If we do, how do we actually determine that the self exists? Thank you, Danica Aposaga, for such a fundamental question. First, if I may, I think it would be helpful to reverse the questions: how do we actually determine that the self exists, and, if it does exist, will we ever understand it? After […]
Will we ever understand the self? Read More
Thank you, Will McMahon, for a timeless question. It was Harry Truman who famously demanded someone find him an economist with only one hand. The problem: Truman was fed up with wishy-washy inconclusive answers; he didn’t want an economist to represent both sides of the argument with equal weight. No. He wanted clear-cut, practical advice
Is permanence an illusion? Read More
If someone – Ben, say – was suddenly evaporated and replaced with an indistinguishable replica, did Ben die? What about if Ben was aware of his death? If Ben was gradually transformed by genetic and behavioural modifications into someone else – James, say – and the transformation happened so slowly that at no point did
Some questions about death Read More
Thank you, Gum Makur Gum, for such a perennial question! What does it mean to exist? Until Kant, many philosophers thought that existence was a property of a substance, much like color, weight, mass, etc. Saying that “This flower is red” was similar to saying that “This flower exists”, meaning that the flower had the
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
