On Monday, I published the first part of a 2-part article on the history of the Scientific Revolution. My take on its philosophical history, to be precise. In that post, I talk a lot about Aristotle and the centrality of his ideas to the formation of modern science. Today I thought I would give a … Continue reading Spreading the Word: Philosophical Duo – Plato and Aristotle
Philosophical History of Scientific Revolution – Part 1 of 2
What was the Scientific Revolution and why did it happen? This is a historical question and history is almost always an interpretation. The 'almost' stands here for the very small part of historical science that can be considered as close to an objective fact as we can get - things like dates and names. Of … Continue reading Philosophical History of Scientific Revolution – Part 1 of 2
Philosophical Notes: Is Kant an Enlightenment Thinker?
There are different views about this question. Some scholars see the 18th-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant as one of the central Enlightenment thinkers, while others claim that in him we can already see the shift away from the self-confident optimism about the power of human reason that marked the Enlightenment age. However, any answer to … Continue reading Philosophical Notes: Is Kant an Enlightenment Thinker?
Al-Ghazali and Artificial Intelligence
What can the 11th-century Islamic polymath, theologian and philosopher al-Ghazali tell us about artificial intelligence and the possibility of conscious machines, long before Alan Turing developed his imitation game, also known as the Turing test? It is impossible, moreover, to create knowledge in inanimate matter. For we understand by the inanimate that which apprehends. If … Continue reading Al-Ghazali and Artificial Intelligence
Complexity Of The Science And Religion History
It can be argued that history as an academic discipline, itself one of the oldest human and social sciences, can never provide a true reflection of events it claims to investigate. By 'true' I mean here 'objective' and by this I mean an account that is free from the influence of the personal interests of … Continue reading Complexity Of The Science And Religion History
Spreading the Word: History of Medieval Philosophy – Podcast on Aquinas
Recently I published a short post with my notes on the 13th-century philosopher's and Christian theologian's St Thomas Aquinas thoughts on the soul. I am continuing to research this influential and interesting thinker, and today I share with you a podcast on Aquinas, by the BBC programme In Our Time. Enjoy! Saint Thomas Aquinas by … Continue reading Spreading the Word: History of Medieval Philosophy – Podcast on Aquinas
Spreading the Word: History of Medieval Philosophy – Talk on Avicenna
Ibn Sina, or Avicenna as he is known by the Latinized version of his name, was an Islamic polymath and peripatetic philosopher (influenced by Aristotelian philosophy) widely recognized as one of the leading thinkers in the medieval period. His influence spread both in the Islamic world and in the Latin West. Here is a very … Continue reading Spreading the Word: History of Medieval Philosophy – Talk on Avicenna
Rationality As The Effortful Way To Knowledge
Although we intuitively understand the meaning of such terms as 'reason' and 'rationality', these concepts are not unequivocal (e.g. this SEP article on bounded rationality lists at least 7 accounts of rationality and says that the list is not exhaustive). Moreover, these concepts often have a normative connotation where being rational and reasonable is considered good, valuable, … Continue reading Rationality As The Effortful Way To Knowledge
Spreading the Word: “Philosopher of the Arabs”
Considered the first philosopher in the Islamic tradition and the first to write philosophy in Arabic, 9th-century thinker al-Kindī held that philosophy can help solve Islamic theological dilemmas. Philosophy professor and a life-long researcher of al-Kindī's works, Peter Adamson has written a book on this pioneering Islamic thinker (my review of it is coming soon) … Continue reading Spreading the Word: “Philosopher of the Arabs”
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