Questions tagged [reference-request]
This tag should be used when the question is asking for specific references.
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Are there writers on the topic of an inherent human bias towards the value of rational thinking?
Some people place humans as 'higher animals' because we are uniquely capable of rational thought, while most other animals are not.
This assumes that the trait of rationality is superior to other ...
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3answers
62 views
How is/was “good” (as the contrary of bad) defined?
As Nietzsche differentiated there are two kind of good: this question focus is on the contrary of bad, not the contrary of evil.
There are quite a lot possibilities to define the common term "good". ...
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40 views
Criticism of stoicism
In relation to the writings of Epictetus or Seneca, what is some adequate criticism to stoicism? Any writings/papers dealing with that in particular?
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2answers
2k views
What did Kant say on the invention of new terms?
I remember I once read in Kant's "Kritik der Reinen Vernunft" about the tendency to come up with or invent new terms/words, about which he was quite "critical" (pun intended). I need the exact quote, ...
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1answer
102 views
On age and Wisdom
Often it happens that a writer will change their position over time. For example a consummate materialist in youth may temper their outlook with a pinch of idealism in more advanced years.
This state ...
2
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1answer
110 views
Philosophers who did not think that language is more special than cognition as a whole
There are pretty many philosophers who talked and wrote on the philosophy of language. Usually language only means the use of words and symbols, however, I noticed that symbols may have different ...
2
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1answer
58 views
Nietzsche aphorism about happiness - interpretation
THE DANGER IN HAPPINESS.--"Everything now turns out best for me, I now love every fate:--who would like to be my fate?"
From Beyond Good and Evil. I wondered if anyone could share some wisdom ...
6
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2answers
351 views
Book on Meinong's theory of objects
Could anyone please recommend a book to begin to learn about Meinong's theory of objects and "Meinong's Jungle". I thought a good one might be "Meinong's Theory of Objects and Values" by Findlay (1963)...
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49 views
On the nature of reality from different scientific views [closed]
I apologize from many imprecisions that you will find both in the grammatic and in the ideas.
Close your eyes and then reopen them. So: how does the universe, the experience, emerge?
Then, we can ...
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1answer
106 views
Is having a “type” ethical?
Some people have a particular “type”, a person with particular physical aspects that they look for in a partner.
What ethical frameworks can be used to evaluate this phenomena? Do those frameworks ...
6
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4answers
191 views
Are Platonic Forms alive?
Reading Dominic J. O'Meara's Plotinus, I noticed that he seems to be claiming that Plotinus looked at the Soul, Forms and the One as active and in some sense alive.
However, I am trying to get a ...
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Reference for book — cultural relativism — cognised/cognisable/real worlds (with golden dragon)
I am hoping someone can give me a reference for a book I read once. (I should [as in "would"] have a note, but if I do I can not find it.)
The book was, from memory, a collection of articles/...
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60 views
Does evil exist outside a mind: a reference request?
Evil seems related to intentions, but i am sure there are those that believe it can exist external to minds. Are there any philosophers that attempt to argue that evil can exist outside a mind?
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1answer
54 views
References discussing self-evident truths?
I am interested in philosophical or logic-based texts that discuss the nature of self-evident truths, which seem related to Alvin Plantinga's discussion of so-called properly basic beliefs. I am more ...
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1answer
171 views
What is the best proof that 1+1=2 by a person who was not Bertrand Russell?
The question says it all. Besides Russell and Whitehead, who are the philosophers and mathematicians who demonstrated successfully that 1+1=2? Extra bonus (i.e., a warm feeling inside) awarded for ...
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2answers
116 views
Authors who think war and violence are part of the American culture and economy
The United States Military budget exceeds the next 9 countries on the list combined ref. here. A great deal of Hollywood movies portrait the glory of war and present violence as something entertaining ...
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4answers
185 views
Would we choose to become psychopaths if we could?
Deep Brain Stimulation to stop major depression is a reality in its infancy hence let’s make a thought experiment:
Presume a much more advanced version of it was created and everybody
could ...
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1answer
129 views
If I cannot draw a world in a truth tree in modal logic does that mean that no other worlds exist for that statement?
Suppose I have a truth tree for a modal logic statement that is closed or is open but for which I cannot continue drawing worlds, does that mean that there are no other accessible worlds in that modal ...
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34 views
Anti-Positivist Texts
I am hoping someone can recommend good texts concerning interpretivist epistemology.
Thanks.
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2answers
149 views
Is Occam's razor about finding the “Best” or the “Worst”?
William of Ockham would, in the 14th century, scarcely have imagined how much Philosophy of science could change. Then when Bacon gave us Inductivism in the 17th century, an immediate synergy can be ...
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1answer
55 views
Authors on Transhumanism ending humanity as we know it
Humans are defined by plenty of animal instincts and impulses given by nature which affect our behaviour and existence in every way.
Tribalism, social rules, the need for a leader or an alpha male ...
4
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1answer
65 views
How to stay up-to-date on modern philosophy?
It is rather difficult to decide what to read, what is obsolete, and so forth.
How does one stay up-to-date on modern philosophical thought? Are there journal apps which show new essays, articles, ...
4
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1answer
89 views
Is there a summary of Russell’s Principia Mathematica?
Perhaps better, is there an accessible version of the Principia? I am looking for a summary that would summarize and clarify Russell’s reasoning behind his famous conclusion that 1 + 1 = 2.
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1answer
64 views
Authors on leaders, leadership, and the crave for power
Where does the need to become a leader come from? Is it an animal instinct and humans as social animals need an alpha male figure to lead the mob? Are individuals who eager for power dangerous for ...
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3answers
2k views
What would a fractal universe tell us about Time?
