Recent Responses
Rawls defines justice as fairness. But it is not clear to me how justice differs from fairness in the first place. Dictionaries do not help because they all indicate both terms as synonyms of each other. Could anyone point me out how the two are distinct? THANKS!!!
Peter S. Fosl
January 5, 2007
(changed January 5, 2007)
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Dictionaries can be philosophically disappointing, indeed. But of course one has to remember that they provide only very, very, very brief definitions. Moreover, they're aim is often to capture the common and historical usage, rather than the philosophical theory standing behind the concept.... Read more
Can suicide be a way of political resistance? I am especially interested in the political situation at the West Bank, so when you answer in this context, please....
Thomas Pogge
December 29, 2006
(changed December 29, 2006)
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Suicide and highly risky acts of defiance can be, but rarely are, highly effective forms of political resistance. So one needs to analyze the conditions under which they are effective. The political suicide I remember most vividly is that of Jan Palach, a Czech student who burned himself t... Read more
For someone looking for an introduction to empiricism (for the non-trained, nonprofessional philosopher) doing a search on Amazon.com (for example) can prove quite daunting. There are thousands of books on empiricism. Does anyone have particular recommendations for an introduction to empiricism, especially the history/development of empiricism and how it stands opposed to rationalism? Thanks very much!
Andrew N. Carpenter
December 28, 2006
(changed December 28, 2006)
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The best way to learn about those movements may be to jump in and read some primary texts, for example Descartes' Meditations and Hume's Enquiry. There are good paperback editions of these works, and decent e-texts available from the "Early Modern Texts" site. As long as you read... Read more
Can suicide be a way of political resistance? I am especially interested in the political situation at the West Bank, so when you answer in this context, please....
Thomas Pogge
December 29, 2006
(changed December 29, 2006)
Permalink
Suicide and highly risky acts of defiance can be, but rarely are, highly effective forms of political resistance. So one needs to analyze the conditions under which they are effective. The political suicide I remember most vividly is that of Jan Palach, a Czech student who burned himself t... Read more
In the larger epistemological sense, what role does the law of witnesses, e.g. Federal Rules of Evidence (http://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/fre/index.html#article_vi), play in our search for knowledge (and truth)? So much of our day-to-day life in modern society is based upon the law or rule of witnesses, e.g. the rule of law, scientific investigations, journalism (print and television news reports), to name just a few. And yet if we take the view of the skeptics -- and to a larger degree, much of philosophy -- nothing is really knowable (with respect to certainty). So how can so much of our daily life rest upon (be founded upon) a principle -- the law or rule of witnesses -- which may be without epistemological foundation? If there are any texts that specifically address this subject, I would appreciate references. Thanks in advance for any and all replies!
Peter S. Fosl
January 11, 2007
(changed January 11, 2007)
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The reliability of witnesses is a terribly interesting issue. You may find it surprising to learn that according to the directors of the Innocence Project at Northwestern University (a project that investigates cases of erroneous criminal conviction) the false testimony of eye witnesses is... Read more
I would appreciate some recommendations on texts (for a layperson -- a nonprofessional philosopher) whose subject is the philosophy of science.
William Rapaport
November 17, 2008
(changed November 17, 2008)
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And I'll chime in with my favorite: Okasha, Samir (2002), Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press), which I think is a terrific survey and lives up to its title of being "very short". I'd also agree that it's probably best to look at a survey such a... Read more
What is the current philosophical viewpoint (from professional academics) regarding the concept of "the embodied mind"? I have just finished rereading "Philosophy in the Flesh" (Lakoff, Johnson); I would like to know the current philosophical standpoint regarding the proposition of the embodied mind. Thanks in advance for all replies!
Andrew N. Carpenter
December 23, 2006
(changed December 23, 2006)
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As my colleagues suggest, professional philosophers will have avaried responses to the various ideas and strands of argumentation thatarise in discussions of embidied minds, embodied cognition, embodiedepistemology, etc that arise in other disciplines.
Despite theirdiffering assessm... Read more
Prof. Hawking has voiced his opinion that environmental problems will eventually bring the demise of humanity on the earth, and therefore we should immediately begin to prepare for emigration to some extra-terrestrial destination. If we are in any way responsible for the contamination of our earthly environment, do we have the right to endanger any other celestial body?
Andrew N. Carpenter
December 23, 2006
(changed December 23, 2006)
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The eventual demise of humanity seems inevitable, so that mereprospect doesn't seem noteworthy. That our activities cause some damageto other things also seems inevitable.
Surely,however, we are responsible for enviornmental damage that we cause. Even if some damange is unavoidable... Read more
What is the current philosophical viewpoint (from professional academics) regarding the concept of "the embodied mind"? I have just finished rereading "Philosophy in the Flesh" (Lakoff, Johnson); I would like to know the current philosophical standpoint regarding the proposition of the embodied mind. Thanks in advance for all replies!
Andrew N. Carpenter
December 23, 2006
(changed December 23, 2006)
Permalink
As my colleagues suggest, professional philosophers will have avaried responses to the various ideas and strands of argumentation thatarise in discussions of embidied minds, embodied cognition, embodiedepistemology, etc that arise in other disciplines.
Despite theirdiffering assessm... Read more
Nietzsche seemed to believe that eternal recurrence was a reality if time were infinite, which we know it is not. Therefore, does anyone now take his views on this matters seriously (other than metaphorically as a guide to the type of life one might lead)?
Douglas Burnham
December 22, 2006
(changed December 22, 2006)
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Nietzsche was very careful in his presentation of the notion of 'eternalrecurrence'. In his published work, it is always put forward as a hypothesis --the purpose of which is, as you say, something like a guide. Mainly innotebooks did he experiment with trying to demonstrate it as a met... Read more