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1500 questions
20
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9 answers
Interpret Bayesian probability as frequentist probability?
It is usually said that the Bayesian probability is a subjective concept, quantifying one's degree of belief in something, while the frequentist probability is the the fraction of certain outcomes when observation is conducted many times (either in…
D.F.J.
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7 answers
If there were only one single mathematician in the world, would they be able to produce a mathematical proof?
If there were only one single mathematician in the world, would they be able to produce a mathematical proof?
This question was motivated by the Math stackexchange question:
Should a mathematical proof be 'convincing'?
I thought it would be more…
Stephen
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20
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When is violence appropriate?
In what situations would violence be appropriate?
The way I see it, the only excuse is as a response to violence (self-defense).
Am I missing anything?
Joe Flynn
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12 answers
How can something non-physical exist?
One sees arguments for the existence of non-physical entities such as God, qualia, Plato's forms, objective ethical truths, etc...
But what does it mean for something non-physical to exist?
It strikes me that the very definition of existence…
Alexander S King
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4 answers
What did Nietzsche and Marx think of each other?
Nietzsche (1844-1900) and Marx (1818-1883) weren't quite contemporaries, but both were prominent and influential German thinkers, and one might expect that they have at least heard of each other. Marx might have missed Nietzsche's most active period…
Alexander S King
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8 answers
What is the point of creating for an omniscient being?
I read a book about determinism and free will that argued an all knowing / all powerful God and free will are incompatible, because if God knows our future then our actions are determined, hence no free will possible.
My question, however, is this.…
Matas Vaitkevicius
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11 answers
Is everything just an opinion?
I read some people don't believe in truth but do believe there is always a chance that x. I have a question about such thought.
I recently heard an anecdote that says nobody can ever prove I ate yoghurt this morning, even when there are thousand…
Mark Knol
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7 answers
To what extent can the invention of zero in India as a number be tied to Buddhist philosophy, if at all?
The Wikipedia entry on zero suggests that the ancient Greeks were unsure about the ontological status of zero. They asked themselves, 'How can nothing be something?' whereas in Buddhism, Sunyata or void appears to have positive value (not in an…
Mozibur Ullah
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9 answers
Is free will reconcilable with a purely physical world?
Many are of the opinion that there is no metaphysical world beyond the material that we can sense, and that everything is therefore governed by physical cause and effect (some believe that we cannot know if there is anything beyond our world, but…
commando
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6 answers
Which signs indicate consciousness in other beings?
There are arguments confirming and denying that animals have consciousness. Some arguments say that not even all humans have consciousness, e.g. small babies.
Which observable signs do exist that indicate that another being (animal, baby, ...) may…
Bob
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16 answers
Why is mind interacting with matter any more problematic than matter interacting with matter?
So there's this supposedly an 'interaction' problem for substance dualism, that isn't there for physicalism or idealism. I've never understood this.
So as Hume pointed out, we see event a followed by event b. We don't see a link connecting event a…
Ameet Sharma
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19
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6 answers
Falsification in Math vs Science
In the beginning it was thought that the statement 1+1=0 is false, and necessarily so.
However, with the birth of modular arithmetic, it was found that indeed, 1+1 does indeed equal to 0 (in the mod 2 setting).
Now in the sciences for example…
K9Lucario
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14 answers
Is religion necessary for the good life?
According to Aristotle, you will be deemed as living well if you experience worldly pleasures while still being morally upright and virtuous.
How can you identify what is morally right without the help of religion? Doesn't morality depend on…
Fortunato Ultado
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9 answers
What is the term for the fallacy/strategy of ignoring logical reasoning intended to disprove a belief?
Updated 10/19/2018 -- Regards for all the responses. Much appreciated. To address the point of fact that one cannot "prove" anything about reality:
Yes, I agree. This is the reason I now set my goals when engaging in this sort of heady discourse.…
McMahon
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7 answers
Is immorality just irrationality?
If someone acts immorally - assuming some sort of free will - then they are doing so despite it being demonstrably wrong, i.e. it is a mistake as surely as 1+1=3 is a mistake. Doesn't this then give the idea of a 'bad' person a different implication…
riemann_lebesgue
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