The topic of Nothingness has always captivated human minds. Death, darkness, void, abyss, no-thing, no-sense, no-experience, oblivion. However, our talk of nothingness as a state betrays an ancient misconception, one discussed by Parmenides ~2.500 years ago in his teaching that Being Is and Non-Being is not. We fall for the myth of nothingness when we contemplate …
Continue reading Spreading the Word: “Does Consciousness End?”
In one week I will resume my studies and one of the courses I am very much looking forward to is philosophy of mind. In this light, it was a timely and pleasant surprise when I came across the following article recently published on Aeon: "The mind does not exist". A controversial and provocative title, …
Thomas Nagel is a renowned contemporary American philosopher, born in Belgrade (modern-day Serbia) on July 4, 1937. Outside philosophical circles he is perhaps best known for his 1974 essay "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?" where he argues against the material/physical reductionist account of the mind and especially - of consciousness. This remains Nagel's central …
Continue reading Book Review: “Mind and Cosmos” by Thomas Nagel
Are you the same person you were 10 years ago? What about when you were a child? And what about yesterday? And since we are talking about it – will you be the same person tomorrow? Perhaps we should start by asking what does it mean to be the same person and what a “person” …
Continue reading What makes you You? An imaginary dialogue with John Locke
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