Many have been astonished to discover the existence of aphantasia. Per Wikipedia: Aphantasia is the suggested name for a condition where one does not possess a functioning mind's eye and cannot voluntarily visualize imagery. I believe I may have an even stranger condition, which I call Agnotphantasia. I am unsure of whether or not I … Continue reading Agnotphantasia
Category: Philosophy
JONES’ ISLAND AND PROPERTY RIGHTS
A ship sinks, and a few dozen survivors manage to make it to shore on a deserted island. One of them, by the name of Jones, is a mechanic, and by pure happenstance is carrying his tools when he gets on the life raft. The Island is relatively resource rich, although conditions are difficult, and … Continue reading JONES’ ISLAND AND PROPERTY RIGHTS
Useful maxim: Just because the result is uncertain doesn’t mean it’s going to be close
I’ve been watching elections for many years and in that context I learnt a slogan (can't remember the source) that’s applicable to many other areas of life. Mathematically it's rather obvious and trite, but it's one of those things that's worth fixing in your brain because it's an easy mistake to make in an reflective … Continue reading Useful maxim: Just because the result is uncertain doesn’t mean it’s going to be close
Against Libertarian Criticisms of Redistribution
Pt 1: Nonaggression tells us nothing about the morality of redistribution According to the non-aggression principle one should never interfere with the person or legitimate property of another without their permission, unless they have initiated aggression against one first. The non-aggression principle is sometimes taken to be a master argument for libertarian views against the … Continue reading Against Libertarian Criticisms of Redistribution
A brief aside on the envy of the rich
It’s very interesting that there’s a lot of work spent on painting the poor as envious- hating the rich simply because they are rich- especially whenever the topic of redistribution is raised. However, almost no thought goes to the feelings so many of the rich have for the poor- enjoying the immiseration of the poor … Continue reading A brief aside on the envy of the rich
A consent theodicy
I have what I believe to be a novel argument for the compatibility of an all knowing, all powerful, all good god and the existence of evil.(1) It’s kind of a weird argument because it relies on premises not really compatible with any of the major monotheistic religions(2), thus it’s unlikely to be used by … Continue reading A consent theodicy
A thought experiment against retributive punishment in judicial contexts.
Retributive punishment is punishment carried out because it is felt to be deserved, not because it rehabilitates, incapacitates or deters. In practice of course punishment is usually thought to have many purposes, and retribution will only be one. Many people argue though that a concern for retribution should -while being balanced against other concerns- play … Continue reading A thought experiment against retributive punishment in judicial contexts.
Carving up the philosophical terrain around personal identity a little differently
Warning: I haven’t studied personal identity since a single undergraduate subject, so I’m guessing this distinction already exists in the literature and I just didn’t find it with a cursory search, I claim no originality for this, and if someone can find a source, let me know so I can give credit. Many people are … Continue reading Carving up the philosophical terrain around personal identity a little differently
Through-going subjective Bayesianism as a solution to the problem of scepticism
A common argument for the existence of God is that there is something rather than nothing. There are many good replies to this argument, but one of the more sophisticated challenges our sense that ‘nothing’ is the ordinary state of things and ‘something’ is an exception that needs explanation. There is an enormous, uncountably infinite … Continue reading Through-going subjective Bayesianism as a solution to the problem of scepticism
Why I left philosophy
1. I started working on intuitions. To see what a philosophical intuition is (or rather, what one type of philosophical intuition is), consider the following: You might think knowledge is justified and true belief. But suppose I look at my watch and it says the time is 12:37. On this surely reasonable and justified basis … Continue reading Why I left philosophy
DePonySum 