Search found 18 matches
- Wed Mar 19, 2014 7:54 pm
- Forum: General Philosophical Discussion
- Topic: "Identical with" vs. "Identical to"
- Replies: 3
- Views: 1451
"Identical with" vs. "Identical to"
I read a philosophy of mind textbook recently and came across an interesting distinction between the terms "identical with" and "identical to." It suggested that to say that A is identical with B is just to say that A literally is B, i.e., A = B. To say that A is identical to B, ...
- Wed Jan 08, 2014 3:40 am
- Forum: Aesthetics
- Topic: About the definition of aesthetics
- Replies: 1
- Views: 2630
About the definition of aesthetics
Does the scope of the term "aesthetics" include the philosophy of art, or is the latter something beyond the former? I ask because the term seems ambiguous across different sources (textbooks and elsewhere): some seem to use the term to include the philosophy of art (in addition to theoret...
- Wed Jan 08, 2014 3:33 am
- Forum: Philosophy of Mind
- Topic: A Quick Question about Behaviorism...
- Replies: 2
- Views: 1999
A Quick Question about Behaviorism...
Is it correct to say that behaviorists (more specifically, Skinnerians) outright denied the existence of a mind of any sort, or rather that they identified the mind strictly with behavior?
- Wed Oct 16, 2013 2:36 am
- Forum: Logic and Philosophy of Mathematics
- Topic: Advice for studying math and logic
- Replies: 4
- Views: 3160
Advice for studying math and logic
Hello. I have studied philosophy--both in the classroom and on my own time--for several years, but I'm finding that many philosophical issues would be all the more interesting if I developed my math and logic skills. So I was wondering if anyone could recommend books or other references on those top...
- Wed Sep 11, 2013 6:17 pm
- Forum: Metaphysics
- Topic: Endurantism and modern science
- Replies: 1
- Views: 1249
Endurantism and modern science
At face value, endurantism in inconsistent with Einstein's theory of relativity--specifically, special relativity. I've read that committed endurantists often respond to this problem in one of two ways: they assert that either (1) relativity is not a theory regarding reality per se but rather a cons...
- Sat Aug 03, 2013 5:48 am
- Forum: Philosophy of Mind
- Topic: Contemporary Philosophy of Mind
- Replies: 6
- Views: 3281
Contemporary Philosophy of Mind
I'm curious about the current trend among academics in the philosophy of mind. It appears that non-reductive physicalism (NRP) is the orthodoxy, and it suggests that the mental is something fundamentally different from the physical (though I might be wrong about this). Also, NRP can come in one of t...
- Tue Jul 30, 2013 2:23 am
- Forum: Aesthetics
- Topic: Current status of anti-essentialist theories
- Replies: 4
- Views: 2691
Current status of anti-essentialist theories
Does anyone here adhere to an anti-essentialist theory of art? That is, does anyone deny that we can give it a philosophical definition (i.e., the necessary and sufficient conditions for something to qualify as art)? One might say poetically that art, by definition, has no definition. What do you th...
- Tue Jul 30, 2013 1:06 am
- Forum: Introduce Yourself
- Topic: Hello Fellow Ponderers
- Replies: 15
- Views: 6957
Re: Hello Fellow Ponderers
This is definitely not the place for a philosophical discussion. Universals is a good topic. Why don't you start a discussion in the Metaphysics room? It could be focused on numbers, attribute agreement, or whatever. They all lead to the same discussion, basically: realists and non-realists. It wou...
- Mon Jul 29, 2013 7:02 pm
- Forum: Introduce Yourself
- Topic: Hello Fellow Ponderers
- Replies: 15
- Views: 6957
Re: Hello Fellow Ponderers
How about playing Socrates with us ? Ask us a question and then pick holes in our answers. It would be fun. I could do that: Assuming that morality is not grounded in the religious/supernatural, how do we account for our claims regarding good, bad, right, and wrong? Where do such notions originate?
- Mon Jul 29, 2013 6:55 pm
- Forum: Philosophy of Religion
- Topic: Talking about God
- Replies: 5
- Views: 1982
Re: Talking about God
So God is limited because unable to prevent evil ? I disagree with "unable". Before Adam and Eve had disobeyed there was no evil. So God WAS able to prevent evil by not giving the choice to them. But he did give them a choice. For reasons we will perhaps understand one day. Was He FORCED ...
- Mon Jul 29, 2013 6:16 pm
- Forum: Philosophy of Religion
- Topic: Talking about God
- Replies: 5
- Views: 1982
Talking about God
The God of Philosophy and the God of Theism often turn out to be different things, and this is partly why some religious debates persist--because it turns out that the debaters are really just talking past one another. For example, I find, more and more often, that the traditional way of beginning a...
- Mon Jul 29, 2013 6:02 pm
- Forum: Introduce Yourself
- Topic: Hello Fellow Ponderers
- Replies: 15
- Views: 6957
Re: Hello Fellow Ponderers
I'm interested mainly in metaphysics, but I'm certainly ready and willing to discuss other areas of philosophy. I enjoy debate about... --the existence and nature of abstract entities (e.g., the problem of universals). Well, let's start with that one. I don't have any strong conviction, but I will ...
- Mon Jul 29, 2013 5:45 pm
- Forum: Introduce Yourself
- Topic: Hello Fellow Ponderers
- Replies: 15
- Views: 6957
Re: Hello Fellow Ponderers
I figured just as much. (Sorry, previous experiences on forums--many, many years ago--didn't turn out well.) I went to Lawrence University, a tiny liberal arts college in Appleton, WI. I wouldn't call the philosophy department "analytic" as a whole, because, even considering how small it i...
- Sun Jul 28, 2013 11:05 pm
- Forum: Introduce Yourself
- Topic: Hello Fellow Ponderers
- Replies: 15
- Views: 6957
Re: Hello Fellow Ponderers
Why is it amazing? Do I sense a little sardonicism, or am I just paranoid?
- Sat Jul 27, 2013 3:37 pm
- Forum: Ethical Theory
- Topic: A Couple Questions about Virtue Ethics
- Replies: 4
- Views: 3027
Re: A Couple Questions about Virtue Ethics
Thanks, The Voice of Time (sounds odd put that way...).
No, I'm not writing a paper for school about this. I'm out of school right now, and I certainly wouldn't refer to a forum regardless. As I said, I'm just curious since virtue theory is still a minority, but a thriving minority, it seems.
No, I'm not writing a paper for school about this. I'm out of school right now, and I certainly wouldn't refer to a forum regardless. As I said, I'm just curious since virtue theory is still a minority, but a thriving minority, it seems.