Thank you, Cez Yza, for a crucial question. The answer depends mostly on what we believe makes up a philosopher. If we follow Karl Popper, we are all already philosophers because we all hold philosophical prejudices, that is, we have views on life, the universe, and everything. Being a philosopher in this sense is neither […]
Can anyone become a philosopher? Read More
Thank you, Arjun Sambhi, for this important and profound question. This is an important and profound question. Hitler did horrible acts, but did he think his actions were bad? To answer that question, we need to be honest about how we think about moral issues. Popular culture has instilled in us a simplistic vision of
Did Hitler know he was a bad person? Read More
Thank you, Kurt Elarcosa! A classic question, and timely too! If ever there was a year that prompted a question like this, it’s 2020. Let’s get to it. First, we need to distinguish between evil and suffering, as they are actually mutually exclusive. Physical suffering, pain, can come from growth or healing, as in growing
Why does an omnipotent and omnibenevolent God allow evil and suffering? 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
Thank you Shunom Henry Kato for this monumental question. Philosophy begins by asking questions, but the greatest value is not always found in the answers, but in the discovery of further important questions. In this case, we may ask, ‘Who should rule the world?’ And if we attempt to define who is rightfully ‘the ruler’
Who rules the world? Read More
Why do we classify perceptions in opposite categories (either good/bad, black/white)? Thank you, Orsolya Kárpáti, for these two great questions. They are so deep that they require books worth of answers, which would draw from fields of history, technology, religion, culture studies, and psychology. Why? Let’s start with a better understanding of what cosmologies are.
Why has dualistic cosmology become so powerful in our world? Read More
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”.
What makes something philosophical? Read More
Thank you, Jong Camallere, for raising what is a key question at the heart of all philosophy: the question of the meaning, purpose, and value not just of philosophy as a particular thing you can do within life, but of life as it is lived. The classical response is that, in fact, it is a
Is philosophy a waste of time? Read More
Thank you, Ohkaydeh, for asking such a timeless question! The answer to this question depends on your conception of God, assuming that God does indeed exist and created the universe. The benefit of being a philosopher is that we can be creative and not worry too much about theology or committing various heresies. So, I
What’s the reason God created humans? Read More
Thank you, Austin Birch, for a great question. When I say “great”, I mean not only “fantastic”, but also “great in magnitude”, because exegesis is a huge concept within the history of philosophy. After all, as Whitehead put it, Western philosophy is nothing but a series of footnotes to Plato’s dialogues. To start, I’d like
