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1500 questions
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votes
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How do I check if two logical expressions are equivalent?
For example:
Is (A ∨ B ∨ C) ∧ (D ∨ E ∨ F) the same as
(A ∧ D) ∨ (A ∧ E) ∨ (A ∧ F) ∨ (B ∧ D) ∨ (B ∧ E) ∨ ( B ∧ F) ∨ (C ∧ D) ∨ (C ∧ E) ∨ (C ∧ F)?
How would I check equivalence in general?
Guybrush Threepwood
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What are the main issues on which the schools of Intuitionism, Formalism, and Logicism disagree?
What is the difference between Intuitionism, Formalism, and Logicism? Namely - on which issues do they disagree? And what is the relation of those schools of thought to Platonism, Nominalism, and Fictionalism?
Jordan S
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9
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What does Wittgenstein mean by "grammatical jokes"?
In §111 of his Philosophical Investigation, Ludwig Wittgenstein writes (my hopefully not-too-inept translation1):
Let’s ask ourselves: why do we perceive a grammatical joke as deep? (And that is what philosophical depth is.)
I would have guessed…
kjo
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9
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4 answers
The demarcation problem and the materialism/dualism debate?
Presumably the end game of dualist philosophers is to definitively prove the existence of ontologically separate mental states which cannot be reduced to brain states. If they succeed in doing so, then we would be able to make testable and…
Alexander S King
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9
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2 answers
What is Quine's rebuttal to Grice and Strawson's In Defense of Dogma?
In response to Quine's rejection of the analytic-synthetic distinction, Strawson and Grice appear to reduce Quine's rejection (or skepticism) of synonymy to a rejection of meaning. What is/would be Quine's response?
nietsnegttiw
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9
votes
5 answers
How does one prove De Morgan's laws for quantifiers?
One of De Morgan's laws state that ¬∃x P(x) is equivalent to ∀x ¬P(x), but how would one go about formally proving this?
Numerous attempts to find a solution have been futile, even proofwiki.org does not have a solution for this.
DrDeanification
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9
votes
1 answer
Where did Gödel write that first-order logic is the "true" logic?
In "On How Logic Became First-Order" Matti Eklund writes (p. 2/148):
It appears to be widely held today that arguments from Skolem and
Kurt Gödel, both alleged proponents of the thesis that standard firstorder
logic is “the logic” (or, if you…
user17111
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votes
4 answers
What are some introductory books about the philosophy of mathematics?
What well-written introductory books are there about a mathematical point of view on the philosophy of mathematics and its different school of thought?
By this I mean a book that has some mathematical treatment of the subject, for example it might…
Olivier
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How does plato distinguish between knowledge and belief?
How does plato distinguish between knowledge and belief? How is it based in his metaphysics?
Kartikay Sharma
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9
votes
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Is there any consensus on what the significance was in Kierkegaard's use of pseudonyms?
I took a class in Kierkegaard and it was represented that Kierkegaard's use of pseudonyms was highly significant. Either he meant what he said, or he was being ironic, or something else entirely. Is there an academic consensus forming around the…
JKim
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9
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Where do I turn after Stoics, Montaigne and Taleb?
If one liked primary and secondary works by and about Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592; e.g. his essays and biography) where could one turn to next? The Stoics and Nassim Nicholas Taleb come to mind. Who else? Any specific "modern" authors from Asian…
Drux
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9
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What's the name for an argument that "this book or this person says P is true, therefore P must be true"?
People often claim P is true because a single book or person says P is true. This is most often the case when the book or the person is said to be divine.
So is it a fallacy when people theorise the truth of P without substantiated evidence?
Karen
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9
votes
5 answers
What is the relation between a conditional sentence and the corresponding universal statement?
I had a technical question about conditionals. To use an example, consider the following conditional statement,
(1) If X is a man, then X is a father
I consider (1) to be false because I consider the following universal statement to be false,
(2)…
Hesperus
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9
votes
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Which of Nietzsche writing would be a good introduction to his work?
Similar to Which of Kant's writings would be a good introduction to his work? I've been planning to read some of Nietzsche's work for a while, but have no idea where to start. Which of his writings would be a good initial introduction to his…
mundeep
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9
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2 answers
Philosophical justification for giving certain animals rights of a person?
There is a growing movement for the bestowing certain non-human species with legal rights of a person. What might be some of the most significant or important philosophical arguments in favor of such a policy?
My understanding of the problem is that…
quant_dev
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