Epistemology is the study of knowledge.
Thank you, Alex Impey, for such an alien question! There are of course no straight philosophical answers to big questions. Everything is a matter of first uncovering the unconscious or implicit premises of the question, and then making further qualifications about what is being asked in order to sketch out the possibilities. This interesting question […]
Does it matter if aliens exist? Read More
Thank you, Terry Sweet, for a great question! Those familiar with philosophy will know that philosophers, in approaching any kind of question, try to be as precise as possible about the words they use. Philosophy is characterized as the quest for truth; there can be little or no room for ambiguity. In approaching this question,
Do guide dogs know that their owners are blind? Read More
Thank you, Alex Impey, for such a profound question! I take the worry to be that Alex A (AA), who wants to eat less fast food (say), feels as though she is alienating her ‘true self’, Alex B (AB), who wants to eat as much fast food as she wants. A full treatment of the
Does self-improvement come at the cost of being true to oneself? Read More
Thank you, Lewis Cornelius, for a great question! In response to your question (and it’s key to remember that philosophy often offers responses and not answers), I thought we could break it down a bit and see what it is we’re really looking for. This is certainly a question of ethics and morality, yet I
Is stretching the truth ever really okay? Read More
Thank you, Olivia Rose Brown, for such a pressing question! Fake news is not just fake; it is also a product of fabrication, circulated by agents or groups in order to deceive and manipulate for financial or political gain. And fake news is itself a contestable concept. For example, there is the question of whether
Does fact-checking solve the problem of fake news? Read More
Thank you, Ela Özcan, for such a tough question! I’ll do my best to break it down and give you the best answer I can. Online misinformation is a pretty hot topic: it intoxicates political debate, radicalizes people with different opinions against each other, and distracts them from what is actually going on in the world.
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, 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
