I received my PhD in philosophy in 2017; my dissertation was called “Plato's Bastard” (published as “Phenomenology as Platonism” [Phänomenologie als Platonismus]). My areas of interest are phenomenology, metaphysics and their overlap; but I dabble in whatever field I feel like – and with whoever's up for it. Philosophy to me means questioning our presuppositions, which fascinates me because it is something we can do whenever anyone says anything about anything and it never gets boring or old; it's also something that's painfully absent from public discourse, but easily learned. Enter: public philosophy!
Thank you, Cez Yza, for a crucial question. The answer depends mostly on what we believe makes up a philosopher. If we follow Karl Popper, we are all already philosophers because we all hold philosophical prejudices, that is, we have views on life, the universe, and everything. Being a philosopher in this sense is neither […]
Can anyone become a philosopher? Read More
“In a utopian world, free of hate, racism, sexism (all of the prejudiced ‘-isms’ and forms of offence one can fathom), what would people joke about?” Dear Arjun Sambhi, thank you for this complex question. First off: What wouldn’t we joke about? In fact, we’d probably be able to joke and laugh about much more
In a utopia, what would people joke about? Read More
Thank you for this fundamental question, Sabir Khan. It is however a loaded question, that is, it rests on at least two problematic assumptions: first, that the soul exists and, second, that it is located at all. We will have to look at both in order to tackle your question. Whether it is plausible to
Where is the human soul located? Read More
Do you think all questions are valid? If not, what makes a question stupid? Thank you, Angela Geronimo, for this obviously valid and clever question. (While we could certainly differentiate validity and non-stupidity, I will here treat them as one.) Whether a question can to be considered stupid depends on what we mean by “stupid”
What makes a question stupid? Read More
Where can one start at a basic level and then continue to develop understanding and love for the subject? Thank you, Nazzarene Zen, for such a heuristic question. In one sense, I cannot answer the question, because “difficult to comprehend” is very personal, as is the development of love. But I will offer some general
Why is metaphysics so difficult to comprehend? Read More
What’s the role of philosophy in our life and could it bring new innovation to our life like science? Thank you, Li Kelvin, for such a crucial question. As is to be expected, the answer hinges on what we take philosophy to mean. If we think it’s just a 9-5 job of detached concept-mongering or
How does philosophy work in our day-to-day life? Read More
Specifically, what makes a question or an answer philosophical? Thank you, Jom Olazo, for an excellent question! The answer depends on what you think philosophy is. I can only give you my take; others will defend a (very) different idea of philosophy – as far as I know, there is no unchallenged notion of “philosophy”.
What makes something philosophical? Read More
