The philosophical zombie apocalypse. In 1994 the philosopher David Chalmers raised questions about consciousness which ignited a zombie apocalypse. These weren’t questions no one had asked before. These were questions that rattled the established orthodoxy. They challenged the complacent modern assumption that science had settled all such questions. Many people assume it’s no longer an open… Continue reading The Impossibly Hard Problem of Consciousness
Author: Prudence Louise
Do Extraordinary Claims Need Extraordinary Evidence?
Exposing the skeptics linguistic sleight of hand. You can’t travel far on the internet without hearing someone chanting the mantra: Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. It’s often assumed that merely reciting the incantation is sufficient to reject any idea its power is aimed at. The saying was popularized in Carl Sagan’s 1979 book Broca’s Brain in reference to… Continue reading Do Extraordinary Claims Need Extraordinary Evidence?
Rhetoric: The ancient art of persuasion
Communication tools to inspire and motivate. Rhetoric has a bad reputation. It’s often used as an insult to suggest speech which is intended to deceive. In connection with the speech of politicians it implies they’re misrepresenting the facts. We associate rhetoric with propaganda, not truth. There is some basis for this reputation. But to place a… Continue reading Rhetoric: The ancient art of persuasion
The Invisible Mythology of our Modern World
Why our ideas of human progress could destroy us. In the modern world, our civilization has a story. It conveys our vision of who we are, the expression of our self-image. There are many versions of the story, but they all have a similar theme of progress. Our stories of progress permeate our culture. The… Continue reading The Invisible Mythology of our Modern World
How to Practice Intellectual Charity
A philosophical principle to help you avoid bigotry and dogmatism. The Principle of Charity is a fancy way of saying we should be open minded and reasonable. It’s a method used in philosophy to avoid bigotry and dogmatism. If we’re mindful of this principle, it helps us assess every viewpoint — including our own —… Continue reading How to Practice Intellectual Charity
Are you a Prisoner in Your Ideological Comfort Zone?
How to recognize when you’re in an echo chamber. Being imprisoned in your comfort zone doesn’t sound unpleasant, but even a luxury prison holds you captive. Could you recognize if you were a victim of ideological imprisonment? How can we be confident we aren’t trapped in a comfortable social media bubble filled with like-minded opinions? There… Continue reading Are you a Prisoner in Your Ideological Comfort Zone?
Metaphysics — Mysticism for the Intellect
What is metaphysics and why is it important? When most people hear the word metaphysics they think of mystical things like ghosts, auras, and supernatural beings. It’s a logical way to interpret the meaning of the word. Meta means beyond and physics means physical stuff. We naturally think of immaterial things. But this is almost… Continue reading Metaphysics — Mysticism for the Intellect
The Limitations of Skepticism
Is it always wrong to believe without evidence? It’s currently fashionable to disparage belief in God as irrational and lacking sufficient evidence. Most of the discussions focus on the philosophical evidence we have and whether it qualifies as sufficient. But understanding the evidence is a complex task. It requires detailed knowledge of a broad range… Continue reading The Limitations of Skepticism
Is a Universal Basic Income the Solution to Inequality?
Imagine if you were entitled to an unconditional payment from the government which was enough to provide you with the basic necessities of life. What would you do? And more importantly, what wouldn’t you do? How would this economic security affect your life decisions? For most people that sort of payment has the potential for… Continue reading Is a Universal Basic Income the Solution to Inequality?
The Mystery of Existence — From the Cosmos to God
The question of why there is something rather than nothing is the most fundamental of all questions. This is not the question of why some particular thing exists, but the mystery of existence itself. When we stop to contemplate existence in the abstract, we find ourselves in an encounter with reality that at every moment… Continue reading The Mystery of Existence — From the Cosmos to God
Prudence Louise 