Questions tagged [reference-request]
This tag should be used when the question is asking for specific references.
1,153
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Did anyone offered a resolution to Hilbert's most important question?
In 1900, Hilbert identified what he said was the most important unresolved question in the mathematics of the time:
But above all I wish to designate the following as the most important among the ...
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What are some resources for writing professional philosophical research articles?
I am a philosophy graduate student. I have written several papers, but I've never been able to publish them, and they all got rejected. Therefore, I started to think that my skills were not good ...
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What characteristics define something as a mathematical entity?
It is easy to give examples of mathematical entities: Natural numbers, geometrical figures, sets, functions of variables ranging over numerical sets, etc. The list seems endless. Yet, listing those ...
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Reference request for books and papers that defend necessitarianism
I am someone who believes that only the actual is possible, that everything that is, is necessarily the case. I believe that position is a strong form of actualism, often called necessitarianism. I ...
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Is there such a thing as the philosophy of economics, and if so, can I read some texts on it?
I understand that there is a philosophy behind pretty much every science, like philosophy of physics and philosophy of biology. So, what about the philosophy of economics? Is there such a thing, and ...
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Does determinism nullify the science of economics?
The science of economics is based on the assumption that people can make choices. But, for someone like me who believes that the universe is deterministic, this assumption is false, or at least I ...
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Can somebody help me choose relevant literature
I want to excuse myself beforehand if this is an inappropriate question on this forum.
I'm just starting studying and I need literature for my little paperwork in a philosophy seminar. The main line ...
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What are the solutions for the symbolic representation of individual entities within formal logic expressions?
What are the different solutions proposed in the academic literature to represents symbolically individual entities within formal logic expressions?
One solution I am aware of is to use Latin letters. ...
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Which philosopher proved that propositions cannot be neither true nor false?
Where can I find a comprehensive discussion of the idea that some propositions are neither true nor false?
I know of Łukasiewicz but his discussion seems rather limited.
Which philosopher if any tried ...
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Is conceivability relative to the subject?
Is conceivability relative to the subject? By this, I mean, can some beings conceive more things, or different things, than other beings? Personally, I believe the answer is yes. I believe that, for ...
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Reference request for the definition of logic
I am looking for philosophical texts on the question of what the definition of logic is or should be. I am pretty sure many logicians and philosophers have written about that philosophical topic. I ...
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Who first said: "Never deny, seldom affirm, always distinguish"?
In the context of medieval scholastic disputations, what is the origin of the axiom "Never deny, seldom affirm, always distinguish" ("Numquam negare, raro affirmare, semper distinguere&...
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What is Richard’s paradox?
I am about to try to read through the Wikipedia article and invite anyone to give an introduction or clarification.
(I first learned of this paradox from Gödel’s paper on “formally undecidable ...
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On the conceivability of philosophical zombies [duplicate]
A big question in the philosophy of consciousness is whether philosophical zombies are conceivable, and if they are, are they also metaphysically possible. I believe the answer is yes. At least, I can ...
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Are philosophical theories and "-isms" even testable?
I recently asked how we can even know which philosophical interpretation of probability is correct, here: How can we even know which philosophical interpretation of probability is correct?. However, ...
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What passage in Aquinas's Summa does this refer to?
From Chapter 18 of R. A. Lafferty's historical novel Okla Hannali:
There is an interesting question in the Summa of St. Thomas Aquinas and also in an old science fiction story, the name of which I ...
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Inferring underlying codes from surface manifestations - who said it?
In Anthony Giddens' The Constitution of Society, page 16, he writes:
As conceptualized in structuralist and post-structuralist thought, on
the other hand, the notion of structure is more interesting. ...
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How do Philosophy students deal with archaic and old English in Philosophy books?
I am from India and English is my third language. When I tried to get into Philosophy, the first book I picked up was Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Even though I liked the book, the archaic grammar ...
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How to start learning philosophy and overcome my bias towards mathematics?
I am interested and curious about philosophy, especially topics like morals, justice, ethics, etc. I want to read books that explain the philosophy behind them. However, I am very ignorant and I don’t ...
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Philosophy books for STEM people
I have a background in STEM. Specially, I started as an engineering student but quickly my interests escalated to core sciences then mathematics. I would now like to explore the domains of Philosophy. ...
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Can an action be both determined and free?
The classical argument against free will, is that, in a deterministic universe, since everything is determined, so are human actions, and thus no human action is free. But this relies on the hidden ...
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Does necessitarianism make the concept of law of nature vacuous?
I am someone who believes that everything is necessary, that only the actual is possible. However, I came across a somewhat disturbing implication of my view. I believe my view entails that every true ...
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Are there or have there been notable philosophers who believe in Nullism?
Monism is the philosophical view that only one thing exists. However, I want to know, if there are or have been notable philosophers who believe in Nullism? I made up that term, to describe the belief ...
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Where does Leibniz discuss the value of variety?
I believe that I remember that Leibniz put strong value upon the varieties found in the world, e.g. as between human cultures and in nature. What are some good references for this?
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What is the "fourth term" of the Hegelian dialectic?
Paul accomplishes his objective only by defining a fourth discourse, which could be called mystical, as the margin for his own. As if every schema of discourses had to configure a quadrangle. But is ...
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Does submitting in PhilArchive affect submission in journals?
