Monday, April 28, 2014

Under what conditions is it morally justified to break the law? In what sort of cases would you endorse civil disobedience? In your answer, think about 1) how you would define the idea of an unjust or immoral law. Would you agree with St. Augustine that 'an unjust law is no law at all'? And 2) what cases (if any) would count in your view as legitimate uses of civil disobedience?

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Personally I believe it is ok to break the law when it interferes with personal freedom or offends you to the point where you want to fight...
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Sunday, April 27, 2014

Classical liberals like Mill usually argue that so long as you aren't being coerced or forced to do something by the state, then you are free. People sympathetic to Marx are likely to argue that freedom requires that we are protected from forms of coercion that stem from economic disparities, and that this perhaps requires some kind of active state intervention to make sure that we are free to make our own economic choices. What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree with Mill or Marx? Or perhaps a little with both?

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I like both ideas that Mill and Marx have, but I do not agree fully on everything. I agree with Mill’s on the harm principle. I think we sh...
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Wednesday, April 2, 2014

According to Buddhism, the main source of our suffering is our preoccupation with our own desires. Suffering is said to be caused by selfish cravings and desires. The way to enlightenment, for Buddhism, therefore involves detaching from our narrow concern with ourselves, escaping the prison of our own desires and illusions. Do you think it is possible to live according to this teaching in the contemporary United States? Is there a conflict between what Buddhism teaches, and how we are encouraged to think and act in our society? What are your thoughts on this?

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I really don’t think it is possible to live the way Buddhism teaches especially in the United States. Buddhism teaches you to reject materi...
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Saturday, March 29, 2014

This week, we are focusing on the Cosmological argument and the Design argument. These arguments represent how one can think about religion from a philosophical perspective. In your blog, I would like you to reflect more generally on what, if anything, you think philosophy might contribute to the understanding of religion. Think about i) whether you think these arguments might change someone's relgious convictions, and ii) whether there is anything about religious experience that is left out of these arguments (for example, some people might say that faith is important for religious conviction, yet of course faith has no role in philosophical argument).

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  I believe that the cosmological and design argument might change someone’s religious convictions. Any type of argument with good  evidenc...
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Friday, March 14, 2014

Some philosophers, including John Searle, say that computers are not really intelligent. Rather, they just simulate intelligence. However, it could be argued that, just as computers are programmed to respond in different ways to different commands, so human beings are 'programmed' by society, and education, to perform certain tasks. For example, we are programmed to do complicated things like speak a language, as well as more simply things like brush our teeth. What are your thoughts on this comparison? Is there any difference between the programming of computers, and the 'programming' of humans by society?

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I find this comparison interesting. We as humans can function like computers. Day in and day out we go about our day in a type of roboti...
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Saturday, March 8, 2014

Should we, as human beings, think of ourselves as made out of two different substances, like Decartes argued? Or are you persuaded by the arguments of physicalism that we are purely physical beings? If you agree with Descartes, how would you explain the fact that our mental life seems to be very closely connected to a physical organ, namely the brain. If you agree with physicalism, how do you explain the fact that our mental life seems to be like nothing else in the physical world (think of how unique something like consciousness is, for example).

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I agree with Descartes. I think of myself made of two different substances.   I believe we have a body and a mind.   I think they are tw...
Saturday, March 1, 2014

Pragmatism and Feminist Epistemology both challenge the view of knowledge as a detached, intellectual activity. Do you think they are right? How do you think we should think about knowledge? Now that we have concluded the section on epistemology, write about what kind of thing you think knowledge is.

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I like the idea that pragmatism and feminist epistemology brings. Knowledge should be seen as something that affects our choices in life. A...
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