“Is it true that all people are the same? What about differences such as between man and woman, boss and servant?” Thank you, Agar Mayor Gai-Makoon, for a timely and timeless question. In my opinion, people are not the same. First, let’s consider differences between man and woman, boss and servant. I’ll add some other […]
Are we all the same? Read More
Secondly, why do you continue to study it? Hi Arjun! Thanks for the (very interesting) question. There are several reasons why I study philosophy and why I will continue to study it in the future. Let me get straight into the most relevant ones. First of all, part of philosophy is to ask (and try
Why do you study philosophy? Read More
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
Is politicization of science justified? Should science be governed by politics? Read More
Thank you Mr Wynn P Wheldon for such a significant question! Michel Foucault wrote extensively on this subject. My answer will be based on some of his insights. First let us understand what is meant by the word “humane”. We usually mean “merciful”, which implies that somehow incarceration is a “softer” kind of punishment than
Is incarceration more humane than corporal punishment? Read More
Thank you, Ayli Inrovdop, for such a topical question. A single vote hardly ever breaks a tie, so what’s the point in voting? To begin, you could vote in the hope of having your own interests represented by the candidate or party that advocates for the policies most advantageous to you. After all, even though
Thank you, Le Miguel Jumonong, for this interesting question. We often allude to several types of guilt. For instance, Sam may be guilty of stealing an apple, Mary of eating too much meat, and a political party leader of bitterly losing national elections. At first glance, these cases seem to be distinct. Indeed, Sam is
Why do we feel guilt? Read More
Great question! Basically, your freedom exists in your choosing from a set of acceptable behaviour choices provided to you by institutions of power, namely, the state or your culture. That being said, try walking into your neighbour’s house uninvited and pulling some ice cream out of the freezer, and you’ll find that cultural and societal
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,
Is Batman a superhero? Read More
Thank you, Gnanak Gerhardson Munnangi, for such a deep question. With its increasing development in various fields, Artificial Intelligence resembles more and more its sci-fi representations from novels and movies of the last century. Some philosophers and scientists, such as Nick Bostrom, believe that once AI reaches the level of human intelligence, it will rapidly
Can the AI be considered a God? 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