I wanted to submit a paper to PhilArchive (an open-access e-print archive in philosophy). If I want to submit this paper to a journal afterwards, does this prior submission to PhilArchive affect the ...
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What is the definition of nothingness?
I am asking this question because I read Lawrence Krauss's book "A Universe from Nothing". I have also read a lot of criticism of that book, saying that Krauss's "nothingness" is ...
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Can God violate the laws of mathematics and logic? [duplicate]
Can an omnipotent being like God violate the laws of mathematics and logic? Personally, I don't even believe in God, but I am just asking purely hypothetically if such a being could violate the laws ...
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What would be the best textbook for a philosophy of mind intro course for psychology majors?
My area of expertise is logic and philosophical logic, but I'll be teaching an introductory course on the philosophy of mind to second semester psychology majors (taking cognitive science as a minor). ...
3
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What is the "historicised a priori"?
While browsing this question I stumbled upon the concept of historicised a priori citing Dilthey and Foucalt.
Can somebody explain this concept to me?
Also, could anyone point me in the direction of ...
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Are there any recommended resources for exploring the dynamics of power relationships within the context of teacher-student interactions?
I am interested in the interplay of power within the educational setting, specifically focusing on the role of the teacher as a potential authoritarian figure akin. It seems that the traditional ...
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8
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Is there a difference between knowing, and knowing for certain?
When one knows something, do they also know it for certain? Or is knowing distinct from knowing for certain? I find a statement like, "I know X, but I don't know X for certain" to be pretty ...
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Can science prove statements to be true?
I know that mathematics can prove certain statements to be true, which we call theorems. But what about science? Can science prove statements to be true? Note, just because a statement can't be proven ...
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What would be a recent follow-up or alternative to Pylyshyn's 1984 book on "Computation and Cognition: Toward a Foundation for Cognitive Science"?
I was exposed to Zenon Pylyshyn's work through my master's thesis work in Cognitive Science. Recently, I picked up his 1984 book on "Computation and Cognition: Toward a Foundation for Cognitive ...
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Does necessitarianism imply that every true statement about the physical world is a law of physics?
I am someone who believes that nothing is possible except the actual. In my view, all non-actual possible statements are false. So, for example, the statements "Unicorns could have evolved on ...
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Is the fact of consciousness moving through time compatible with a block universe?
We all experience consciousness as moving through time. I wonder, is that fact compatible with a block universe? I actually do believe in the block universe, but I wonder if any philosopher has found ...
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What does "fundamental" mean?
Electrons and photons are fundamental, while chairs and tables are not. Some theories of physics also state that space or time or both, are not fundamental. But what does that mean, "fundamental&...
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Turing machines, thinking and category mistakes
According to my recollection, some philosophers have argued that it is a category mistake to ascribe intelligence to Turing machines, because Turing machines are abstract mathematical objects.
What ...
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Is there a recognized topic in philosophy regarding the fallaciousness of debating what the ‘correct’ definition of a word is?
Or, what the defining properties of some thing are.
For example, I might say, “Socialism is a government in which such-and-such happens,” and someone else might say, “No, socialism is when a society ...
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Why has the word 'Existential' become so popular [closed]
Ten to twenty years ago the word Existential hardly ever appeared in print. Nowadays it appears everywhere. Politicians, Scientists, Newscasters and everybody in between is using it.
The following is ...
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Resource request for philosophical arguments regarding the ethics of killing animals
If we consider the animals have a right to live, then killing them for consumption should be considered a violation of their rights. On the other hand, if we don't consider that animals have a right ...
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What is it that is done when we DO mathematics?
I want to understand more deeply and philosophically what exactly mathematicians do.
Wikipedia
lists some major subareas like analysis, geometry but ends its lead paragraph with
There is no general ...
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How do we know that the mind is not a physical entity?
Most people believe that the mind is separate from the physical world. But how do we actually know that? Maybe the mind is a physical object. Of course, to answer this question, we need a rigorous ...
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Reference request - why relationships are mostly "first come, first served" [closed]
Kind of in-between philosophy and psychology.
I am interested in the topic about why it is always "first come, first served" in life. Especially in relationships.
I'll take one anology with ...
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I would like to learn about theory of supposition. Can you recommend any good books/video/etc about it?
I encountered following syllogism as an example of false equitation:
Man is a species
Socrates is a man
Therefore, Socrates is a species
The text ("An Introduction to Traditional Logic" by ...
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What is the best reference for understanding inductive theories of knowledge?
I am looking for a pedagogical outline of the inductive theory of knowledge. Something along the lines of a level textbook (graduate or undergraduate) reference rather than references to classic texts....
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Do philosophers analyze the term 'thing'?
'Thing' seems like a special word since it can be used to refer to almost anything. Is it an undefined term, or have philosophers tried to define it? If they haven't analyzed it, is there a similar ...
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Multi idea books
A lot of modern and popular books are based on one idea, basically a single idea expanded upon 300 pages. What seminal philosophical or scientific book of the last 200 years has introduced a multitude ...
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Numbers and Time
This is my first post on philosophy stack exchange, so I apologize in advance if this question is not well-defined or if it happens to be a duplicate. If so, feel free to link the corresponding post(s)...
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Why "Goodness is from the whole cause; evil is from any defect."?
Where does this aphorism originate? Why is it true?
Goodness is from the whole cause; evil is from any defect.
Bonum est ex integra causa, malum ex quocumque defectu.
I've seen some sources say ...