“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 Jong Camallere for such a candid question. I am going to start by saying something that many philosophers will consider ridiculous: philosophers do not seek truth, but clarity. The philosophically minded individual must not seek truth, and must even be willing to accept that truth may be unattainable. There are several behaviours that
What behaviour is characteristic of a philosophically minded individual? 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
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
