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I'm excited to start reading it. I ordered a used copy of it and it is arriving some time this week, just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.

One of my favorite songs by one of my favorite groups (sadly no longer together). Canopy Shade, by Trophy Wife. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8G0YR...

Interesting self-observation I just had: when I post an argument that I am not completely sure about (more of just musings or general impressions) tha...

Completely agree.

Anonymity would be a good idea if the single, unanimous goal of this forum was to conduct formal philosophical discussions. But this isn't the case. W...

I did not know this was an option. Good to know.

Also, negative reinforcement usually does not deter trolls, but it does deter people who are honestly looking for a discussion. It is possible to just...

I don't have much that I disagree with you on, except that maybe it is impossible to assume how other people perceive the world. In which case we need...

At the same time, though, negative karma can lead to mob-rule. The fear of public internet shame (look how many dislikes you got, what an idiot!) can ...

To expand on my previous reply to you in this thread, I think many people (including myself) swing around like a pendulum during their lives. Sometime...

I see. Thank you for the examples, I was not aware of the influence Stoicism has on this forum. Yes, amor fati. Hence the adjective "stoic", meaning e...

Is it? I'm not aware that any non-pessimists on here are self-described stoics. I don't remember seeing any major discussions over stoicism here in th...

Done. Thanks.

I call it, Man and Dog. One of my finest pieces. Man and Dog

True. The like system on the new PF is far better in my opinion than the like system in the old PF. Mostly because there are no dislike options. That'...

Would it be possible for only the user to know what post of theirs was liked? To see a post with likes, no matter its content, subconsciously makes pe...

I f-ing love Foals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N1hMYDCvBQ

Like I said above, I don't think being a philosophical pessimist leads to a depressive demeanor. This is the point of this discussion, is it not?: why...

Isn't this a philosophical statement?

I am going to be completely honest here and contradict parts of what I previously said on the first page of this topic, but I think there is something...

Everything you said makes sense. Cool stuff.

Depressive Realism.

I'm ordering Hume's An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding.

To try to rephrase my thinking here: If we don't know we are correct (as in, we are not omniscient), then is it reasonable to hold a position as truth...

Hi . I'm currently working on a quasi-serious philosophical article concerning the philosophies surrounding the Force in the Star Wars universe. Is it...

It's important to understand that philosophy is not science, and that to expect it to produce results on the magnitude and abundance of science is mis...

Well, mustard gas doesn't lead to a Cold War and MAD. It has to do with the magnitude of destruction. Mustard gas does a lot of damage, but pales in c...

I know this may not be a popular opinion, but our "progress" is ultimately doomed, whether it be from the trigger-happy terrorists with nuclear weapon...

Welcome to the insane asylum :P

But do you know that there isn't going to be a mysterious demon that pops in and out of existence and tomorrow will change the rotation of the Earth? ...

I used the Sun rising in the West as an example because that would not happen. I do not live in a place in which the Sun rises in the West, and as far...

This is similar to that zingy argument against logical positivism that makes it self-refuting, you know, the whole "well is the statement: 'only empir...

Then why believe anything?

That was the point.

This is my position on philosophy. There is no progress, and philosophers need to stop fooling themselves into thinking there will be.

I think I agree with you on this. Metaphysics, to me, seems like hogwash and can do more harm than good. I am extremely skeptical about metaphysical c...

Dietrich's case is exactly what I was trying to argue about in a different thread. I enjoyed the essay, although I felt it was a little clunky at time...

Touché.

Philosophy does not necessarily make someone arrogant. But it does have a propensity to do so.

True, but there are still conferences and symposiums for philosophy that cost money.

I hadn't heard of the NEH. But I looked it up and learned that the NEH has a budget of $160 million. The NSF has a budget of $7.0 billion.

I think possibly because the scientific pie in the sky research is at least headed for a consensus. This is why we give grants to theoretical physicis...

Science touches on countless investigations, from physics to biology to chemistry and the specialized fields. The point of science is to settle our cu...

I can see how it may make us more patient or better thinkers but an overall better person, nah. If anything philosophy makes someone arrogant and recl...

Would you agree that philosophy is something that is inherently part of a human being? To think philosophically, to use reason, it is inevitable and u...

I agree with you, I study philosophy on my own time and for fun as a hobby. This is a very important point I was trying to get across. Philosophy for ...

Erm, I like to go out with my telescope at night and look at DSOs, planets, and stars, and although this is not astrophysics, it is very substantial a...

With all due respect, this is quite simply philosophical navel-gazing. Philosophy is not "better" than other fields. If anything, it often falls behin...

Additionally, I would like to know why you like philosophy. I feel the reason I like philosophy is because I like rational argumentation. Why did a me...

I really don't like quoting philosophers as a form of argument, but I think this applies well. At least it might stimulate discussion. The secret of r...