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1500 questions
12
votes
5 answers
What are some resources on the philosophy of computer science?
Are there any links between philosophy and computer science? What resources might be useful for a programmer learning philosophy?
Clippy
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12
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What is the relevance of falsifiability with regards to deductive argumentation?
Are logical propositions that:
rely on deduction, and
are non-falsifiable
not worthy of pursuing?
Or is falsifiability only a requirement on inductive reasoning?
Trinidad
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12
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5 answers
How should we characterize the relationship between mathematics and philosophy of mathematics?
How should we characterize the relationship between mathematics and philosophy of mathematics?
Specifically, in what ways might the study of philosophy of mathematics make a mathematician better at his work, and which contributions from philosophy…
wajed
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12
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4 answers
Is there a correct or better order to read Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates?
I would like to read the text written by Aristotle, Plato, Socrates and so on. Is there any reference of the best order to read them? Is the chronological order the best or correct one? Or is there a best or correct order?
The Student
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12
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Is a theory that can only be disproved with an infeasable test still scientific?
If I understand Karl Popper's reasoning correctly, a theory is 'scientific' if there can be devised a test that tries to disprove it; i.e., it must be falsifiable.
Now, imagine a theory that theoretically we could build a test to disprove it,
but it…
yarony
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12
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2 answers
What was Socrates/Plato's view on free-will?
Socrates (or, rather Plato, through the voice of Socrates) leads us to the conclusion in the dialog Protagoras (see this for example) that our actions are entirely determined by our beliefs of what is the good, and our beliefs of what is the good is…
James Kingsbery
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12
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8 answers
Is there a modern, secular argument for the soul?
In modern times it is common to think the soul is a religious belief. Even though the original arguments for the soul were not religious (e.g. Plato and Aristotle, and more recently Descartes, Leibniz, and even more recently Thomas Nagel), we still…
yters
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12
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The implication if we discovered that natural abiogenesis is statistically nearly impossible
If we were to discover somehow that (sentient) life was so unlikely that it were almost impossible that it forms even once in the whole universe, does that imply anything about creation e.g.?
My logic would be that in the event that there was no…
Doot
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12
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18 answers
Is it "unscientific" to be sceptical without offering alternative explanations?
Alice has made some anecdotal observations. Through a process of elimination, she proposes a hypothesis to explain the phenomenon, as well as an experiment to validate (or otherwise) her hypothesis. The experiment has yet to be performed.
Bob…
Xophmeister
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12
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7 answers
Does nature jump?
Leibniz famously proposed a series of axioms or basic principles of nature -- or if one prefers Collingwood's terminology, a set of absolute presuppositions --, one of which was: "nature never makes jumps".
The phrase is sometimes expressed in Latin…
Olivier5
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12
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3 answers
How is Bayesian reasoning related to the scientific method?
Back in September 2006, Scott Aaronson wrote a famous blog post giving 10
Reasons to believe that N!=NP. In March 2014, he wrote a more ambitious post about
The scientific case for N!=NP. He claims: "This post supersedes my 2006 post on the same…
Thomas Klimpel
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12
votes
11 answers
Is philosophy bad for you (if taken too literally)?
Hume seemed to prove that we are not justified in believing our inductions. Popper, who is very popular among scientists, thought that statements are only ever falsified. Moral error theorists say anything goes. While these sorts of positions aren't…
user67521
12
votes
11 answers
How does the theory of evolution make it less likely that the world is designed?
The theory of evolution, in many people’s eyes, seems to be evidence against a designer God. But why?
Some may point out to the fact that random mutations and natural selection help explain the diversity of organisms. However, why should this reduce…
user62907
12
votes
11 answers
Resisting a classic Buddhist Argument for Mereological Nihilism
I’ve been getting into mereology and this a classic Buddhist puzzle that he recommended. How can these premises be resisted?
A. If wholes exist, then either wholes are identical with their parts or distinct from them.
B. Wholes and their parts have…
Craigory
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11
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3 answers
How do adherents to Plantinga's "free-will defense" against the problem of evil explain that God is free and immune to moral evil at the same time?
The free-will defense is an argument commonly attributed to Alvin Plantinga, who developed it as a response to the logical problem of evil. However, in developing this argument Plantinga unwittingly ended up reinventing/rediscovering the Molinist…
Mark
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