The study of the mind and its relationship to the body.
“Apparently, there is a 50-50 chance that we live in a simulated world. What does philosophy make of this possibility?” Thank you, Wynn P Wheldon. Actually, this question has been central to philosophy for a very long time now, and, as usual, there is no simple answer to it. It raises attached questions, such as: […]
What if it’s all just a simulation? Read More
Thank you, Dom Eccleston, for a fantastic question; it scrutinizes the stereotype of the isolated contemplative sitting in an ivory tower rationalizing their way through metaphysical and existential puzzles. Questioning things that we take for granted is at the heart of philosophy, and all knowledge-driven endeavors, really. Because I trust that you’ll keep reading, I’ll
Does philosophy require solitude? Read More
Thank you, Gaurav Sharma, for this great question. I assume you are referring to Albert Camus’ interpretation of the Sisyphus myth, and I highly encourage you to dig into the core text because it is brilliant. Camus’ main message is that we must imagine Sisyphus happy to be able to accept the absurdity of our
Why must we imagine Sisyphus happy? 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
If we do, how do we actually determine that the self exists? Thank you, Danica Aposaga, for such a fundamental question. First, if I may, I think it would be helpful to reverse the questions: how do we actually determine that the self exists, and, if it does exist, will we ever understand it? After
Will we ever understand the self? Read More
“If I have come to the conclusion that the fear of death is illogical, why do I still fear death?” (Herbert Fingarette) Thank you, Dave Boyo Klier, for a considered question. Uncharacteristic though it may be for a philosopher, I think I can provide a rather straightforward answer. Indeed, it does make sense that you
If fearing death is illogical, why do we still fear it? 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
Thank you, Arjun Sambhi, for another great question. The natural world is undeniably beautiful. Aesthetically, we appraise majestic mountains as sublime, admire crepuscular rays from a crimson sunset, and appreciate the sound of waves crashing against the rocks. These features of nature are inherently beautiful. By ‘inherently beautiful’, I mean objectively beautiful, which is to
Thank you, Mahesh Sonawane, for this very important question! It is one I often struggle with myself (hence my taking far too long to come up with this answer – sorry!), and I will not pretend to have a definitive recipe for optimism for you. However, I hope this can at least help. Something I
When there is so much suffering in the world, how can we stay positive? Read More
The premise here being that emotional people are not mentally able to concentrate deeply on complex problems after a point of time when faced with personal or social turmoil. Maybe that’s why most scientists remain disconnected with the world. Thank you Bipul Verma for an intriguing question. The point is that some people have a
