Recent Responses
As a veggie, I am continually conscious that I have made a moral choice which does not fit with society's morals on the issue (in general). I believe that in this world of choice, I can have an adequate diet without the need to kill animals. What does the panel feel about this issue?
Peter Lipton
November 19, 2005
(changed November 19, 2005)
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There is a story about someone who came up to a well-known moral philosopher in a restaurant and asked him what he thought about the arguments for vegetarianism. "I've actually thought quite a bit about some of those arguments, and I'm half-convinced by them", he replied. "So I don't eat... Read more
Is knowledge about social relations and the environment in which they take place possible? Kirsty Hurt
Nicholas D. Smith
November 18, 2005
(changed November 18, 2005)
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That will really depend, won't it, on what you take the standards of knowledge to require. If by "knowledge" you require certainty (as what are called "infallibilists" require), I think you will find that human beings are capable of precious little in the way of knowledge. On the ot... Read more
Is mathematics the only certain knowledge?
Nicholas D. Smith
November 18, 2005
(changed November 18, 2005)
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Two answers come to mind:
(1) If we grant that mathematics is known with certainty, I think the same can be made for the laws of logic--for example, if P, then P... or either P or not-P.
(2) I can think of some reasons for supposing that even mathematical truths and the laws of logic... Read more
Hello, my question is around the nature of reality. Is it reasonable to say that our only view of reality can be via experience (which I take to mean through the physical senses that I as an individual possess)? If this is true it raises a number of questions: 1. When we have no experience of something should we deny its existence - I have never visited the Taj Mahal so do I as an individual deny its existence? 2. People with more astute senses have a view of reality that is more accurat than someone with less astute senses ? If it is false, then are we saying that reality is formed from our thoughts and ideas BUT could this mean I imagine I have won lottery and behold I have ! Thanks for any insights. David McConville
Nicholas D. Smith
November 18, 2005
(changed November 18, 2005)
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I certainly do not think that our only view of reality can be via experience by our own physical senses. Human beings are magnificently complicated cognitive beings, capable of using not just our immediate senses, but also memory, interpersonal communication, abstract reasoning, and... Read more
Is philosophy like art? Is it a personal journey, where the philosopher finds a gnawing within themselves and seeks to unravel it using words and ideas? And the papers and articles they produce are artefacts of the journey - like stone markers they travel past on their way to somewhere? Or is philosophy like engineering? The papers produced are like buildings, constructed using the materials of ideas and theories and the tools of logic and thought. The philosopher is more like an architect - working out what goes where and how it fits together to make something worthwhile.
Aaron Meskin
November 28, 2005
(changed November 28, 2005)
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Architecture is traditionally thought of as a form of art, and architects (at least many of them) are often considered artists. This suggests further reason to think that the two approaches you describe may go hand in hand.
But I think there's a myth about art embedded in your question.... Read more
As a veggie, I am continually conscious that I have made a moral choice which does not fit with society's morals on the issue (in general). I believe that in this world of choice, I can have an adequate diet without the need to kill animals. What does the panel feel about this issue?
Peter Lipton
November 19, 2005
(changed November 19, 2005)
Permalink
There is a story about someone who came up to a well-known moral philosopher in a restaurant and asked him what he thought about the arguments for vegetarianism. "I've actually thought quite a bit about some of those arguments, and I'm half-convinced by them", he replied. "So I don't eat... Read more
I would like to study the impact of entertainment and marketing on people. How would studying philosophy help me to that end? Are there particular types of philosophy courses that would help? Particular philosophers?
Aaron Meskin
November 19, 2005
(changed November 19, 2005)
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I thinkAlex was a bit quick to dismiss the relevance of philosophy to theissue you're interested in. There is a long tradition of philosophicalinterest in entertainment/mass culture/mass art. For example, Plato wasconcerned in The Republic about the negative effects of tragedy and poetry... Read more
There has been a gread deal of debate in the news, of late, as to the application of torture under a so-called 'ticking time bomb' scenario. Is physical or mental torture ever justified in such an extreme event in a moral society?
Alexander George
November 18, 2005
(changed November 18, 2005)
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I find myself impatient with such questions. There may be a theoreticalinterest to them, but in practice I find they often have the effect ofparalyzing action that we know to be right. (And is one being overly suspicious to wonder whether they are sometimes offered with precisely such... Read more
Why do philosophers make seemingly simple questions completely complicated and confusing?
Alexander George
November 18, 2005
(changed November 18, 2005)
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There is no reason to think that a simple question must have asimple answer. The question "Why are there tides?" is very simple; agood answer to it is very complicated.
But maybe you think thequestions philosophers give complicated answers to can be answered verysimply. In which case,... Read more
Why do philosophers make seemingly simple questions completely complicated and confusing?
Alexander George
November 18, 2005
(changed November 18, 2005)
Permalink
There is no reason to think that a simple question must have asimple answer. The question "Why are there tides?" is very simple; agood answer to it is very complicated.
But maybe you think thequestions philosophers give complicated answers to can be answered verysimply. In which case,... Read more