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1500 questions
22
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1 answer
How can we reason about "if P then Q" or "P only if Q" statements in propositional logic?
When you have a propositional sentence of the form P ⊃ Q — which we might read as "if P, then Q" — how can you tell when it is true, or false, based on the truth-values of P and Q in classical logic? When is this different from Q ⊃ P? And what is…
Niel de Beaudrap
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22
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9 answers
Do humans have an ethical obligation to prevent animal on animal violence?
Going by a purely utilitarian perspective with a goal to reduce pain, I would think humans should do that. What it would involve, maybe feeding lab grown meat to tigers, and separating habitats? And where do animal ethicists draw the line on such…
user2277550
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22
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8 answers
What does Schopenhauer mean by 'A man can do what he wants, but not want what he wants'?
I first encountered the bolded quote on p 80, Philosophy: A Complete Introduction (2012) by Prof Sharon Kaye (MA PhD in Philosophy, U. Toronto), part of Chapter 6 on Thomas Hobbes, Rousseau, free will, determinism, and compatbilism.
[ Reddit :] I…
user8572
22
votes
12 answers
Are omniscience and omnipotence mutually inconsistent?
I see this in The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins:
If God is omniscient, he must already know how he is going to intervene to change the course of history using his omnipotence. But
that means he can't change his mind about his intervention,…
Yashar
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22
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10 answers
Is it a fallacy to say that a sane person cannot apply rational thought to the motivations of the insane?
A common argument in today's news is that:
Someone commits a heinous crime by shooting a bunch of people.
Anyone who commits a heinous crime must be insane.
Sane people cannot apply rational thought to explain what motivates the insane.
Therefore,…
YPCrumble
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22
votes
4 answers
What, if anything, is the difference between ethics and moral philosophy?
Are the terms 'Ethics' and 'Moral Philosophy' different in extension as terms in philosophy? Some Departments of Philosophy have courses with titles like "Introduction to Ethics" and others with titles like "Introduction to Moral Philosophy."…
vanden
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22
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9 answers
What is the difference between "necessary" and "sufficient"?
What is the logical difference between something being necessary in order for something else to be true; as opposed to something being sufficient to make something else true?
Example:
Fuel is sufficient to make an internal combustion engine…
eMansipater
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What did Nietzsche mean by monsters and the abyss?
What do you think Nietzsche meant by "Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you." (Beyond Good and Evil, 146)? What kind of…
Michael Lee
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The "point" to an Atheists existence
I've recently become Atheist (I am 45).
I've slowly transitioned from my childhood's strong Christian upbringing; through Agnostic; to the point where my rational brain has now extrapolated the ridiculousness of Organized Religion to see all…
Rodney Nim
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4 answers
What philosophical views are there on the problem of boredom?
"I am convinced that boredom is one
of the greatest tortures. If I were
to imagine Hell, it would be the
place where you were continually
bored" - Eric Fromm
Has there been any significant philosophical studies on the issue of boredom…
AIB
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Are there any philosophy books for an intelligent nine-year-old?
I would like to buy some books on philosophy for the child of a friend. He is very intelligent and mathematically able and clever for a nine-year-old. I remember near that age really enjoying the idea of logic (in particular syllogisms and some of…
Simd
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22
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11 answers
Is Mathematics considered a science?
Science, generally is analyzing information gathered from observing phenomena, and coming up with theories to try and explain the phenomena. Then, attempting to predict a new phenomenon before it happens (when we can do that we usually say
that we…
musingsofacigarettesmokingman
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22
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10 answers
Why can't humans believe contradictions?
I'm reading something on the topic of logic and one of the exercises asked me to convince myself that a contradictory statement was true. I could not convince myself of this and now I am curious about whether this illustrates some innate…
James
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22
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14 answers
How should you respond to criminal behavior if you believe in hard determinism?
There are several ideas on hard determinism, but the core seems to be that in an interconnected existence, there can be no "actions" (free will), but only "reactions" (determinism).
An action of free will would have to be a separate entity outside…
coburne
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15 answers
Is there any rigorous philosophical basis for atheism?
Definition/Update
In what follows I use the term God to refer to an entity that has at least one of the following properties:
Has created the universe
Is omnipotent
Is omniscient
Approaches to Atheism
A great many philosophers and scientists have…
Pantelis Sopasakis
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