‘Considerations: (1) cats are carnivores; (2) pet food is derived from factory farmed animals; (3) factory farming has implications for the suffering of animals and the environment. As someone committed to reducing animal suffering but also loves a couple kittens he’s fostering, I’m pretty stuck on this.’ I can relate very much to this question. […]
Is it ethical to adopt a cat? Read More
Do I bear the responsibility of my friend’s ‘soul’? I mean: Am I good only if I keep my friend on a good way? Can I be good while letting my friend turn to the dark way? Thank you, Levente CsTóth, for such a thoughtful question. There are two questions at play here. It will
What makes someone a good friend? Read More
If predation is necessary within various ecosystems and predators have no regard for the well-being of their prey, is it not ethical for humans to replace the role of predators to mitigate suffering? This question is a great example of the existential crisis of our species. Where do we fit in? As predators, it is
Should we replace predators to mitigate suffering? Read More
Thank you, Jong Camallere, for this very interesting question. Courage is a central element of many lists of virtues and it is certainly not difficult to understand why: people willing to take a stand for what they think is right serve as great role models. The adventures of great warriors also make for more exciting
Is courage the most important virtue? Read More
Thank you, Austin Birch, for a great question. When I say “great”, I mean not only “fantastic”, but also “great in magnitude”, because exegesis is a huge concept within the history of philosophy. After all, as Whitehead put it, Western philosophy is nothing but a series of footnotes to Plato’s dialogues. To start, I’d like
Not just tangible possessions, but more generally positive life happenings, e.g. to fall in love, to have children, etc. Thank you, Gracie Mrry, for such an interesting question. This is an interesting question for people like me who find themselves in a condition of relative privilege, but questions of desert can apply to anyone’s life,
Do we deserve things? Read More
Thank you, Curtis L. Delyn, for such a significant question. It is generally agreed that Plato came up with the classical definition of knowledge as “justified true belief”. This has been incredibly influential; many philosophers have accepted some form of this definition by filling in the relevant concepts with various theories and interpretations. Here, truth
Can we ever really trust that we know anything? Read More
Thank you, Arya Amritansu, for such an important question. To answer these questions it is first necessary to clarify what we mean when we talk of “hate speech”. Hate speech is speech that attacks people in virtue of their membership in a racial, religious, ethnic, sexual or other group. In other words, hate speech is
Why does hate speech cause harm? And can we quantify the harm caused? Read More
Thank you, Coffee Jelly, for a great question! Vengeance is usually defined as punishment inflicted or retribution exacted for an injury or wrong (thank you, Google). The question is: Is an act of vengeance – call it, X – ever justifiable? An action can be justified in different ways. Is X legally justifiable? That would
Is vengeance ever justifiable? Read More
Thank you, Ian Castañares, for such a great question. I am pretty sure I know how to answer it. I believe I speak for most philosophers when I say that sceptics are simply the worst. No matter how well-reasoned and well-structured your argument, there is always somebody who just stands there with their arms crossed
How much doubt is reasonable? Read More
