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Questions tagged [philosophy-of-psychology]

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3 votes
1 answer
37 views

Reference request: If a pillar of your life suffers, it doesn't take long before the other pilars begin to suffer

I remember 20 years ago, I read a quote about morals. The author stated that it was important to keep each pillar of ones life in order, because if one pillar gets compromised, the others will begin ...
2 votes
2 answers
177 views

Is sexual love merely a manifestation of human biological needs? [closed]

Is sexual love merely a manifestation of human biological needs and natural instincts, or does it transcend to a higher level of human experience where the emotional bond with the other is redefined ...
-1 votes
2 answers
40 views

Are memories henceforth forgotten after the last time they are recollected?

Consider the final time you will ever recollect a certain memory. Can we thus consider this memory to be forgotten from that point forward? There is an obvious difference between a memory that isn't ...
4 votes
6 answers
815 views

Is a false belief itself a harm?

No specific examples will be given, as the specifics here aren't the point. I'm also not talking about consequences of holding objectively false beliefs, nor in communicating them (knowingly or ...
1 vote
1 answer
60 views

Help with intentional instantiation in "The nature and plausibility of Cognitivism"

When the computer-based chess player is explained [1], the bottom level components of the chess playing heirarchy are intentionally instantiated by list processors. My question is this, doesn't ...
1 vote
0 answers
128 views

Mental health and philosophy

How much can the impacts of mental health effects can be seen in philosophy i.e., are there actual Philosophers that are rumored or have been found to have actually had some sort of diagnosis or shown ...
6 votes
5 answers
1k views

Is "mental illness" really a disease, an illness?

Or is it more like a character flaw we're not responsible for. I have read a bit on this, Szasz, some of the critical people, who I do not claim to be be representing except with the broadest strokes....
5 votes
2 answers
441 views

Is Psychoanalysis a Type of Phenomenology?

Psychoanalysis—be it Freudian, Jungian or Lacanian—is concerned with how reality is experienced by the subject as affected by his/her unconscious wishes, desires, sometimes even by archetypal myths, ...
2 votes
7 answers
163 views

Paradox of the Loving "I": Is there any theory to answer my Paradox?

I came up with this when I was reading about the Paradox of Fiction in one of my Aesthetic philosophy texts. Here it is: The Paradox of the Loving Individual: (1) One experiences themselves as a ...
2 votes
3 answers
105 views

Is social constructionism a falsifiable theory of human nature?

According to Karl Popper, a theory must be falsifiable to be a scientific theory. How would a social scientist falsify the theory of social constructionism? I understand that there are many individual ...
1 vote
0 answers
22 views

Is psychological egoism, or some other descriptive theory about some inescapable pattern of human nature, compatible with normativity?

Can true normative statements exist if our behaviour is determined by some uncontrollable process? If we can only act in our self-interest, is the norm 'you ought not kill' reasonable to hold someone ...
2 votes
2 answers
162 views

Where do morals come from? (Specifically someone who doesn't belive in God) [duplicate]

If someone doesn't believe in a God that gives Objective morals, where do they get their morals from? If life is this straightforward then no objective morality or even truth can be claimed. So why do ...
3 votes
1 answer
321 views

Can you help me understand Derek Parfit's thought experiment?

This is an excerpt from Parfit's Reasons and Persons. I can't totally wrap my head around it. Of course, I get the basic idea: Kate is a writer who works too hard. Her work makes her happy. But she ...
2 votes
3 answers
652 views

Is there a clear, objective difference between intelligence in the arts and the sciences? [closed]

Often, when referring to whether or not person A is "smart", discussion about Person A's political stance or their appreciation—or not—of art becomes part of the conversation. This leads me ...
2 votes
1 answer
250 views

When is mental illness a meaningful failure of wisdom?

Some philosophers think mental illness is a failure of function, to act rationally, others a failure of doing, but it can also at least involve failures of self appraisal, to accurately judge what is ...
2 votes
3 answers
181 views

If I use arguments to justify my belief in the existence of other minds, do I have to abandon the theory of mind?

If I use IBE arguments (the best explanation argument) or phenomenal conservatism to justify my belief in the existence of other minds, do I have to ignore theory of mind? That is, I should abandon ...
8 votes
3 answers
171 views

How does Whitehead explain repeated attempts of remembrance/recollection?

In Process and Reality one of the main concepts Whitehead talks about is the symbolic reference. A derivative element of the connection between symbolic type and meaning type of species (in Whitehead'...
2 votes
2 answers
79 views

What is this model of the world where people keep on selling ego to you?

I just got some cold pressed vegetable drink. It is supposed to be healthy, but it also tastes awful. It is expensive too, near US$6 a 16 oz bottle, so it could have problems selling. Then I notice ...
2 votes
4 answers
468 views

Does Freudian/Lacanian psychoanalysis drives toward irrationalism and low self-control?

Presentation: According to Freudian/Lacanian psychoanalysis: Human behavior is partly driven by the subconscious. The subconscious is a kind of psychological black box, inaccessible directly by the ...
3 votes
5 answers
256 views

What is a "disorder"?

The is-ought gap makes it so we can not derive an ought from an is, correct? Without teleology, how can there be such a thing as a "disorder" or "disability"? The word "...
1 vote
6 answers
1k views

Why is consent important?

We cannot see or feel consent. Why is it important when its existence cannot be proven? The importance of consent seems to rely on the principle of respect for autonomy or self-determination; for one ...
7 votes
4 answers
2k views

Can happiness be purely a state of mind?

