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1500 questions
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Why did Aldous Huxley not include the Zohar/Kabbalah in "The Perennial Philosophy"?
The Perennial Philosophy presents a universalist interpretation of the world's religions through a comparative study of a collection of mystical writings, from both Eastern and Western philosophies. Although I have a brief understanding of the…
user29568
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Self-interest leading to the public interest via the invisible hand?- Adam Smith
Adam Smith argued that the pursuit of self-interest will lead to the public interest - the public good - by the mechanism of the invisible hand. Does this argument hold only for a perfect economic system and in a business context? Does this mean we…
user30435
8
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Why does all of existence take place through my subjective point of view?
Asking such a question almost seems a bit insane. While I agree that there certainly seems to exist an objective external reality of which I seem to be a part of, I can never experience existence in a truly objective way (by not being a part of it…
virtore
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What exactly is the CTMU?
http://www.ctmu.org/
Recently I read about this guy with a really high IQ, Chris Langan, who crafted an ultimate theory of reality - CTMU, Cognitive-Theoretical Model of the Universe - which he presents as the final answer to all our questions about…
Malik
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Is there a term for the position "no determinism but no free will"?
Often when free will is discussed, there are three main positions espoused:
Libertarian: The universe is not deterministic and there is free will
Hard-determinism: The universe is deterministic and there is no free will
Compatibilism: The universe…
Bridgeburners
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Is the idea of dividing the universe into particles anything more than a convenience?
In theory, we speak of a particle as having properties.
In reality, the measurement of any property is just an interaction between the target to be measured, and the measuring apparatus, where the measurement affects both the target and the…
z5h
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8
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Contemporary objections to "human nature"
Motivation
The sentiment that Human Rights are not universal poses legal, political, and philosophical problems. Stephen C. Angle cites the head of a Chinese delegation, Liu Huaqiu (1995), in his book Angle, S. C. (2002). Human rights in Chinese…
Philip Klöcking
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8
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Am I morally obligated to campaign for a cause I believe in?
I have been wondering recently to what extent am I morally obligated to campaign for a cause that I believe in.
For example, there is a referendum on abortion rights coming up in my country and I have made up my decision on what way I would like to…
nating
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8
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Kant -- What does it mean to treat someone merely as a means?
Seems like circumventing someone's rational agency, their ability to choose their own end is what it means to treat someone merely as a means. But putting people in prison is circumventing their rational agency/their ability to choose their own end,…
Robert C
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8
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Why does science carry so much weight in philosophy when it is highly fallacious?
Science works like this:
We observe some phenomenon X.
We form one or more hypothesis about what the relationship between X and something else might be.
We evaluate the predictive power of the hypothesis through attempted falsification--an ideal…
Dular
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8
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What are the similarities/differences between how Kant thinks 'noumenon' limits understanding compared to C.S. Peirce?
Kant stated in Critique of Pure Reason, pg. 273:
What our understanding acquires through this concept of a noumenon, is a negative extension; that is to say, understanding is not limited through sensibility; on the contrary, it itself limits…
Byday
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8
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Why did Gödel believe that there was a conspiracy to suppress Leibniz's works?
It is known that Gödel was obsessed with Leibniz, and apparently he even believed that their was a worldwide conspiracy among academics to suppress Leibniz's works. Does anyone know where this came from?
user4281
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Has pragmatism really been motivated to move away from necessity? Has it succeeded?
According to pragmatists, in ages of yesteryear the philosophical project aimed at determining the ultimate foundation of knowledge. Interspersed throughout history have been reactions to this foundationalism. Kant, under most pragmatic…
user28843
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8
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What are the arguments against the emergence of mind?
There are theories that state that a mind or human consciousness emerged from the properties of underlying systems, e.g. physical properties of the atoms of the brain, or biological properties of the cells in the brain.
What are the arguments that…
Bob
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What point is Richard Dawkins trying to make here? Is it a fallacy?
Richard Dawkins said
It is often said, mainly by the 'no-contests', that although there is no positive evidence for the existence of God, nor is there evidence against his existence. So it is best to keep an open mind and be agnostic. At first…
dududududu
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