To begin with let's look at what is known as the coastline paradox. Briefly it goes like this: If you measure the circumference of Britain with a 1km long stick, and then do the same with a 100m long ...
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2answers
58 views
Article on Daniel Dennett's view of the mind-body problem?
I am taking my first philosophy class; is there a relatively short article (<30 pages preferably) on Dennett's view of the mind-body problem?
I have read his "Where am I", but that just seems like ...
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3answers
130 views
Objectivity in science
In my view scientists make experiments and get results. Then, usually they interpret these results (theories). We may agree that experiments' results are objective, at least if they are reproducible. ...
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2answers
100 views
Authors on wars influencing societies [closed]
Let's presume Nazi Germany did not happen. Young kids would not have references on how damaging extreme nationalism can be therefore the Third Reich could have append anywhere in the world an can ...
2
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1answer
79 views
Authors who link religions to Plato's Noble lie
Noble Lie as taught by Plato is a lie created to keep the social order and harmony.
Are there any remarkable authors who understood religions as such?
2
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1answer
41 views
What modern, nonspecialist translations of Boethius, “The Consolation of Philosophy”, are available?
I'm presently reading a PG ebook of The Consolation of Philosophy and realizing it is great for me to read but the translation is hard reading to offer non-philosophers / non-scholars who visit my ...
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4answers
223 views
Can / Should Philosophy be made more 'accessible'?
Metallica and Philosophy: A Crash Course in Brain Surgery edited by
William Irwin
"...metal up your ass!" - I kid you not, that's a quote from a purportedly serious philosophical work (ref. above)....
5
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0answers
35 views
In which writings does Charles Sanders Peirce generalize the idea of freedom so that it applies to all creatures?
Charles Hartshorne claimed that
Peirce was pretty close to the first philosopher in the world who generalized the idea of freedom so that it applied to all the creatures....
In which writings ...
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0answers
31 views
Recommendation: Second Order Logic textbook
I'm looking into Universalist Realism, Nominalism, Trope theory and the application of Second Order logic to each of them, however I have little/no experience with Second Order logic. Please let me ...
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0answers
44 views
Foucault and scientific revolutions
In the famous debate between Foucault and Chomsky (link), Foucault argues that there is no human nature really because, among other things, a scientific revolution in some science is just a revolution ...
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3answers
113 views
Authors on Truth over Illusion to achieve happiness
It is accepted that white lies and creating fantasies is sometimes needed to deal with psychological pain specially with children. Sometimes reality is hard to deal with therefore people tend to ...
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2answers
361 views
Aristotle's Categories with academic commentary
I am looking for books on Aristotle's Categories with academic commentary, preferably with references to further development of logic.
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1answer
28 views
What's a Good Introduction/Summary to Probabilistic Logic?
I hadn't even heard of Probabilistic Logic before today. My world view was already leaning in this direction as I never really put much stock in either the law of the excluded middle or the principal ...
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1answer
35 views
How to categorize a certain pattern of argumentation?
There happens to be a pattern where a discussant makes a statement about the world and his/her partner retorts with another statement or usually a question that translates the subject onto a ...
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2answers
348 views
What is the impact of video games on philosophy?
Video games are a quite recent invention and they became popular far after being invented, maybe by 90s. However, I think video games somehow affected my worldview and produced some ideas. I will give ...
4
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1answer
61 views
Can there be different levels of evil to a thought?
With reference to the subject matter treated in these questions:
Can the act of having certain thoughts be unethical?
Evil thoughts without actions?
EDIT: The below "thoughts" can be ...
2
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1answer
51 views
Buddhist canon database
Is there an online database that either contains the Buddhist canon in either English or Chinese?
I've had a difficult time tracking down first hand sources other than the usual suspects (Heart ...
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3answers
100 views
What are the most popular introductory logic textbooks, and what sets them apart from each other?
I plan to choose one and read it.
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2answers
148 views
Can I truly express my thoughts?
Looking at the Private language argument it occurs to me that Wittgenstein does not really account for the developmental nature of language:
Temporal and spacial separation of Speakers will ...
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1answer
62 views
Books on the logic of science
I was recently skimming through Nagels "The Structure of Science", and I wonder if there are other books that go through the philosophy of science through a logical point of view; That is, I am ...
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1answer
34 views
Are there any sources dealing with Clark's *Without Evidence or Argument: A Defense of Reformed Epistemology*?
Clark's argument seems to be in response to Clifford's Ethics of Belief. Are there any sources which attempt to defend Clifford's argument against Clark's supposed rebuttal?
Thank you very much, any ...
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3answers
47 views
When we talk about a general concept, we imagine a particular instance
I'm looking to find some resources to read about the following:
When we talk about a general concept (the word pencil in "a pencil is made of wood"), we actually have a mental image of a particular ...
3
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2answers
177 views
My first thought is always: I AM
This question is derivative of the question here: Could 'cogito ergo sum' possibly be false?
It is noted by authors such as Nietzsche and Kierkegaard that there are several assumptions ...
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2answers
41 views
Where did Rorty claim no essential difference between Philosophy and Literary Criticism/Theory?
What's the source for this comment?
Rorty infamously claimed (in so many words) that there is no essential difference between philosophy and litcrit.
Has any other philosophers argued this?
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1answer
70 views
Ethics vs manipulation: Is it ethical to manipulate and is ethics a form of manipulation?
Are there ethical frameworks in which manipulation is acceptable? Knowing that we are being raised and conditioned to accept an ethical framework since early childhood is it fair to say that all ...
2
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1answer
59 views
**Choose Choice**
Choose choice, means: When all other things are equal, then the preferred choice would be the one that allows for the greatest number of subsequent choices.
Has any philosopher proposed this or ...
