An introduction to David Hume's theory of rationality and his famous quote that it's “not contrary to reason to prefer the destruction of the whole world to the scratching of my finger.”
Category: Epistemology
Critical Thinking: What is it to be a Critical Thinker?
An introduction to the theory and practice of critical thinking: what is it to be a critical thinker?
G. E. Moore’s Proof of an External World: Responding to External World Skepticism
An introduction to G.E. Moore’s Proof of an External World and his response to External World Skepticism.
Pascal’s Wager: A Pragmatic Argument for Belief in God
Should you believe there’s a God? To answer this, we might examine arguments for theism—like first-cause and design arguments—and arguments for atheism—like arguments from evil. These arguments offer evidence for and against God’s existence. Pascal’s wager, originally proposed by Blaise Pascal (1623–1662), takes a more pragmatic approach. Pascal thought that evidence cannot settle the question of whether God exists, so he proposes that you should bet, or wager, on God because of what’s at stake: you have lots to gain and not much to lose. This article explains Pascal’s wager and considers three objections.
Conspiracy Theories
What are conspiracy theories? What is a conspiracy theory? Are conspiracy theories always irrational to accept?
What is Philosophy?
What is philosophy? The question is itself a philosophical question. This essay surveys some answers. #philosophy #whatisphilosophy #definingphilosophy
Epistemology, or Theory of Knowledge
What is knowledge? And how do we come to have it? Is it important that we have knowledge? If so, why? The branch of philosophy that attempts to answer these and related questions is known as ‘epistemology’ or ‘theory of knowledge.’ This essay introduces epistemology.
al-Ghazālī’s Dream Argument for Skepticism
Author: John Ramsey Categories: Epistemology, Historical Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Islamic Philosophy, Global Philosophy Word Count: 997 Right now you probably think that you are awake, that you are not asleep and dreaming. But do you know you aren’t dreaming? French philosopher René Descartes (1596–1650) famously asked a question like this at the beginning of … Continue reading al-Ghazālī’s Dream Argument for Skepticism
Epistemic Injustice
An introduction to the concept of epistemic injustice.
Dutch Book Arguments
Author: Daniel Peterson Categories: Epistemology, Philosophy of Science, Logic and Reasoning Word Count: 1000 Philosophers looking to support a position about how certain we ought to be of some belief, given our other beliefs, sometimes take advantage of Dutch book arguments. These arguments show that alternative positions lead to accepting a series of bets, each … Continue reading Dutch Book Arguments
