An introduction to the problem of material composition, which is the attempt to answer the following question: under what circumstances do some smaller objects make up or compose some further object?”
Artificial Intelligence: The Possibility of Artificial Minds
An artificial intelligence or “AI” would be an entity that thinks or acts like an average human being—or even surpasses the average human being in cognitive abilities—yet is a machine or computer program. The idea of artificial intelligence is closely connected to several important philosophical discussions about the nature of minds. This essay is an introduction to philosophical thinking about artificial minds and AIs.
The Mind-Body Problem: What Are Minds?
What are minds? And what (if anything) is the relationship of the mind to the body/brain—or to anything in nature? These questions constitute the so-called “mind-body problem.” This essay introduces some of the most influential answers to these questions.
Seemings: Justifying Beliefs Based on How Things Seem
We often have something like a sense or feeling that something is true. Many philosophers believe that there’s a type of mental attitude that is connected to such feelings, called a seeming. This essay reviews some important philosophical issues about seemings.
Form and Matter: Hylomorphism
This essay provides an overview of the main claims and basic motivations for hylomorphism, the view that all material objects consist of both matter and form.
Immanuel Kant’s Theory of the Sublime
Some of the most memorable experiences in life—like these—fill us with a profound sense of wonder and awe. Philosophers consider these experiences examples of the sublime. This essay summarizes Kant’s theory of the sublime.
Philosophy of Color
What is color? Where, if anywhere, is it? Why do we see it? When do we see it correctly? And how should we go about answering these surprisingly difficult questions? This essay surveys philosophical work on color and color perception.
On Karl Marx’s Slogan “From Each According to their Ability, To Each According to their Need”
The slogan “From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs” is one of German philosopher Karl Marx’s (1818-1883) few explicit descriptions of communism. This essay describes the origins of the slogan and its meaning.
Philosophy as a Way of Life
This essay introduces the Philosophy as a Way of Life approach to philosophy and offers examples of what it can look like to live philosophically in the present day.
Philosophy of Mysticism: Do Mystical Experiences Justify Religious Beliefs?
Mysticism refers to religious traditions devoted to cultivating altered states of consciousness called “mystical experiences.” This essay reviews philosophical attempts to define mystical experience as well as arguments about whether mystical experiences justify religious beliefs.