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1500 questions
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Was Bishop Berkeley part of the Enlightenment and if so - how did it fit his adherence to religion?
In his The Analyst Berkeley argued, among other things, that mathematicians must not "submit to Authority, take things upon Trust" and so expressed a view of the Enlightenment. This made me think: if Berkeley adhered to the Enlightenment how could…
user18259
12
votes
5 answers
Can the act of having certain thoughts be unethical?
On the basis of Western morality, the Greco-Roman Judeo-Christian one, behaviors like killing, betraying, cursing are considered immoral. Christianity imposes that thoughts can be corrupt, therefore immoral; and there is logic, since thought…
user31740
12
votes
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How is 0 defined?
I know that the naturals are assumed by the axiom of infinity, but the relationship between them (eg 1+0=1), must be rule based or defined at the very least.
Basically I want to know what makes 0 or 1 abstract. For me to figure that out, I must also…
novice
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Are humans becoming more hive-like? Does this have philosophical implications?
Have any philosophers taken up human hive-like behaviour and its implications?
EO Wilson and others have outlined eusociality, a mode of group selection acting in addition to selection at the individual level…
CriglCragl
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What is the difference between logic and mathematics?
I’ve read the article in the SEP about the philosophy of mathematics. I believe I follow most of it.
However, I am a bit puzzled by something that may be due to some basic misunderstanding on my part. When it is stated that the goal of (classical)…
Martin C.
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12
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What makes a basic belief a properly basic belief?
I'm currently looking into Plantinga's reformed epistemology and I'm trying to wrap my head around what makes a basic belief a properly basic belief.
I understand what a basic belief is, in that it is a non-inferential belief. Plantinga seems to…
Mr. Zed
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What were Plato's view on slavery, in particular with respect to his proposed Utopia?
In the Dialogues(specifically The Republic), when he is discussing his Utopia, At one point, he does say that children should not be treated differently based on their parent's status in life. However, I did not see any mention of slavery in this…
apoorv020
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What are the main differences between Peirce, James, & Dewey?
Peirce, James, & Dewey are generally regarded as the three originators of American pragmatism. Personally, I have noticed each of them for different reasons. James is interesting because of his radical empiricism, Dewey because of his understanding…
histelheim
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Existence of an Intelligible Physical World beyond the Mind
Possible Duplicate:
Are there any philosophical arguments to disprove or weaken solipsism?
What justification(s) exist for the generally-agreed-upon axiom that a physical world beyond our mind both exists, and is knowable? This seems to be taken…
Jonathan Sampson
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Is mathematics a language?
Galileo gave the metaphor that the natural world is written in the language of mathematics, but is mathematics even a language?
Geremia
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Are we studying philosophy or philosophers?
In science, if one asks the question "What is the structure of DNA?", rarely will one get the answer "According to Watson and Crick, it's twin-helical". Similarly, a chemistry course does not begin by studying Aristotle's theory of the elements and…
user22791
12
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13 answers
How can experts disagree despite having access to the same facts?
How is it possible that experts in a certain field can disagree despite given access to the same facts?
For example in science, why is there disagreement when given access to the exact same information? Shouldn't the scientific method correct the…
Michael
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How can consciousness be an illusion?
Regarding this New Scientist article: Metaphysics special: What is consciousness?
It contains this strapline: “You may know beyond a doubt that you exist, but your ‘I’ could still be an illusion“.
(Note that I haven't subscribed to New Scientist so…
user2808054
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Should this view of Zi Lu's be called "deontology" or "virtue ethics"?
Zi lu (Wade Giles: Tzu Lu) commented:
... Not to enter public life is to ignore one's duty.
Even the proper regulation of old and young cannot be set aside. How, then,
can the duty between ruler and subject be set aside? This is to cause
…
Loki123
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How does the simulation hypothesis relate to the ethics of simulated violence?
Say, for the sake of this question, the simulation hypothesis is real. Are we then hurting "persons"/conscious beings in "our simulations" - video games - when we fight them? Why (not)? If so, is this unethical? Think for example about shooting an…
Kevin
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