All Questions
22,435
questions
12
votes
22
answers
17k
views
Any argument against determinism?
I'm a very logical person. I like mathematics, software engineering, physics... everything in that area. Also I'm an anti-theist.
My understanding of the universe:
If you would take every atom (as in ...
- 2,931
4
votes
7
answers
580
views
How to save oneself from this particular angst?
This question relates to the angst depicted in the movie Annie Hall, when the younger version of Woody Allen's character feels demotivated about life when he realizes that the universe is expanding.
...
- 6,500
4
votes
2
answers
25
views
What is the need to become an achiever in life?
What is the need to do anything beyond plainly living, consuming food and water, and occupying some space?
Is it necessary for someone with the capability to use their intellectual or material skills ...
- 284
5
votes
4
answers
118
views
How do analytic philosophers ground analytic philosophy?
Analytic philosophy tends to not be concerned with meta questions and resolves a distinction between analytic truths and synthetic truths, favouring an analysis on the analytic aspect, usually in ...
- 2,942
-1
votes
2
answers
36
views
At what point should we suspect unfair game?
In probability theory, there are two primary approaches to interpreting events: the frequentist perspective and the Bayesian perspective.
From a frequentist standpoint, each spin of a fair roulette ...
- 14.7k
2
votes
2
answers
50
views
Questions Regarding Rational Egoism
I was reading this article and I have many questions :
https://iep.utm.edu/egoism/
What does Rand mean by the concept of "selfless selfishness"?
What exactly does rational mean in rational ...
- 3,993
5
votes
1
answer
51
views
Why is modal logic not focused more on strict implication?
Modal logic is designed to capture various notions, such as necessity, time, provability, etc. These notions are captured via a box operator or sometimes the letter L.
For example, in systems capable ...
- 27.3k
3
votes
10
answers
2k
views
Does the universe include everything, or merely everything that exists?
Does the universe include literally everything? Or merely everything that exists? I am asking this because I think that, to give an example, unicorns are not part of the universe, because they don't ...
- 2,548
0
votes
2
answers
66
views
Are the concepts of omniscience and omnipotence contradictory? [duplicate]
Theistic religions believe in a God or Gods.
Do religions that claim their God is omniscient and omnipotent face a contradiction in this conception?
I'll explain my reasoning.
If God is omniscient, he ...
- 35.8k
5
votes
7
answers
2k
views
What principle protects the objective nature of the prior and the conclusion in Bayes’s theorem?
The Bayesian analysis begins with the "prior": some assumption about the world and the probability that the assumption is true.
But the prior seems to be based on nothing. The hypothesis and ...
- 35.8k
5
votes
0
answers
27
views
Is non-cognitivism self-undermining?
Not quite self-defeat, though: by argument:
The version of non-cognitivism we're addressing: generic or "naive," such as in translating, "X is good," into, "Hooray for X!&...
- 16.7k
1
vote
8
answers
1k
views
Can we study scientifically the set of facts and behaviors if we have no scientific explanation for the source, origin or underlying mechanism of it? [closed]
For example, we don't know what force (if any) drives the creation, evolution and development of human societies and the world's history. But can we study this "mystical force" by examining ...
- 37.8k
0
votes
0
answers
43
views
How many academic research papers were devoted to the study of Aristotle's intellectual inheritance? [closed]
"The vast range of Aristotle’s contributions to various fields of knowledge, from philosophy and science to arts and politics, makes him a fascinating subject for academic research. "
100 ...
- 37.8k
7
votes
11
answers
1k
views
Are Good and Evil relative or absolute?
I know how most religions would deal with this question.
However, how does philosophy deal with these two concepts?
- 1,220
3
votes
2
answers
88
views
Defeasible reasoning
a. If x is a weekday, Xena goes to work on day x.
b. If Xena is ill, she doesn’t go to work that day.
c.2 Jan ‘07 was a weekday.
d. Xena was ill on 2 Jan. '07.
e. By (a) and (c), Xena went to work on ...
- 1,620