Recent Responses
Why is it considered morally wrong for a man or a woman to have a romantic or sexual relationship with someone significantly younger than themselves?
Alan Soble
January 5, 2006
(changed January 5, 2006)
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The idea -- "I would hazard a guess that most such relationships pair much older men with much younger women--while again acknowledging that there are exceptions to this generality. Given the prevalence of sexism, such relationships seem to raise reasonable suspicions that they are embodiments o... Read more
If no one ever loves me during my lifetime - if I don't ever have a relationship - will I have not lived properly? Is love that important to life, or is it something you can choose to engage in if you like? Thank you.
Richard Heck
December 11, 2005
(changed December 11, 2005)
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I wonder whether the deeper question isn't one to which Nicholas alludes: Can I have lived a good life—not if I've never been loved but—if I've never loved?
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If no one ever loves me during my lifetime - if I don't ever have a relationship - will I have not lived properly? Is love that important to life, or is it something you can choose to engage in if you like? Thank you.
Richard Heck
December 11, 2005
(changed December 11, 2005)
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I wonder whether the deeper question isn't one to which Nicholas alludes: Can I have lived a good life—not if I've never been loved but—if I've never loved?
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Is the exploration of space worthwhile? What possible application does it have? The money spent on space exploration could have spent elsewhere on more 'worthwhile' causes like cancer research or the third world. When you think about this, the exploration of space seems like a waste of time and money.
Matthew Silverstein
December 10, 2005
(changed December 10, 2005)
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Does something need to have "application" in order to be of value? Idon't know what sort of application the symphonies of Beethoven or theplays of Shakespeare have, but these works of art are of greataesthetic value. Space exploration is (at least in part) about thepursuit of knowle... Read more
Why do I ask questions that I already know MY answer to? Why would I change my mind if I am already sure that, for example, 'knowledge comes from experience' or that, 'there is no life after this one'? Are there any instances in which any of the philosophers on this site have radically changed their minds or caused others to change theirs?
Andrew N. Carpenter
December 10, 2005
(changed December 10, 2005)
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What often drives change in my own beliefs about important issues like those you mentioned (knowledge, life, death, ethics, etc.) is learning that I didn't understand those complicated topics as well as I thought I had. That this sort of intellectual growth is possible, in turn, m... Read more
Is it possible that the Universe and how we perceive it are just fractions of what is really out there? How would we know that the universe is not some completely different place that we could not even begin to undestand or perceive? For example ants live their lives without ever knowing of our existence so how would we know that there is not a lot going on in this world that we can not sense?
Peter Lipton
December 11, 2005
(changed December 11, 2005)
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David has given you two arguments for extra universes based on scientific considerations. These sorts of case are particularly neat because, as I understand it, we are physically cut off from other universes: there is no causation between worlds. But your ant analogy suggests that you al... Read more
Why do I ask questions that I already know MY answer to? Why would I change my mind if I am already sure that, for example, 'knowledge comes from experience' or that, 'there is no life after this one'? Are there any instances in which any of the philosophers on this site have radically changed their minds or caused others to change theirs?
Andrew N. Carpenter
December 10, 2005
(changed December 10, 2005)
Permalink
What often drives change in my own beliefs about important issues like those you mentioned (knowledge, life, death, ethics, etc.) is learning that I didn't understand those complicated topics as well as I thought I had. That this sort of intellectual growth is possible, in turn, m... Read more
Are there any websites that accurately rank (as far as that is possible) philosophy departments in non-English speaking countries with strong philosophy programs?
Richard Heck
December 10, 2005
(changed December 10, 2005)
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Are there any websites that accurately rank (as far as that ispossible) philosophy departments in English speaking countries withstrong philosophy programs? (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
I presume the question is motivated by a desire to get some sense of where one might get a good education... Read more
What is music? Does music have to be mathematical and notated? Does it have to contain "melody" and "harmony"? Can the most abstract noise coming from any given source be considered "music"? Is music really art, in the accepted sense, when most music is made by accident? -David
Noga Arikha
February 2, 2006
(changed February 2, 2006)
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The cultural historical moment described by Richard Heck aside, it remains that there was something that Cage was turning on its head when he offered - composed would be the wrong word - the event that is 4'33: the experience of listening to music itself. There would be no history of music if... Read more
I was reading up on the study of whether biologists who accept the evolutionary theory believe in God(s) and other theologistic happenings. Many of them say that they find no conflict between the two whatsoever. How is this possible? Isn't the theory of evolution itself based on random, natural selection?
Richard Heck
December 10, 2005
(changed December 10, 2005)
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If I can add a little, I guess I find myself puzzled about why anyone would think there was a conflict between belief in God and evolutionary theory. Some Christians, Jews, and Muslims (and, perhaps, adherents of other faiths about which I know less) do find there to be a conflict, but tha... Read more