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1500 questions
35
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17 answers
Why doesn't philosophy have higher standards for its arguments?
Mathematical systems are an excellent model for organizing and conducting thought:
In the mathematics community, any argument in support of a conjecture, that deviates from "sound argument" never flies except by mistake.
Why don't we do the same…
QWERTY_dw
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Why are believers criticized so much for being anti-science when so many scientists are ... believers?
My first introduction to philosophical debate was through Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens. The idea that they hammered into a younger me was that faith was stupid and irrational and any person with faith was themselves stupid and irrational and…
user32029
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35
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23 answers
In what sense is atheism scientific?
I have been reading a bit of Dawkins and the like and they all seem to hold a very strong viewpoint on atheism and its associated ideology. I have not found a direct citation for this but he frequently makes a very close connection, e.g.:
An…
user2683
35
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8 answers
What would Kant do when two categorical imperatives conflict? Could he ever justify lying?
Suppose a German SS officer knocked on my door, asking me whether I had any Jews. And suppose further that I had two Jews in a secret compartment in the attic that he'd never be able to find. Everybody will agree that I must lie and say I haven't…
Cerberus
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34
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9 answers
To what extent do we choose our beliefs?
Are we free to choose our beliefs? Or is our belief in a proposition something that is thrust upon us by the weight of the evidence we have in favor and against the truth of it?
For example, is it possible to choose to believe something one finds…
JDH
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34
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3 answers
How is Gödel's incompleteness theorem interpreted in intuitionistic logic?
Classically, one sets up an axiomatic system with a formal deduction system & an interpretation in a model. Generally it is sound, that is: a formally deduced theorem is also true when interpreted in the model. The reverse is called completeness, if…
Mozibur Ullah
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34
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6 answers
Three statements that contradict each other
In formal logic, it seems that a contradiction only arises between two statements. Is it possible to have a set of three statements that together are a contradiction, but where any two of the statements do not contradict each other?
Marc Bacvanski
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34
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27 answers
Asserting that Atheism and Theism are both faith based positions
I am recently testing an assertion that I have concluded namely that atheism is a faith based position just like theism is a faith based position.
The reason I arrived at this conclusion is that theists have no proof that God actually exists. It's…
user37713
34
votes
16 answers
Fundamental idea on proving God's existence with science
I think that proving God's existence or any deity from any culture with the rigors of science is fundamentally absurd.
The popular arguments usually involve space-time and the big bang theory. (I have a layperson's understanding of those ideas).…
TheLast Cipher
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Why is the complex number an integral part of physical reality?
In modern physics, the quantum wave distribution function necessarily uses complex numbers to represent itself. If physics defines the physical reality, then what we are saying by the statement above is that the reality is made up of immeasurable…
Dheeraj Verma
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What are some good introductions to philosophy?
I've been searching the questions posed here, and don't seem to find one that gives the answers I am looking for. I've proposed to start a list on meta but no one proposed anything, so I feel I must ask this question: What are some books generally…
JNat
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3 answers
Is first-order logic the only fundamental logic?
I'm far from being an expert in the field of mathematical logic, but I've been reading about the academic work invested in the foundations of mathematics, both in a historical and objetive sense; and I learned that it all seems to reduce to a proper…
Mono
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Is there anything that is totally random?
When I say totally random, I mean absolutely random, not pseudorandom.
If I want to say "totally random" numbers such as 1,26,17,4,1 and 27, although I see them to be totally random, they aren't. These are numbers that I think are influenced by my…
Garmen1778
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12 answers
How can one differentiate nonexistent entities?
How is it possible for things that do not exist to not be the same? How can one differentiate nonexistent entities? How can I know the difference between ghosts and werewolves if neither exist?
Niklas Rosencrantz
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What is the purpose of the universe?
There are two extremes known as creationism vs evolutionism. Let's consider creationism for a moment, and imagine that God exists, and he/she has created us. The question that obsesses my mind after that is simply, why? What was the purpose of God…
Saeed Neamati
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