Why must so many people spend so much time (and I mean A LOT of time) focusing on such insignificant and often superficial aspects of people?
Jyl Gentzler
December 18, 2005
(changed December 18, 2005)
Permalink
And here’s another way in which focusing on the negative traits of others serves a self-defensive function. If I notice how virtuous, intelligent, witty, and beautiful X is, then I might be forced to notice how my own traits pale in comparison. In contrast, if I notice the peccadillos of... Read more
If archaelogy or some other science were to prove in some manner or another that God really existed, would faith still be necessary? Would faith still exist? I'm not sure if this is a proper philosophical question, but could you guys/gals find it in your hearts to respond? Bernie Hebert Lafayette, LA
Richard Heck
December 22, 2005
(changed December 22, 2005)
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As Alex said, one can presumably imagine there being lots of empirical evidence for God's existence. But if so, then I'm not sure why faith would be needed there any more than it is needed in ordinary scientific inquiry. But that doesn't mean faith wouldn't be required: The mere belief tha... Read more
Why bother living? Life is utterly pointless, meaningless, and futile. It's just an endlessly turning cycle of boredom and pain punctuated by brief moments of joy. What is the point of it all? Why bother?
Alexander George
December 16, 2005
(changed December 16, 2005)
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It's not uncommon to work one's way into the perspective your questions suggest. It can be difficult sometimes to work one's way out of it. Usually, nothing anyone can say will be relevant. One's entire orientation on life has to shift and that's not something that can be brought ab... Read more