AskPhilosophers Questions

Is there any way to escape an endless loop of "why"? Like when I was a kid I

Anonymous — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 22:09:57 +0000

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Is there any way to escape an endless loop of "why"? Like when I was a kid I constantly asked my parents how something works and then it went to why something works. After they responded then it went to another why that went deeper and so on and so on. Similarily we can endlessly ask 'why' on matters like oughts of with what hand should I hold fork or on which hand should I wear a watch etc. So is there a way to escape it? Something like fact about ourselves comes to mind (i.e. because I want to do so) but that seems trivial or problematic in some areas (morality).

I am just starting to study philosophy and I am not understanding the claim that

Anonymous — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 00:30:50 +0000

Knowledge

Science

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I am just starting to study philosophy and I am not understanding the claim that all knowlege comes from science. Could you please give me some practical examples?

Many theists appeal to certain facts about the world (objectivity of morality,

Anonymous — Sun, 28 Oct 2018 08:12:56 +0000

Religion

Science

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Many theists appeal to certain facts about the world (objectivity of morality, laws of nature, existence of the universe) and infer that these facts must be grounded in God. One response that I found common to atheists is to argue that these facts are rather brute and need no explanation beyond themselves. My question then is this: What makes a particular fact a brute fact? To put it more specifically, are there any criteria for what would make a certain fact brute and also for what would make a certain fact necessarily grounded on something else?

It is now known that perpetual motion machines are scientifically impossible

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 03:31:37 +0000

Science

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It is now known that perpetual motion machines are scientifically impossible because of the Principle of Conservation of Energy. Now, suppose someone is able to create a perpetual motion machine. This would entail that a known law of nature has been violated. My question then is this: should that particular act be considered a miracle?

Dear Sir or Madame,

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 13:51:11 +0000

Science

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Read another response by Jonathan Westphal

Dear Sir or Madame, As you now there are names for nearly every ideology, liberalism, positivism etc. But I cant find the name of one ideology, and I was wondering if you can help me with that. For the record, I do not believe in the way of thought I am about to discribe, I am just curious if there is a name for it. Here it goes: What do you call it when someone believes so much in science, that it values scientific progress above all else, even human rights? This person will for example think human experimentation is okay, if it benefits scientific progress. The reason I ask this, is because I came across articles about bioconservatism. And was wondering if there was something like extreme anti-bioconservatism, but wikipedia didnt satisfy me. Thank you for your time and with kind regards, Bram

Hi, wanted to know if Order & Reason are a part of Nature. or if this is

Anonymous — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 22:13:24 +0000

Science

Perception

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Hi, wanted to know if Order & Reason are a part of Nature. or if this is simply how humans view things and try to make sense of things. Cheers

Many people complain that sciences like psychology have not been as successful

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Jun 2017 02:46:37 +0000

Science

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Many people complain that sciences like psychology have not been as successful as sciences like physics. At the same time, many also believe that all other sciences are reducible to physics. If we have a successful theory of physics, does that imply that there must be a successful theory of psychology, and indeed any other area of empirical inquiry?

When asked to choose between two competing theories, A and B, each of which fits

Anonymous — Sun, 07 May 2017 06:03:59 +0000

Science

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When asked to choose between two competing theories, A and B, each of which fits the facts, people will sometimes resort to asking questions like, "Which theory is the more probable?" or "Which theory is simpler?" or even "Which theory involves the least upset to all my other beliefs?" Well, what about, "Which is the less weird theory?" Could weirdness (that is, something like distance from everyday experience) count as a good criterion on which to endorse one theory over another? Einstein seems to be appealing to some idea like this in the comment that God doesn't play dice. And would it be fair to say that many philosophers appeal to something like this when they reject panpsychism?

Why did all the ancient philosophers seem so fascinated by astronomy? Their

Anonymous — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 02:39:30 +0000

Philosophers

Science

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Why did all the ancient philosophers seem so fascinated by astronomy? Their interest in math and "physics" is understandable, as math can be seen as very similar to certain branches of philosophy in that it is not the study of a particular existence, but, rather, the study of "existence," and physics is the study of the seemingly occult laws that govern everything, which is also very similar to philosophy in a sense, but astronomy is just the extrapolation of those two fields on "arbitrarily chosen" pieces of mass. Math, and even physics to a large extent, are "implicit" (for lack of better term) to existence, while astronomy is wholly explicit.

Can we perceive the natural laws, which have shaped our ability to perceive?

Anonymous — Sun, 26 Mar 2017 10:59:08 +0000

Science

Perception

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Can we perceive the natural laws, which have shaped our ability to perceive?