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3 votes
5 answers
253 views

How strong is the argument for quantum mind theory?

I know little about philosophy and I've been reading into consciousness. From an uneducated view, David Pearce's argument seems strong. https://www.biointelligence-explosion.com/parable.html What ...
1 vote
1 answer
42 views

What are the main terms and their (relatively) proper definitions that a beginner in metaphysics/philosophy should know of?

I've recently come across many intelligent individuals in the field of metaphysics. Their intellectual prowess impressed me; since their field of expertise informs all other fields, they demonstrated ...
6 votes
2 answers
3k views

How does one differentiate epistemological and ontological claims?

I'm taking an introductory philosophy course and I find it fascinating. I can't really figure out an assignment though because I'm a bit foggy on what the difference between ontological and ...
3 votes
2 answers
317 views

The Likelyhood Principle and Baysean Statistics

I am reading Kotzen's paper Selection Bias in Likelihood Arguments. The author takes the following principle as a starting point: I'm confused as to how to formalize this notion in terms of Bayesian ...
2 votes
4 answers
125 views

Location of the sky (universe) according to Aristotle

Aristotle wrote in his Physics: The earth is in the water, the water is in the air, the air is in the ether, the ether is in the sky, and the sky is no longer in anything else. Do you agree with ...
1 vote
3 answers
211 views

Are there philosophical problems for which there's only a trivial solution?

I can't really think of a philosophical example, but in mathematics, it would be something like 'find the x where f(x) = 0 given that f(x) = x', and the solution would be 'x = 0', which is trivial. Is ...
1 vote
2 answers
67 views

Why does this explanation seem wrong?

I am thinking about the differences between explanation and argumentation, and i have come across this example which i just can't seem to understand. Conversation A (Request for explanation): Speaker:...
2 votes
4 answers
167 views

Why isn't this an argument?

This argument was in Critical Thinking by Moore and Parker. I think God exists, because I was raised a Baptist. The book states that this wasn't an argument because it just stated a reason for why ...
0 votes
0 answers
68 views

Refutation of a Nietzschanian Argument

Soon I will have to debate about Nietzsche and I have to contradict a thesis that he supported. The thesis is: The essence of a force is to be in relationship with other forces. I think this has to do ...
2 votes
4 answers
608 views

Is metaphysics justified in its conclusions?

I'm curious of the modern meta-philosophical viewpoints on metaphysical knowledge. That is, is it possible for arm-chair theorizing or rational pure thought alone to gain true knowledge about any ...
6 votes
3 answers
308 views

How have philosophers tried to argue for qualia?

What is the difference between the intuition that there is something it is like, qualitative experience, and faith in it? Is it possible to convince someone who doesn't believe there is something it ...
8 votes
6 answers
5k views

Why are French postmodern philosophers (like Baudrillard) so hard to read/understand?

I've read my fair share of philosophers. Now I won't say that proper philosophical texts are ever easy to understand, but it seems that French postmodern philosophers like Baudrillard are extremely ...