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1500 questions
8
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4 answers
A different approach to punishing criminals
I recently had a discussion with somebody who had read the book "Children of Mother Earth" by the Dutch author Thea Beckman. She claimed that in the book, the idea was proposed to no longer lock up criminals, but mark them in the face instead so…
Honoki
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8
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Do we know whether we know something?
Intuitively, it seems pretty obvious that, for a given proposition p, we know whether or not we know p.
I am not sure how to express this more formally (e.g. as a property of the relevant epistemic accessibility relation). I remember that belief, as…
anon
8
votes
6 answers
Is Ayn Rand's Objectivism practical at all?
I just read Atlas Shrugged and was wondering if the kind of moral objectivism suggested in there is even practical in real life.
For example, I have an IT assignment to do for high school, and we have been assigned groups. My partners are all…
Richard Nixon
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8
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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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5 answers
Brahma, Brahman, Brahmin, and Atman?
In Hinduism and Indian philosophy, what is the difference between Brahma, Brahman, Brahmin, and Atman?
Nate
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8
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3 answers
Presentism and simultaneity
Presentism is the position that all that exists, exists in the present. Though one can speak of the past, and of events in the past, strictly speaking (in this position), there is no temporal event located there, that we are strictly referring to…
Mozibur Ullah
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8
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3 answers
Which philosopher discusses simultaneously considering an opinion and its opposite?
I remember reading somewhere that philosophical thinking was about being able to simultaneously consider one opinion and its opposite, or something of the like. Where was that? I am pretty sure it was in a philosophy book. The idea has grown on me,…
Leo
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8
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3 answers
What philosopher said that knowledge is about discerning differences?
I have heard that knowledge is discerning differences or to that effect. For example, if all things are the same such that there is no differentiating qualities, we can't really speak of anything interesting (think about pitch-dark environment). I…
moonset
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8
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1 answer
Does Sartre ever talk about irrelevance?
Does Sartre ever talk about authenticity in terms of irrelevance?
I think that authenticity means (amongst other things) both being irrelevant and failing to act: that membership of a group which cannot achieve its goals despite having (relevance)…
user6917
8
votes
6 answers
Time and space – a subject of metaphysics?
The entry metaphysics from SEP (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) also deals with space and time, see chapter 3.2.
I am not convinced that metaphysics does contribute with any new insight to the subject. More, I suspect that the author of the…
Jo Wehler
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8
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Who first proposed the homogeneity of physical law?
Its taken as granted that physical law does not vary in space and time; everywhere and at everytime it is the same.
When was this properly suggested? My first inclination would be Newtons physical presupositions on time and space; I don't recall…
Mozibur Ullah
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8
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6 answers
Why should science be falsifiable?
Why should science be falsifiable?
Furthermore, should disciplines - like astrophysics that are extremely hard to experiment on - be considered as a science in a standing point of philosophy?
I know what falsifiability is, but I would like to know…
Shing
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8
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4 answers
To what extent does our knowledge derive from the senses?
By tradition, the problem that dictates where our knowledge is derived divides from two philosophical circles; those who affirm that our knowledge of the world comes from our senses, such as David Hume, an empiricist, and those who proclaim that it…
nderjung
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8
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8 answers
That which is necessary is moral?
"That which is necessary is legal" is a doctrine practiced by sane states, so I would like to believe.
What has been said about "That which is necessary is moral"?
Red Rackham
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5 answers
How has the philosophy of war changed since Sun Tzu's The Art of War?
The Art of War, an ancient military treatise written by Sun Tzu, is composed of thirteen chapters detailing strategies for war ranging from simply laying plans to the extensive use of fire and spies against one's enemies. For centuries, it has been…
Edward Black
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