Questions tagged [reference-request]
This tag should be used when the question is asking for specific references.
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0answers
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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?
2
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1answer
41 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
142 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
108 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
170 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 ...
1
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1answer
127 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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0answers
32 views
Anti-Positivist Texts
I am hoping someone can recommend good texts concerning interpretivist epistemology.
Thanks.
3
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2answers
138 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
49 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
61 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
77 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
63 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 ...
2
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2answers
53 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 ...
3
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3answers
124 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
99 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
64 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?
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0answers
15 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 ...
5
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4answers
211 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
33 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
27 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 ...
1
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0answers
38 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 ...
1
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3answers
109 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
350 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.
2
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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 ...
1
vote
1answer
34 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 ...
5
votes
2answers
347 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
59 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
votes
1answer
47 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
89 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.
2
votes
2answers
145 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 ...
1
vote
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 ...
1
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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 ...
1
vote
3answers
39 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 ...
2
votes
2answers
153 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 ...
2
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1answer
29 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
63 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
57 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 ...
1
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1answer
93 views
What (who) to read before reading Kant
I am going to be taking an undergraduate course with a prof who marks quite severely. She mentioned that the course expects a working knowledge of Early Modern Philosophy, and specifically to read the ...
1
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1answer
95 views
History of philosophy - not chronological but thematic
I was reading in the recent past the multivolume History of Philosophy of F.Copleston.
It is essentially the only interesting history of philosophy (along with the multivolume Routhledge History of ...
0
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2answers
65 views
Authors that wrote on how to look for the truth efficiently?
The human mind is perhaps not efficient when it comes to looking for the truth, specially when you are emotionally attached to an idea about any subject such us close relatives, God, your government, "...
3
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1answer
93 views
Who said that questions can only be asked if the askers roughly knows the answers?
I remember it was Marx who said this as a thought for Hegel's take on history, but searching for keyword answer in his Wikiquote page doesn't yield any result. The exact quote might be very different ...
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3answers
81 views
Can my attitude kill you? Part 2
This question follows on (sort off):
Can my attitude kill you?
Taking attitude to mean: The unique medley of ideas that makes the person.
Suppose I'm a doubly depressed neurotic pessimist. Who can ...
2
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3answers
128 views
Can my attitude kill you?
Would it be morally reprehensible to tell a truth to someone if I know or suspect that it may cause them harm or discomfort? Of course there are trivial instances like telling a dying man he is going ...
4
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7answers
376 views
Is atheism about the existence of Deities or a personal perception of Sacredness?
Wikipedia on atheism:
Atheism is, in the broadest sense, the absence of belief in the existence of deities.
Now what about deities?
A deity is a supernatural being considered divine or sacred.
...
2
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1answer
64 views
Is Frankenstein's monster tantamount to positive proof in Science?
Specifically Biology presents some problems for me. For instance, now that we have Evolution we know what to look for. Thus we are bound to observe some adaptations, and over time even new species. ...
2
votes
1answer
67 views
Looking for Sources on Philosophical Discussion of Modern Atomic Theory
I'm currently planning a research project which tracks the development of atomic theory in the physical sciences (though mainly physics since that's my subject). In the last section I want to discuss ...
2
votes
2answers
71 views
Is this nihilism?
I'm looking for a quote or a passage about how we shouldn't waste time analyzing possibilities that don't exist, like "what if"s of the past. That we should reflect on how things came to be and not on ...
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votes
0answers
144 views
Authors on the brainwashing of the American People and western world [closed]
I'm looking for books and authors which relate to the times we are going through in terms of disinformation, "fake news", cultures based on war and violence and the "call of duty", false flag ...
6
votes
5answers
152 views
Do future selves have duties to the current self?
I think there are clear cases in which my future selves have rights against me (or I have duties to my future selves). For example, my future selves have the right to enjoy a healthy life and thus I ...
