People have a strange capability of believing weird things. Some examples: The world is flat The moon landings were fake Vaccines are harmful and microchips The Earth is only six to ten thousand years old Donald Trump was worth voting for a second time Angels and jinns Karma and reincarnation Afterlife Divine Birth of Jesus … Continue reading Beliefs
Tag: philosophy
Scientism is used as a pejorative. I could argue it is a reaction of philosophy to science, in a similar way that Luddites react to technology. Generally, scientism is seen as a use of science that is in some way inapplicable to a phenomenon or circumstance. ScienceBut first, what is science? Well, it is a … Continue reading Scientism
Which authors have shaped my worldview? All of them, even if I have not read them, but some more than others. Having said that, not all of them are equal, and certainly not directly In my preteen years, I recall avidly reading Enid Blyton's Secret Seven and occasionally Famous Five. Generally, I let these books … Continue reading Two Authors
Sometimes, I despair when I hear some people describing President Donald Trump as amoral. I can't help thinking what those people mean is, that Trump's actions don't comport with their idea of the right way for a President to behave. To my mind that fits with the concept of immoral rather than amoral. Some might … Continue reading Amorality
Do we live in a zero-sum1 universe? Well, the answer is yes, no, maybe. In writing this essay, I was reminded of an episode early on in my second ‘real’ job. Our company sponsored a local university professor, and in return, the professor and perhaps a protégé would give lectures for a day or two … Continue reading Zero-Sum
Depending on the type of antirealist one might be they might argue for the following at least according to ChatGPT (in italics): That depends on the type of antirealism. Different antirealists deny independence in different domains: Metaphysical Antirealism – Reality itself is dependent on perception or conceptual schemes. This is the position I must most … Continue reading Antirealism
Here is a summary of where I think I am. Subject to change. The Chat AI suggested the following "pithy" descriptions:1) Process Monism2) Naturalistic Realism3) Agnostic Pragmatic Realism4) Causal NaturalismI think I will go with Process Monism, as it "Emphasizes [my] belief that everything is part of an unfolding, interconnected causal process rather than discrete … Continue reading My Position
Douglas Adams is one of my favourite authors. 'I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.'The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time 'The story so far:In the beginning the Universe was created.This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a … Continue reading Adams
I have put this monism blog under religion, but it could have easily fit under free will or other stuff (philosophy). Having said that, interpretations of some religions can be monistic. There are various flavours of monism, eg in opposition to dualism (ie) mind versus matter, good and evil. Some see monism as a priority … Continue reading Monism