Used when an inquisitor or question posed might occur at the undergraduate or lower level of institutional philosophical pedagogy. Certain basic ideas about metaphysics, ontology, and epistemology often occur to adults without philosophical education. Common recurring introductory questions ask after answers commonly satisfied by introductory articles, and sometimes such entries are themselves unclear and overly complicated.
Questions tagged [introduction-to-philosophy]
89 questions
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11 answers
Isn't every theory or model wrong?
I'm currently in class 12 and I was about different models of atoms in my school chemistry book and there were like 3 or 4 atomic models Rutherford's model, Thompson's model , Bohr's model then finally Quantum Mechanical model.
After reading every…
Shardul
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17
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7 answers
What type of fallacy is it when people in undeveloped countries claim something it's true, because developed countries do it?
A fallacy that we hear a lot here in undeveloped countries, and which is so deeply annoying, it's that something is true because the developed countries do it. It's particularly annoying because many times when developed countries make a mistake,…
Pablo
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16
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Why can't numbers be 'used up'?
I was speaking with a young student who has been learning about addition and subtraction (essentially functions, but he doesn't know that yet) with the idea of a 'number machine' and he could not understand how when you put '2' into the machine it's…
Confused
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Should I trust my own thoughts when studying philosophy?
I sometimes find myself disagreeing with Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy or other seasoned philosophers. However, I am scared to trust my own thoughts lest my ideas are erroneous. I do not know whether to back myself and to have confidence in my…
tryingtobeastoic
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Why is a set with one element distinct from the element itself?
Why do we consider a set which is treated for all intents and purposes as a 'collection' with one element as being different from the element itself? In this 'collection' there is one element, and only one element, if we have one thing we would…
Confused
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How To Distinguish Between Philosophy And Non-Philosophy?
Surely not all thinking or intellectual effort is philosophy, right?
Where to draw line between philosophy and all other thinking?
What, if any, feature is present only in philosophy?
DareWithTruth
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10
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Mathematical Platonism. Are numbers real?
Often heard this being asked: Are numbers real?
As an answer I offer my own analysis for what its worth.
The color green is considered real. As per scientists it's only distinguishing quality is that it has a wavelength of 555 nm. In essence we're…
Agent Smith
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Is there a way to tell if something is science versus pseudoscience?
Is there a litmus test to know whether something is science or pseudoscience?
There are many things which is quite ambiguous like ayurveda, homeopathy, psychology, biology, etc...
quanity
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How much suffering is needed for an overall happy life?
Premise: I have not studied Philosophy, and maybe I am out of context.
My question arises from two simple considerations:
Empirically, there seems to be no true happiness without some suffering (extreme example: happiness given by chemical drugs is…
rod
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Can we doubt all knowledge?
Can we doubt all knowledge from all sources (perception, reports, and reason)?
Regarding doubting reason, reason can't be proven, it is preceived and judged instantly by our logic, but what if our logic is not true?
Did anyone ever doubt that much?…
AZeed
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7
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Is all change movement?
Is there a change in the universe that cannot be reduced to movement? One counter-example should be enough. :)
Heat is a type of change that was once thought to be qualitative, but is now realized to be quantitative, the movement of particles. So…
Olle Härstedt
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7
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10 answers
Does prediction really have epistemic value?
I am having trouble understanding why the act of predicting something gives it any sort of value or makes a theory more likely to be true. If a scientific theory explained everything in hindsight, such as evolution, why would it matter even if it…
thinkingman
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Are there questions that science can't answer, but philosophy can?
Are there questions that science can't answer, but philosophy can? I can't think of any such questions. But, perhaps there are such questions. I would like some examples. Note, such questions have to satisfy both clauses: 1) Science can't answer it…
user107952
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The location of a single object in empty space
Is it correct to assume that if there is only one object in the void (really empty void), then its location (the answer to the question “where” this object is) cannot be established?
You need at least two objects to be able to tell where each one…
ggk hj
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On the connection between science and reality
My question is basically targetting various sciences that we use to understnad the real world and how we form laws in them.
For example, in physics, we first see sometthing in the real world. Let it be Newton seeing the apple fall down or anything…
Aveer Singh
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