Philosophy Now Forum

It is dangerous to start viewing any community in a democracy as being above reproach. Nobody said science is beyond reproach. In fact, it viscerally attracts reproach, whether it likes it or not. That's what makes it good for democracy. Look, for instance, at the visceral reproaches to the science...

Yes, the power of science can be the proverbial double edged sword.

And there lies the contradiction that is life. It is a contradiction that gives contrast, a richness and texture to life.

It has also brought us the mushroom cloud.

Every human endeavor has its down side.

Nikolai.

We are in agreement.

I am not talking Scientism, which refers to an ideology or junk science. No, I am talking about the science of research and discovery, a secular and open discipline. It is an activity that doesn't claim a truth but pursues a truth. Science also enhances democracy in that its pursuit encourages debat...

Have to make this short - must get dinner on the table...

Science put food on your table, as well as a roof over your head and cloths on your back. One can't say religion did that unless one is delusional.

W.V. Quine opined that "Philosophy of science is philosophy enough". What did he mean by that? I have never found an explanation or an opinion about it. What I think he was saying is that since science is so predominant and central to our lives we don't need to philosophizing about anythin...

Someday we will colonize outer space. We will eventually discover the technology to do so. And as a by-product of the new things humans will discover from space exploration we will discover new ways of being more environmentally responsible and affective. In the interim, though, it has been a positi...

I am waiting for issue 73. I found the last one lackluster because I couldn't take seriously the notion of moral machines.

There is something gross about those jellos nailed to the wall and their little pieces falling off. Perhaps that's because it somewhat resembles human existence.

I am surprised this topic has gotten so little attention, about why humans would want moral machines, let allow think about them. I guess some philosophers are viewing it as a challenge or because they have nothing better to do. I think, if anything, people should be working to create saver and bett...

PN is out with issue 72. Its topic is moral machines> robots. My initial reaction was why do we need moral machines? Don't humans have enough problems with morality without replicating that problems in robots? I think it should be the robots' creators that should be moral in making them, making it u...

What, in simple terms, is "the absolute"?

something definite, without doubt.

In terms of pragmatism, an object doesn't have any intrinsic value, which implies an absolute, unless it is valued extrinsically.

For some God is an absolute.

It makes sense that pragmatism was born in America. because of its extreme rifts. "Pragmatism was the product of interaction between religious Idealism and the research sciences fostered by American university reform." Pragmatism was meant to bridge the divide between those who kept their ...

Hegel led the road to pragmatism. It is said that Hegel's world-theory about change being the constant of life planted in Darwin the idea of evolution. From that grew the connection between Darwin and pragmatism as an article in issue 71 - DEWAY AND DARWIN, outlines.