I am a post-graduate researcher and teaching assistant in the Philosophy Department at Mary Immaculate College in Ireland. I obtained my undergraduate and master’s degrees, both interdisciplinary in philosophy and religious studies, from Arizona State University in the United States. My doctoral dissertation (and passion) establishes a theodicy embracing Stoic philosophy as an enhancement to one’s understanding of the problem of gratuitous suffering in the world, and centers on philosopher John Hick’s use of St. Irenaeus’ early Christian theodicy. My expertise include hermeneutics and ethics, and my interests extend to ancient religious cults and early monotheism.
Thank you, Barbara Getliff, for this fabulous and quite practical question! There are two concepts at play in the question: boredom and death. After considering each separately, we can then evaluate if and how they work or fit together. Boredom can be described as an existential state of mind, that is, one relating to the […]
Can you actually die of boredom? Read More
This is a fun question, sent in by Rebecca Reboo, and there are a few things we want to do with it. First, we have to consider what brainwashing is. Then we can discuss what thinking for oneself is. Finally, we can answer the original question. We hear the word ‘brainwash’ in media and the
Can someone be brainwashed into thinking for themselves? Read More
