Is it bad to aspire to be wealthy?

Thank you, Hannah Hughes, for such a thoughtful question. As I explore the question, I will assume that by ‘wealthy’, you mean something like having much more money than would be necessary to live without a constant worry about one’s financial situation. I think that there are two moral perspectives to take into account here: […]

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Should we seek to live rationally rather than emotionally?

It seems so clear to me that living in rational way would benefit us way more. Thank you, Ayli Inrovdop, for this long-standing question. Your question already seems to imply a hypothesis that has had a long history in philosophy and continues to have a certain influence in everyday discourse, namely, the opposition between reason

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Is Batman a superhero?

Context: He’s also been described as a vigilante and anti-hero, but he beats up bad guys for a living? Thank you, Olivia Rose Brown, for this wonderful question! I agree that Batman’s violence makes him problematic, but there are even more ethical issues related to his activity. Batman spends most of his time fighting criminals,

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Can you actually die of boredom?

Thank you, Barbara Getliff, for this fabulous and quite practical question! There are two concepts at play in the question: boredom and death. After considering each separately, we can then evaluate if and how they work or fit together. Boredom can be described as an existential state of mind, that is, one relating to the

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What makes something philosophical?

Specifically, what makes a question or an answer philosophical? Thank you, Jom Olazo, for an excellent question! The answer depends on what you think philosophy is. I can only give you my take; others will defend a (very) different idea of philosophy – as far as I know, there is no unchallenged notion of “philosophy”.

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Is it wrong not to take a stand?

Thank you, Charmaine Elaine, for this multi-faceted question. The phrase “taking a stand” can be used to describe a variety of behaviors in different contexts; in what follows, I will consider two interpretations. First, is it wrong not to engage in political activity? Second, is it wrong not to adopt a firm position on a

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What are your expectations from a person who wants to be your friend?

Thank you, Gnanak Gerhardson Munnangi, for a great question! Although it may seem a bit distrusting to consider the motives of someone seeking your friendship, doing so may reveal a lot about yourself. When I saw this question, I was tempted to say that in a friendship I would like caring and understanding, as well

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