Thank you, Ramón Mansilla, for a great question! Let’s hope ignorance isn’t bliss, because here comes some knowledge… If someone were to call you ‘ignorant’, then you would usually take it as an insult – that is, if we regard ourselves rational agents who are epistemically responsible and see ignorance as a bad thing. By […]
Is ignorance really bliss? Read More
Thank you, Allan Getliff, for such a paradoxical question! There is an implication here that scary movies are somehow a bad thing – that being scared is a bad thing. That notion makes us question why we should enjoy something that is bad. As an avowed horror fan, I have considered this before, and have
Why do we enjoy watching scary movies? Read More
Thank you, Angus Nimmo, for a great question! I only hope that your assumption that we can provide an answer is well founded… An assumption can be offensive precisely because it is an assumption. If you assume something about someone, it’s because you do not know whether what you are assuming is correct. Though your
Are assumptions offensive if they are correct? Read More
Thank you, Javier Palau Salsas, for such a selfless question! I don’t think there are strong reasons to believe that this is true. It seems plausible that our ego can help us get things done, but it seems equally plausible that our ego can stop us from getting things done. I’ll explain a bit more
Does a lack of ego make us lazy? Read More
Thank you, Daniel Kelly, for such a meaty question! Why is this a question? It seems to be a question different in kind from the seemingly similar question, ‘Is a convertible a car?’ Here, seemingly, in asking if a thing described by one word belongs to a set of things described by another word, we
Is a hot dog a sandwich? Read More
Thank you, Joey Daly, for such an emotive question! Whenever wondering whether something is possible, a good place to start is with experience; for if it has ever manifested in experience, then of course it must be possible. When wondering whether animals can be cruel, then, we may start by asking: Has an animal ever
Can animals be cruel? Read More
Thank you, Dave Groves, for such a topical question! Yes, it is okay; don’t worry about it, enjoy your isolation in peace – that’s the short answer. Here is the long answer: It is important to recognise, first, that a great deal of happiness is built on the suffering of others. Were it not for
Is it okay to be happy in lockdown given that it is caused by a pandemic? Read More
