Materialism leads to materialism. #philsky

There will never be a theory of everything. | https://iai.tv/articles/there-will-never-be-a-theory-of-everything-auid-3090 Donald Hoffman argues here that we don’t see reality as it truly is, scientific theories are merely provisional models. #philsci ⚛️ 🧪

An important skill for a philosopher is being able to describe simple things in a much more complicated way. #Philsky

The importance of knowing when you’ve won an argument—and leaving it at that.

Say you're a person who chooses not to pull the lever in the trolley problem. More people are now run over than if you had actively pulled the lever. There are several ways to justify why one might believe it's not right to pull the lever. But imagine a scenario where a tanker truck ⮕ #philsky

I'm a functionalist because I just like it when it works. #philsky

I found a 2001 style monolith today... #scifi

Say you're a person who chooses not to pull the lever in the trolley problem. More people are now run over than if you had actively pulled the lever. There are several ways to justify why one might believe it's not right to pull the lever. But imagine a scenario where a tanker truck ⮕ #philsky

When it comes to the trolley problem, I think I'm not someone who pulls the lever. But imagine I'm clumsy and accidentally nudge it — wouldn't it be a bit strange to then deliberately move it back to its original position? #philsky #trolley

Open individualism, direct from its source! #philsky

"It is not an internal contradiction in Newton's theory to assert that no specific point in space is privileged and that space is absolute in the sense that it matters metaphysically where objects are located." How can this not be a contradiction?! 🤔 #philsky

Why is analytic philosophy so "boring" compared to continental philosophy? You know what I mean. Are there any controversial analytical philosphers out there with some kind of really provoactive"vibe"? You know what I mean. #philsky

Who were more badass, the Vikings or the Spartans?

Is it an accurate observation that an overwhelming majority of active philosophers lean heavily to the left compared to the general population? Don't get me wrong; this isn't a criticism, just an observation. #philsky

How would philosophy (in a broad sense) hold up under real market conditions—where supply and demand dictate value? Or maybe this is a very sensitive question? ##philsky

If you were dreaming and in your dream told that you wouldn't ever wake up, but stay in this state to your end, Which actions and choices would be rational to make under these circumstances? #philsky

Is it reasonable to argue that physicalism, panpsychism, and idealism are the overarching categories for the philosophy of consciousness, from which various subcategories branch out? #philsky #philmind #philcognition

It is said that the philosopher Edmund Gettier was asked to publish something since he had not published much recently. In 1963, he then wrote 'Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?', a two-page article that changed the course of epistemology. Less is more—something to keep in mind. #philhist #philsky

Is it controversial to claim that philosophy does not make any real progress and that it is not its role to do so? #philsky

"A Demonstration of the Causal Power of Absences" is a paper without text. Of course, the 'absence' is the spin here, but I'm more concerned about how you manage to not plagiarize it. #philmind #philsky

It's quite easy to be a supporter of the identity of indiscernibles if one is a monist 😇 #philosophy #philsky

The fact that an entity or process is inescapable does not make it fundamental? #philosophy #philsky #philsci

#philosophy I don't like this thought, but what if God finds our song beautiful the same way we find birdsong beautiful? You get my point?

My latest written essay was published yesterday! #philosophy #philmind #philsky #philcognition www.essentiafoundation.org/the-circle-d...

Philosopher Ola Nilsson is back with another one of his mind-boggling, and yet irresistibly compelling, thought experiments. This time he shows, with surprisingly few words, how one universal mind can appear to be many simply because of time and will. www.essentiafoundation.org/the-circle-d...

The essence of infinite regress: You like my post, and I like your like. You like my like on your like, and I like that like, and so on." #philosophy #philsky

Mark my words, phlogiston will be trendy again. #philosophy #philsky #philsci

Isn't the multiverse hypothesis equivalent to the idea of only one universe "at a time," but which unfolds slightly differently in each cycle? I think this holds if time is not a fundamental given but instead an emergent property. #philosophy #philsky #philsci

When friends criticize corporate sponsored research as being biased, I often ask them if they think government sponsored research is biased. They often (IMHO naively) say no. The current US situation shows another problem: single point of failure.

Why are so few philosophers writing about the UAP phenomenon? Considering events of the last few years, you’d think it would be a “goldmine” in terms of ontology and epistemology. What’s behind this caution—or does academic freedom not really mean academic freedom? #philosophy #philsky #philsci

If you are a physicalist, what is your strongest argument for physicalism? #philosophy #philmind #philsky #philcognition

Could it be that it’s the map that’s weird and not the territory? #philosophy

Maybe it’s just my ignorance, I just have but I feel that logical notation is sometimes overused in many philosophical contexts. For example, if you need to explain that you’re going to buy a sausage, you might express it as ∃x(Sausage(x)∧Buys(I,x)). #philosophy #philsky #mathsky

"It is not an internal contradiction in Newton's theory to assert that no specific point in space is privileged and that space is absolute in the sense that it matters metaphysically where objects are located." How can this not be a contradiction?! 🤔 #philosophy #philsky #mathsky #philsci

Which perspective is harder to grasp: that something has always existed, or that something came into being? #philosophy #philsky #MathSky

check it out #philsky!

Doesn't a theory of 'everything' presuppose determinism? #philosophy #philsky

Serious question: Does synchronicity exist as a phenomenon, or can it be explained in terms of coincidences? #philosophy #philsky

Do we invent mathematics, or do we discover it? I have always believed that we discover mathematics, but I have begun to question this view. #philosophy #philsky #MathSky

Isn't the belief in natural laws something similar to what Mackie addresses with his queerness argument in metaethics? However, it seems that those who invoke the queerness argument often believe in natural laws. #philosophy #philsky #philsci

I'm not a fan of the simulation hypothesis, partly because I don't like the idea of a base reality. But would it be possible to conceive of a simulated reality without an active base reality? Consider a computer that simulates a world. ⮕ #philosophy #philsky #MathSky

Yesterday I was a "halfer," today I'm a "thirder," but one thing is for sure: the Sleeping Beauty paradox makes me irritated. #philosophy #philsky #MathSky

The identity of indiscernibles (often referred to as Leibniz’s Law) is the ontological principle that states that there cannot be separate objects or entities that have all their properties in common. Do you find it valid? I Do. #philosophy #philsky #philsci #MathSky

There are two possibilities: either the answers to everything are in the Library of Babel, or they are not. #philosophy #philmind #philsky

Steam Engines – Life as motion and valves Electricity – Life as defined by electrical charges Computers – Life as a computational process Neural Networks – Life as adaptive information processing Quantum Computing – Life as superposition What next? #philosophy #philmind #philsky #philcognition

According to eliminativism, we do not dream when we dream, so what are we actually doing when we (do not) dream? #philosophy #philmind #philsky #philcognition

Are there more things than stuff like 'square circles' that are logically impossible? Is Laplace's demon logically possible? #philosophy #philsky #philsci

Philosophy of dentistry, a small but very promising field. #philosophy #philsky #philsci

Did you actually ever finish "Gödel, Escher, Bach"? #philosophy #philsky

Physicalism relates to physics as an apple relates to a pineapple. They share part of their spelling but are two Completely different things. I read and hear people who say that physicalism has been successful?! Compared to what? Religion? #philosophy #philmind #philsky #philcognition