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Astronomers routinely observe the most distant objects and the earliest events in the universe. If we had a telescope powerful enough, could we observe the Big Bang and if so, could it be observed whichever way we looked?
Alexander George
October 9, 2005
(changed October 9, 2005)
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The following comment has been kindly sent in by Professor Kannan Jagannathan (Department of Physics, Amherst College):
"The best evidence we have for the isotropy andhomogeneity of space leads cosmologists to hold that the universe hasno center and no periphery. If the universe is infini... Read more
This is a question about Hilary Putnam's twin earth thought experiment. After I read this thought experiment I was not convinced that Oscar's and twin-Oscar's "water" concept have different meanings. But most of the philosophers' intuitions are similar to Putnam (i.e., they think that Oscar's and twin-Oscar's "water" concept have different meanings). I thought that there might be something wrong with me. So I told this thought experiment to different people with different origins but without exception all of them responded that both Oscar's and twin-Oscar's "water" concept have the same meaning. So I still do not understand, why do so many philosophers' intuitions work like Putnam's? Thank you, Deniz
Gabriel Segal
October 9, 2005
(changed October 9, 2005)
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The intuitions about the 'water' example that philosophers focus on are, as explained above, about reference. They are also about truth. It takes a little work to connect reference and truth to meaning. One line of thought goes as follows. Suppose that Oscar lands on Twin Earth. Both Oscar a... Read more
In an expanding universe, are we getting closer together or farther apart?
Alan Soble
October 9, 2005
(changed October 9, 2005)
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Nor we do we need a weatherperson to tell which way the wind blows.
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Is tiredness an emotion, and if not, why not?
Alan Soble
October 9, 2005
(changed October 9, 2005)
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There is nothing quite like a swift kick to the fanny to get one energized. I thank Professor Gentzler for arousing me from my stupor. All I did last night, of course, was to suggest that tiredness was not an emotion because it didn't look much like standard emotions such as anger, remorse, and... Read more
I am interested to know whether the panelists consider themselves to be contented souls. I am currently searching (as methodically as possible) for a context for my life within, well, "everything" and wondered whether there is a consensus on how long this process is likely to take. I am rapidly realizing that there is no answer yet to some of the biggest questions; so maybe I need to home in on the right questions. I'm sure this is a fairly well trodden path - are there some short cuts or is "the journey" itself a component of "the destination"?
Peter Lipton
October 9, 2005
(changed October 9, 2005)
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I doubt that professi0nal philosophers are on average more contented that every other group, though many of us do feel extremely lucky to be paid to engage in such a stimulating and satisfying activity. But our contentment does not derive from having chosen problems that we find easy to answe... Read more
Am I a direct result of all the events that preceded me?
Peter Lipton
October 9, 2005
(changed October 9, 2005)
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If determinism is true then you are a direct result of events that preceded you, in the sense that everything about you is entailed by the laws of nature plus the state of the universe before you were born. If determinism is not true, as the most popular interpretation of modern physics sugge... Read more
Is it possible to philosophize about the human condition from a lofty philosophical viewpoint rather than gleaning humble wisdom through the experience of engaging with the messy experience of meeting, befriending and loving the mass of mere humanity?
Alexander George
October 9, 2005
(changed October 9, 2005)
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Often when non-philosophers think of philosophy they think of an extremely abstract discipline with only tenuous connections to everyday life. As Jyl says, this isn't so: many if not most philosophical problems take off from a perplexity regarding some very mundane and ubiquitous feature... Read more
Does it really matter if there is a God? And if you think so, why?
Alexander George
October 8, 2005
(changed October 8, 2005)
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I'm not sure I understand what people mean when they ask, in adecontextualized way, "whether something matters". It seems likewhether something matters to you depends on what your project or goal is at themoment. If you're doing your laundry, it matters that you've gotdetergent, whereas... Read more
Is tiredness an emotion, and if not, why not?
Alan Soble
October 9, 2005
(changed October 9, 2005)
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There is nothing quite like a swift kick to the fanny to get one energized. I thank Professor Gentzler for arousing me from my stupor. All I did last night, of course, was to suggest that tiredness was not an emotion because it didn't look much like standard emotions such as anger, remorse, and... Read more
If you have a line, and it goes on forever, and you choose a random point on that line, is that point the center of that line? And if you picked a new point, would that become the center of the line (since to either side of the point is infinity, and infinity is congruent to infinity)? Also if the universe has no middle and no end, am I, and everyone, at the center of the universe? (Of course the middle of the universe thing only works if you believe the universe has no middle and no end.)
Daniel J. Velleman
October 8, 2005
(changed October 8, 2005)
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As with so many questions in mathematics, the answer will depend on exactly how you define your terms. In this case, we will have to decide how to define the word "center". Now, you hint at a possible definition in your question, when you speak of the parts of the line on either side o... Read more