Are there any mainstream philosophers (I assume it is meaningful to define such a subset of philosophers!) who argue that happiness can be a self-induced frame of mind? To put the question another way,...
4 votes
1 answer
154 views

Subjectivity and ethics surrounding mental illness diagnoses

I learnt the term 'anosognosia'; a 'lack of insight' into one's mental disorder. People who apparently 'suffer' from anosognosia are oblivious to the fact that they have a mental disorder, anosognosia ...
5 votes
2 answers
617 views

Which philosophers have considered irrational conviction

It seems a characteristic of humans to be convinced about a matter in the absence of overwhelming evidence, even where logic suggests that are other valid alternative positions to take. We see this in ...
3 votes
3 answers
492 views

Freud and (German) idealism

The French wikipedia article on German romanticism mentions a very strong tie between Freud psychoanalysis and German romanticism. German romantism is also said to have strong link with German ...
8 votes
8 answers
3k views

Why is something coming from nothing seen as less intuitive than something existing eternally?

Many people often use the infinite regress argument of causality to posit an entity that always existed or was eternal. In their eyes, it escapes the problem. But how does it escape the problem? If it ...
0 votes
2 answers
143 views

Are moral intuitions considered equally valid as other intuitions?

In reading this article on SEP about intuition: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/intuition/, the following statement is made: "Consider the claim that a fully rational person does not believe ...
2 votes
5 answers
1k views

Does mental illness imply that a person's philosophy is invalid?

I noticed that in society, people use mental illness labels such as "psychopath", "autist", "narcissist" or "schizo" to dehumanize individuals and invalidate ...
1 vote
5 answers
696 views

What is the difference between an egoist and a high-functioning psychopath?

Egoism is the philosophy that it is moral to act in one's own self-interest. Egoists who follow this therefore go throughout their life practicing this philosophy, just like all other people who hold ...
6 votes
4 answers
933 views

Why is ontological relativism so hard to digest for many people (philosophers)?

The nature of reality is something many people like to know. A regious person believes in god(s), a physicist be in particles and fields, or an Aboriginal believes in Dreamtime. So different cultures ...
3 votes
3 answers
471 views

Evil in Utopia?

Here I am using 'evil' less in the religious sense (for I assume that for many religions, evil is inseparable from an Earthly realm, whether it be utopian or not), than in the sense of something like '...
2 votes
0 answers
99 views

Nietzsche's model of sociality in the ubermensch

As I understand it, Fredrich Nietzsche-- at least in the latest works he had scribed before his death-- was neither an advocate of antisocial nor prosocial passions. How he professes this position is ...
8 votes
6 answers
1k views

What are some philosophical works that explore constructing meaning in life from an agnostic or atheist view?

I've been deeply suicidal for years, but it's gotten worse recently. I grew up Mormon, and last year I realized I couldn't believe in it anymore. I just couldn't; it would take too long to explain. I ...
0 votes
1 answer
155 views

Philosophy and personal identity

It seems to me that the concept of personal identity - as a coherent whole - is a corner stone of Western culture. We build a LinkedIn/Facebook/etc. profile to sell a whole personality. We go to ...
1 vote
2 answers
507 views

What is the inverse of anthropomorphism?

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. However, one often can observe the inverse happening as well. Namely the attribution of non-human ...
3 votes
3 answers
251 views

What is the strongest argument against Robert Gordons 'radical' simulation theory?

in the theory-theory vs simulation theory debate it seems although a lot of philosophers dismiss radical simulation and deem it so obviously wrong that not many even go into explaining why. I am ...
1 vote
2 answers
217 views

Which Philosophical Ideas Best Protect Us From Existential Suffering in a Society Increasingly Accepting of the Claim That There is No Free Will?

Discussion of free will seems increasingly prevalent in mainstream media, particularly Youtube and in reputable periodicals such as the Atlantic, the Conversation and the Guardian (to name a few). ...
-1 votes
1 answer
99 views

What's the purpose of truth that can be psychosocially manipulated? When are they "science-capable"?

What's the purpose of truth that can be psychosocially manipulated? When are they "science-capable"? Such as things related to e.g. deservingness personal worth fairness Since it's not ...
1 vote
1 answer
59 views

What is the best reason to object a pure theory-theory of mind reading (one that relies exclusively on a folk psychological theory)?

The theory-theory contends that when we attribute beliefs to others in order to explain and predict their behaviour (mind read) we use a a folk psychological theory. What is a good reason to object ...
2 votes
1 answer
135 views

What do philosophers mean when they say language has a psychological reality?

I came across this in trying to understand 'Ignorance of Language' by Michael Devitt, and the back and forth he has had around this topic with other philosophers. Any books (papers?) I can look at to ...
2 votes
1 answer
128 views

Philosophy of information question on the nature of computation

What is the most general definition of computation, and how does it differ from the more common definitions of it? What is the most general definition of computation and how does it differ from the ...
2 votes
1 answer
553 views

Logical behaviorism vs Functionalism

I'm a little unclear on where exactly the distinction is made between logical behaviorism and functionalism. The ability to experience pain, for instance, would seem to increase my chances of survival ...
-1 votes
3 answers
341 views

Is stoicism still relevant in modern world?

As the world with each day is becoming more hyperconnected and communication-centric, will being emotionally enduring and closed up self-destructive in the long-term? Is stoicism still relevant in the ...