What is a relational property? In an earlier question about a car driving down a road and appearing to get smaller with distance, Prof. Moore wrote that this appearance is a relational property of the car, as opposed to the real size of the car, which is an intrinsic property of the car --- and what I see is this relational property. [See, http://www.amherst.edu/askphilosophers/question/548.] But it is clear to me that what I see is a small car: how can a small car be a relational property, whatever that is?

Sometimes, in the midst of a discussion with some of my philosophy-type friends, one friend will hand-wave dismissively at something I say as "merely an empirical matter". What is so mere about philosophical discussions surrounding empirical matters?

In the town where I live, many people dress themselves quite eclectically with what seems to be the intention of 'being seen'. Given that this is possible (i.e., wearing clothes simply for the purpose of attracting attention and displaying said clothes in a public area), can we consider these people to be 'art'? If not, then could we consider them as art if they exhibited themselves in a specifically defined gallery-space?

If there is a hypothetical situation where you have to kill someone to save another's life, what would be the ethical thing to do?

I may have too much access to philosophical materials to be considered eligible for this site, but I have not yet found a satisfactory answer to the following question: Why should an undemocratic country's sovereignty be accorded any moral significance? In other words, if a country is ruled without the consent of its governed, why should the fact that it is a separate country (as opposed to other political form) affect our moral calculus?

There was a case in the U.K. (I believe) involving the murder of a seaman on a liferaft. Apparently, there were not enough provisions to allow everyone to live, so they drew names/straws in order to see who would have to sacrifice for the entire boat. The men on the boat faced murder charges when they arrived on land and I believe were convicted. What is the name of this case/story? I remember reading it in an Intro. to Philosophy class and I was hoping to use it for my high school class. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you. Michael Sterling

A friend once had me consider this logic. Because the Catholic Immaculate Conception doctrine is a cornerstone tenet of the church, but is essentially a dogmatic belief, any dogmatic doctrine canonized by the church must also be as worthy of faith as the Immaculate Conception doctrine. However the doctrine of transfiguration is also a dogmatic belief. Yet even after a priest has blessed the sacramental wine and bread, in reality it does not literally transfigure into the blood and body of Christ even though the doctrine of transfiguration states that it does. If the wine does not literally turn to blood, the doctrine of transfiguration is wrong and because the doctrine of transfiguration is equally as valid as the Immaculate Conception, it too is also wrong by association. However, if the Christ were literally made of bread and wine, then all conflicts would be resolved. Can you please comment on this logic? Thank you

G'day Philosophers, Please let me preface my Q. by saying that it is not cynical, but an issue of long-standing puzzlement to me. Here goes. Why is it that Christians who read and believe in the authenticity of the Bible, can still see God as a supreme being of love and compasion? There is in my Bible instance upon instance of God being a malicious, genocidal monster who would compete with Hitler, Pol Pot and Saddam Hussein with his excesses. I just don't get it! Dave.

Is there some kind of award for philosophical "discoveries" like the Nobel prizes for the sciences? Or do you philosophers disagree too much to call anything a definitive discovery?

Is it fair and reasonable to say that one sport is more difficult than another? Sure football may be more athletic than golf, but does the ladder require more mental strength? Is it possible to rank the difficulty of sports?