Recent Responses
Can the contradiction between omnipotence and free will be resolved? Does omniscience and omnipotence mean foreknowledge? Does foreknowledge always mean a fixed future? And if these conclusions are yes, does this negate any religion that believes in such a deity?
Sean Greenberg
October 26, 2005
(changed October 26, 2005)
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I wanted to add some remarks regarding the relation between divine foreknowledge and free will.According to most orthodox Christians, the fact that God is omniscient implies that He has foreknowledge. Indeed, if God didn't have foreknowledge, it would be difficult to see how all events co... Read more
I have read some books and papers on qualia, as it relates to philosophy of mind (by Chalmers, Block, McGinn, Amy Kind (thanks Amy!) and others) but haven't studied aesthetics at all. It seems to me that qualia is what art is all about. I mean, why do most people stand in line for hours to see the Mona Lisa? Because of what it is like to see that smile! Dickens may indeed say something practical about the ills of society, and this may be an important aspect of art, but what's more important, at least to me, is that it is "like something" to read Dickens. And the "feeling" sticks long after you've read "Bleak House," or looked at the Mona Lisa. What do philosophers have to say about qualia and art?
Amy Kind
October 26, 2005
(changed October 26, 2005)
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Philosophers definitely are interested in the role that qualia play in the aesthetic experience. There have been a bunch of articles on this (and related) subjects in The Journal of Consciousness Studies over the last few years, including a dedicated issue on "Art and the Brain." You might als... Read more
I believe that death is nothingness, when my conscious mind is dead, nothing else will exist. What are your thoughts on this and are there any writings on this theory?
Amy Kind
October 26, 2005
(changed October 26, 2005)
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For related discussion of the first of the two thoughts that Alex distinguishes, see the responses to this question.
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Assuming that there is no afterlife -- that you lose the ability to think or feel anything once your body dies -- is it irrational to fear death? Asked another way: Was Larkin wrong when he described the philosopher's contention that "no rational being can fear a thing it will not feel" as "specious stuff"?
Amy Kind
October 26, 2005
(changed October 26, 2005)
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The reasoning that in the absence of an afterlife it would be irrational to fear death dates back at least to the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus, who wrote:
"Accustom yourself to the belief that death is nothing to us. For all good and evil lie in sensation, whereas death is the absence of s... Read more
Can the contradiction between omnipotence and free will be resolved? Does omniscience and omnipotence mean foreknowledge? Does foreknowledge always mean a fixed future? And if these conclusions are yes, does this negate any religion that believes in such a deity?
Sean Greenberg
October 26, 2005
(changed October 26, 2005)
Permalink
I wanted to add some remarks regarding the relation between divine foreknowledge and free will.According to most orthodox Christians, the fact that God is omniscient implies that He has foreknowledge. Indeed, if God didn't have foreknowledge, it would be difficult to see how all events co... Read more
I believe that death is nothingness, when my conscious mind is dead, nothing else will exist. What are your thoughts on this and are there any writings on this theory?
Amy Kind
October 26, 2005
(changed October 26, 2005)
Permalink
For related discussion of the first of the two thoughts that Alex distinguishes, see the responses to this question.
Log in to post comments
Is it wrong to eat people?
Alexander George
October 25, 2005
(changed October 25, 2005)
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I'll go out on a limb (oops). My own view is that if one could eat a person without harming anyone, there would be nothing wrong with it. (Still, the idea disgusts me in the same way that, when I did eat meat, the idea of eating calves' brains disgusted me. But that's another matter.)... Read more
This might not sound intelligent, figuring that I am 16 years old and I do not have an extensive vocabulary as I would like. But, getting to the question, If we ever find out if there is really a God in some shape or form and that the evolutionary theory or "darwinism" is in fact not true, do you believe that it would be mass destruction and chaos in this world due to the fact that many people's beliefs have gone to waste? -Joseph S.
Mitch Green
October 25, 2005
(changed October 25, 2005)
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Dear Joseph, thank you for your question. What reaction the world would have to the scenario you envision is an empirical question better answered by a sociologist or a social psychologist. However, let me just note that when Evolution by Natural Selection started to be popularized in the N... Read more
This might not sound intelligent, figuring that I am 16 years old and I do not have an extensive vocabulary as I would like. But, getting to the question, If we ever find out if there is really a God in some shape or form and that the evolutionary theory or "darwinism" is in fact not true, do you believe that it would be mass destruction and chaos in this world due to the fact that many people's beliefs have gone to waste? -Joseph S.
Mitch Green
October 25, 2005
(changed October 25, 2005)
Permalink
Dear Joseph, thank you for your question. What reaction the world would have to the scenario you envision is an empirical question better answered by a sociologist or a social psychologist. However, let me just note that when Evolution by Natural Selection started to be popularized in the N... Read more
Assuming that there is no afterlife -- that you lose the ability to think or feel anything once your body dies -- is it irrational to fear death? Asked another way: Was Larkin wrong when he described the philosopher's contention that "no rational being can fear a thing it will not feel" as "specious stuff"?
Amy Kind
October 26, 2005
(changed October 26, 2005)
Permalink
The reasoning that in the absence of an afterlife it would be irrational to fear death dates back at least to the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus, who wrote:
"Accustom yourself to the belief that death is nothing to us. For all good and evil lie in sensation, whereas death is the absence of s... Read more