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
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
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, Luke Rutherford, for a question that no doubt keeps us all up at night! I see you have cleverly dictated the terms of the debate within your question. Only two options seem open to me: either cereal is a soup or cereal is a salad. Either way I risk making myself out to
Is cereal a soup or a salad? Read More
Thank you, Amir Ayazbayev, for a great question! This question concerns two important philosophical problems: What does it mean to be human? And, what should be the limits of medical intervention? In the case of genetic engineering, we can distinguish three main perspectives. The first, called bioconservatism, suggests that there is an undefined ‘X factor’ somewhere
Would introducing genetic engineering of humans as a medical practice be that bad? 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.
