In philosophy, questions about the nature of knowledge are some of the oldest. They have kept philosophers busy for well over 2,000 years and continue doing so today. The branch of philosophy that tries to answer questions about knowledge - epistemology - is considered one of the core building blocks of philosophical thinking. However, philosophy …
For St. Thomas Aquinas, any material substance (unlike immaterial, for example, angels) is a metaphysical unity made of matter and form. The substantial form is what configures or organizes the matter into this substance and not any other. For a human being, our substantial form is our soul. Human souls are rational. Therefore, according to …
About a year ago, I wrote an article about differentiating between explaining behaviour and describing it. Today, I add another layer to this reflection. What do we want to know when we ask for an explanation of a certain behaviour? For instance, if I wanted to know why John went to the kitchen, would I be satisfied …
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, …
This Friday I share with you a short video on free will. In it, this complex topic is explored from a scientific and, ultimately, philosophical perspective. I wonder, do we all even mean the same thing when referring to free will? Could free will be a concept we use to describe an evolutionary adaptation that …
"How prone to doubt, how cautious are the wise!" Homer, some 3.000 years ago "The Thinker" by Auguste Rodin, in the Legion's courtyard, San Francisco* How reliable is our common sense? It gets us by on a day-to-day basis mostly without big blunders. So we can agree that common sense is reliable as an adaptability …
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
In the first part of this article (published last week), I stopped at the appearance on the stage of Plato and his ideas of what is real, as expressed in his famous cave allegory. Now, I jump right in and pick up from exploring Plato`s thoughts on the topic of reality. Afterwards, I offer some …
Continue reading The Meaning of Objectivity, Reality, Truth – Part II (Final)
Real life. Objective reality. True fact. We all confront these and similar short phrases in our daily lives. They are powerful because they are meaningful to us. Yet, do we really, objectively, truly know the meaning of these words? Do we understand that it is us who endow them with meaning? If we are ready to contemplate …
Continue reading The Meaning of Objectivity, Reality, Truth – Part I
humanfactor 