The study of the mind and its relationship to the body.
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
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
Thank you, Max Palmer, for a great question! There is a famous nightmare that was had by one of Freud’s patients and that was subsequently interpreted by a French psychoanalyst, Lacan, and more recently by the popular Slovenian philosopher, Slavoj Žižek. The patient had this nightmare after falling asleep beside the coffin of his little
We have nightmares. Can we have daymares? Read More
Thank you, Robin Pickering, for such a great question! Many philosophers have cracked their heads open trying to answer this one, so I’ll try to do my best here. A thought experiment will show all the complexities and interesting elements of this problem. Suppose that in the future you can go to work on Mars
If I got myself cloned, would my identity still be my own? Read More
Thank you, Jesal Panchal, for such an important question! As humans we always tend to look at the things that surround us as if they are humans too. As humans, we often (consciously or not) hurt one another, but can objects, on their own, hurt us too? A glass of wine never hurt anyone, right?
Why do the things we love – wine, for instance – hurt us the most? Read More
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, Allan Getliff, for such a paradoxical question! There is an implication here that scary movies are somehow a bad thing – that being scared is a bad thing. That notion makes us question why we should enjoy something that is bad. As an avowed horror fan, I have considered this before, and have
Why do we enjoy watching scary movies? Read More
Thank you, Javier Palau Salsas, for such a selfless question! I don’t think there are strong reasons to believe that this is true. It seems plausible that our ego can help us get things done, but it seems equally plausible that our ego can stop us from getting things done. I’ll explain a bit more
Does a lack of ego make us lazy? 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
