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17
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Is geometry mathematical or empirical?
Is Euclidean geometry a mathematical theory, or is it a theory of empirical science?
If taking it to be a mathematical theory would it be due to having alternative geometries? If so, is it in some way related to underdetermination?
Alternatively,…
L.M. Student
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On what grounds can a democratic state prohibit pornography?
On what grounds can a democratic state interfere to prohibit or limit its citizens from producing, distributing and consuming pornography? Does the state have any right to prohibit pornography or would it rather be violation of basic liberties of…
user18079
17
votes
4 answers
What are some good books about Wittgenstein's philosophy of language?
I'm a computer science PhD student which does some work in Knowledge Representation, and I have studied a lot of (mathematical) logic. As far as I remember from my high school philosophy classes, Wittgenstein has some prominent works concerning…
loudandclear
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17
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Did Nietzsche read Kierkegaard?
Kierkegaard and Nietzsche are often treated together as early existentialists. This is rather odd, as Kierkegaard was self-consciously seeking to be an orthodox Christian, and Nietzsche was self-consciously seeking to destroy…
Kazark
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17
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Please explain to a beginner: what is metaphysics?
As I understand it, most or all of philosophy can be put into the three main branches of philosophy: Epistemology, Metaphysics, and Axiology.
A devotee of reason, I have great affinity for, and believe that I get the core nature of, Epistemlogy: the…
Sindyr
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17
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How much ethics did Machiavelli convey in The Prince?
My philosophy teacher and I are having a little disagreement regarding The Prince:
He argues that although the book's context is a letter to Lorenzo de' Medici advising him and recommending a course of action to unite Italy, ultimately this is just…
commando
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17
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What is the modern solution to the mind-body problem for those who still hold the mind is separate?
René Descartes gave us the problem of how the mind interacts with the body in its modern formulation. Essentially, he asked how the incorporeal mind was able to influence the material body. He also pointed out that the mind was influenced by the…
Jon Ericson
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17
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Does an education that teaches relativism alone result in students who can not make ethical decisions?
This is a followup to a previous question that suggests that skepticism leads inevitably to moral relativism. In this question, I'd like to look further down the slippery slope and think of the children! This argument is probably false, but I'd…
Jon Ericson
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17
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What are some ways to read Wittgenstein's Tractatus other than resolute/irresolute?
There are, at present, two dominant ways to read Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (TLP). One is called the irresolute reading, the other the resolute reading.
The irresolute reading takes what is called an inaustere view of nonsense:…
Chuck
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Will philosophy ever come to an "end"?
People often talk about the "end" of physics, but what about an end of philosophy?
Let me explain. My philosophy professor said that philosophy is kind of the parent discipline of all fields of inquiry and when philosophers clarify and refine…
Joe
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Are mathematical suppositions of physical theories determined uniquely according to Aristotle and Plato?
Does mathematics apply to physics in one way or multiple ways? What do Aristotle and Plato think?
It would seem that Aristotle thinks mathematics can be applied to
physics in one way only because, for him, mathematics is abstracted
from physical…
Geremia
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17
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7 answers
Is it possible for a layperson to suitably evaluate scientific disputes?
As a layperson, I try not to fall victim to the Dunning-Kruger effect. As an example, one area where I know that I am vulnerable is when biochemistry intersects with nutrition and disease.
Is it possible for me, as a layperson without specific…
Dave Liepmann
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17
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Is the Skeptic's Prayer a valid scientific experiment?
The "Skeptic's Prayer" is introduced on page 411 of Handbook of Catholic Apologetics: Reasoned Answers to Questions of Faith, by Peter Kreeft & Fr. Ronald Tacelli.
The Skeptic's Prayer
This claim---that all seekers find---is testable by experience,…
Mark
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17
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What, if anything, is the flaw in SMBC's "happiness-3" comic?
Today's Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal raises in interesting philosophical issue.
The comic posits a machine that makes your life perfect and happy, and asks if people would get bored of this. The response given is that this can't happen as long…
Barmar
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What is a natural number?
It’s been on my mind lately. I do maths and work with them daily, but I’m not entirely sure of what they really are.
I understand they are symbols at a surface level, but there is obviously more to it. I’ve seen the set theoretic definition where…
Fraser Pye
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