This tag should be used when the question is asking for specific references.
Questions tagged [reference-request]
1087 questions
105
votes
26 answers
How does one know one is not dreaming?
How does one know one is not dreaming? How could one logically demonstrate to a skeptic that one is "really" there, awake and not just dreaming about the entire situation/world around him?
What I'm asking is: which if any philosophers have addressed…
wizlog
- 1,216
- 2
- 12
- 10
51
votes
15 answers
Does Pascal's Wager contain any logical flaws or fallacies?
Blaise Pascal's famous wager was that even if the existence of God cannot be determined through reason, a rational person should wager as though God exists, because living life accordingly has everything to gain, and nothing to lose.
What logical…
John Lyon
- 764
- 1
- 6
- 10
46
votes
6 answers
What are the major branches of philosophy?
What are the major branches of philosophy?
(For instance, as a first-order approximation, mathematics can be sub-divided into three main categories at the first level: Analysis, Algebra, and Geometry.)
What are the first few books that every person…
user16
42
votes
16 answers
How to get started with philosophy without getting overwhelmed quickly?
I’ve spent a lot of time trying to find how to get started with philosophy but I can’t. It seems that getting started with computer programming is nothing in comparison - with computer programming it’s like: here are how if statements and for loops…
SBel
- 529
- 1
- 5
- 4
34
votes
17 answers
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
- 716
- 1
- 9
- 21
31
votes
11 answers
Where and how can I get started in contemporary philosophy?
We are living in an unprecedented era of philosophical research and development where "big thought" is once again everywhere. And yet I feel like I hear this question so often:
Where to begin studying contemporary
philosophy, where are the most…
Joseph Weissman
- 9,432
- 8
- 47
- 86
31
votes
1 answer
Difference between implication/conditional and logical entailment?
What is the difference between the implication/conditional truth function and the notion of logical entailment?
My naive understanding as a computer programmer is that the conditional is a function on two Boolean inputs, whereas entailment is some…
user
- 467
- 1
- 4
- 8
26
votes
7 answers
What are some works that apply an axiomatic method to something other than mathematics?
The axiomatic method is today mostly associated with mathematics. However, historically there have been some works, as for example Spinoza's Ethics, that have applied axiomatic method to philosophy, or Woodger's The Axiomatic Method in Biology,…
Q__
- 363
- 2
- 6
26
votes
3 answers
What are the major research programmes in contemporary logic?
As an interested outsider who is prone to reading about different formulations of logic, I've become interested in better understanding the big picture of what people are trying to accomplish as they are researching logic, or merely talking about…
Niel de Beaudrap
- 9,960
- 4
- 31
- 52
24
votes
11 answers
What are some criticisms of Epicurus' "death is nothing to us"?
Epicurus famously asserted that death should not be feared, with roughly the following argument:
When we die, we no longer exist;
Since we no longer exist, we can feel neither pain nor pleasure. Rather, we simple "are not";
Therefore, there is…
commando
- 7,281
- 6
- 37
- 69
23
votes
7 answers
Did the Ancient Greek Philosophers actually believe in their Gods and Myths?
Is there any historical proof that shows what attitude the Ancient Greeks, specially the philosophers, had towards their Gods?
user22051
21
votes
13 answers
Why is it wrong to answer a question with a tautology? Isn't "2+2" correct when answering 'What is "2+2"'?
Many times in class, we are asked to answer, "What is 2+2?" or "What is the derivative of the function x?". It would not be the intended answer to write "2+2" or "The derivative of the function x". But, why not? A tautology is technically a correct…
user107952
- 4,798
- 21
- 36
21
votes
5 answers
What responses are there to Singer's "Should this be the last generation?"?
The article can be found here.
It deals with many issues, but what I would really like to see a response to is the following paragraph:
[W]hy don’t we make ourselves the last generation on earth? If we would all agree to have ourselves sterilized…
Xodarap
- 2,770
- 14
- 24
21
votes
4 answers
What are some good books about the philosophy of quantum mechanics?
I am fascinated about the implications of quantum mechanics to philosophy. Where can I find good references to the philosophy of quantum mechanics, and its implications for realism/antirealism, holism, contextuality, causality, determinism,…
Kaplan
- 211
- 1
- 3
19
votes
6 answers
What is the origin of the Continental vs. Analytic divide?
There's been much ado about the divisiveness between Heidegger and Husserl fans on the one side, with Frege and Russell stalwarts on the other. I'm mostly amused by accounts of name-calling between Derrida and Searle. With regards to the C/A divide…
Ryder
- 2,426
- 16
- 31