The study of the mind and its relationship to the body.
Thank you, Carmen Plaza, for such a perplexing question. Nature is in some ways chaotic, and we therefore all seek, as human beings, to fit into a social structure (cities, universities, jobs, etc.) which precedes our own existence and yet changes with it. We do this for evolutionary reasons, and it influences heavily what we […]
Thank you, Roy Head, for such a candid question. I will answer it, if I may, with another question: What is the point of getting a high definition television? The connection between relationships and televisions is less than obvious, I admit. Allow me to explain. One of my favourite podcasts is The Happiness Lab with
What is the point of a relationship? Read More
Thank you, Ela Özcan, for such a mind-boggling question. In my first Armchair Opinion, I said that 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. I stand by this principle. So, when wondering whether
Can you die in a dream? 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, Brian Eckelman, for such a perceptive question. It is a massive question. Here, I will focus just on what creates our understanding of reality within society. I want to draw a separation between ‘real effects’ and ‘reality’: something can have a real effect upon us, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is
Does perception dictate reality? Read More
Thank you, Arjun Sambhi, for such an important question! I will do my best to capture its complexity and implications. Imagine Juliet, a white American philosophy professor. As many academics, Juliet is liberal and fiercely against racism in any shape or form. She is informed of systemic racism in American society, and she is a
Thank you, Alex Norris, for such an intriguing question! Even though your question covers several complex philosophical fields (metaphysics and modality, standard and non-standard logic, philosophy of mind and language), I hope my answer will be as clear and complete as possible. “There are things that do not exist.” This enigmatic sentence from A. Meinong
Are all things that can be imagined possible somewhere or somewhen? Read More
Thank you, Tanay Baswa, for this wonderful question! I hope you won’t mind if I start by discussing something slightly different: Why did we start smiling in photos? If you look at Victorian photographs, you will instantly notice a difference to our modern-day selfies: nobody is smiling! Try going further back in time and look
Why do we smile in photos? Read More
Thank you, Heather Bennett, for such a timely question… I happened to be watching Tiger King recently (along with everyone else, no doubt). It was episode 3. Carole Baskin was talking about an argument she had had with her first husband. She said, ‘I deal with stress the same way cats do: I just pace
Thank you, Heather Bennett, for sending us this beautiful painting. I appreciate that you have not posed any specific questions about this picture. This not only gives me a lot of flexibility on how to approach it, but it is also very respectful to art itself. Is it not that art can produce its meaning
What do you make of this picture? Read More
