Recent Responses
What is the difference between a religion and a cult?
Mark Crimmins
December 15, 2005
(changed December 15, 2005)
Permalink
Cults are young religions to which other people belong.
Log in to post comments
Could thoughts and thinking be considered as some kind of an element or energy source? If not then what exactly are thoughts and thinking; how do they come to be?
Nicholas D. Smith
December 15, 2005
(changed December 15, 2005)
Permalink
It really depends upon what you mean by "element" or "energy source." If you mean by these what these terms mean as they are used in contemporary science, then at least in principle we could understand and explicate thoughts and thinking wholly in the terms of contemporary natural sc... Read more
Could you please describe what you believe are the best arguments for the existence of God?
Nicholas D. Smith
December 15, 2005
(changed December 15, 2005)
Permalink
Most philosophers, when they teach the philosophy of religion, actually teach their classes the arguments they regard as the best ones for (and also against) the existence of God. These include several versions of the cosmological argument (in which God figures as the first cause, or... Read more
Rape is unwanted sex. Why playing in sexy films or sexy scenes as a professional obligation (i.e., being obliged to have sex with another actor/actress who is NOT necessarily beloved already) is not considered as rape? I mean, being raped by the director or producer, not by the other actor/actress who is him/herself the other victim of this rape? And why this job is considered different from prostitution? What's the position of Human Rights in these regards?
Alan Soble
December 30, 2005
(changed December 30, 2005)
Permalink
Nicholas is right that there are good reasons to think that rape should not be defined as "unwanted" sex. Although Stephen Schulhofer titled his book on rape Unwanted Sex, he makes it clear that rape, on his view, is to be understood as sex that is not consensual. There has been, of course,... 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)
Permalink
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 find the distinction between compatibilism and determinism to be incomprehensible. Suppose that determinism is true and incompatible with moral responsibility. Then, person A might hold person B morally responsible but according to determinism, person A was hardwired to do this, so we can not hold A morally responsible for holding person B morally responsible (and even if we were to hold A morally responsible, our holding A morally responsible can not bear moral responsibility). In other words, A can hold B morally responsible. So, then, is there really a distinction between compatibilism and determinism?
Lynne Rudder Baker
December 15, 2005
(changed December 15, 2005)
Permalink
If, as you suppose, determinism is true and incompatible with moral responsibility, then--you're right--no one is morally responsible for anything. What follows is that compatibilism is false. If compatibilism is true, then determinism is not incompatible with moral responsibility.... Read more
I've been adding 2+2 all day, and I keep getting the number 5 as the answer. Does the number 4 not exist, or do we just perceive it differently?
Daniel J. Velleman
December 15, 2005
(changed December 15, 2005)
Permalink
I think I need to know a little more about what you're doing that keeps leading to the number 5. Perhaps you are putting two rabbits in a box, and then putting in two more, and then counting how many rabbits are in the box, and by the time you count them they have already reproduced... 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)
Permalink
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
Hello, I was wondering if Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis' epitaph, "I hope for nothing, I fear nothing, I am free" holds philosophical weight? Do any philosophers support the idea that if you hope and fear nothing then you are truly free?
Sean Greenberg
December 14, 2005
(changed December 14, 2005)
Permalink
Spinoza seems to be committed to the view that true freedom liberates one from hope and fear. The basis for this conclusion is difficult to follow and is not stated explicitly in the Ethics, but I'll try to reconstruct the position as much as possible.According to Spinoza, "hope is noth... Read more
How do you know the answers to all of these (what seems to me) difficult questions? Is there some sort of book you can read to learn about the questions asked on this site?
Alexander George
December 14, 2005
(changed December 14, 2005)
Permalink
Do we have "the answers" to these questions? I don't think so. Seems rather like philosophers have many responses to them, most more or less tentative.
For some suggested reading, you might look at the responses to Question 363.
Log in to post comments... Read more