Happiness

Is politicization of science justified? Should science be governed by politics?

By / / Philosophy of science, Political philosophy / , , , ,

Thank you for this crucial question. Aristotle believed that the highest human end is happiness, and that politics (or what Aristotle called “statesmanship”) is the science that directs the political community toward happiness. One possible consequence of this view is that what we nowadays call “science”—the systematic examination of the empirical world—is subordinate to politics […]

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When there is so much suffering in the world, how can we stay positive?

By / / Ethics (Moral Philosophy), Philosophy of mind / , , , ,

Thank you, Mahesh Sonawane, for this very important question! It is one I often struggle with myself (hence my taking far too long to come up with this answer – sorry!), and I will not pretend to have a definitive recipe for optimism for you. However, I hope this can at least help. Something I

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Is it better to live for ourselves or others?

By / / Ethics (Moral Philosophy) / , , ,

Thank you, Ehab Syed, for this fascinating question. The question is full of interesting ambiguity. What does it mean to live for others or ourselves? And in what sense of ‘better’? Are we asking which form of life is better? I will assume that to live for others or ourselves means to embrace one of

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What makes people happy when their interests are fulfilled?

By / / Philosophy of mind, Value Theory / , ,

Thank you, Agar Mayor Gai-Makoon, for this intriguing question. The more I reflect upon it, the more mysterious it is that people are made happy by the fulfillment of their interests. I don’t think I have a good explanation for this; all I can do is hazard a few hypotheses. I will understand “happy” to

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Is it bad to aspire to be wealthy?

By / / Ethics (Moral Philosophy), Value Theory / , , , , ,

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

By / / Ethics (Moral Philosophy), Value Theory / , , , , ,

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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Do we have an obligation to cultivate the wellbeing of the aggregate rather than the wellbeing of the individual?

By / / Ethics (Moral Philosophy), Political philosophy / , ,

Thank you, Will Baker, for a great question! I believe that it is based on two assumptions: first, that the wellbeing of the aggregate and the wellbeing of the individual are somehow opposed, thus leading us to the dilemma whether one should be chosen over the other; and, second, that wellbeing is somehow measurable. But

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Would a vegan eat a chicken if they were told two chickens would get killed if they didn’t?

By / / Ethics (Moral Philosophy), Philosophy of human nature / , , , , , , ,

Thank you, Elle Flinn-Shephard, for such a dilemma! This question touches many important ethical issues. It looks a lot like the famous trolley problem: Imagine that you are the driver of a runaway train. Up ahead you see 5 people tied to the track. If you do nothing, the train will kill them all. But

Would a vegan eat a chicken if they were told two chickens would get killed if they didn’t? Read More

Is it wrong to be child-free by choice?

By / / Ethics (Moral Philosophy), Feminist philosophy, Political philosophy / , , , , , ,

Thank you, Angus Nimmo, for such a productive question! Philosophers like questioning questions as a start, and this might well be a helpful method here. Why think that it is wrong not to have children? One answer, perhaps familiar from social pressure, would be to see parenting as a life accomplishment. But, for someone who

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