Rene Descartes
There are many reasons we might want to philosophize—to become better people, gain self-knowledge, understand the history of thought, etc. But I was drawn to philosophy because I wanted to know, as far as is possible, what was true. This sentiment echoes the first sentence of the first book in my very first college philosophy class, way back in 1973. Continue reading Can We Know Anything with Certainty?
Friedrich Nietzsche
What is Nihilism?
Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine that denies the existence of one or more of those things thought to make life good especially truth, values, or meaning. A nihilist doesn’t believe that knowledge is possible, that anything is valuable, or that life has meaning. Nihilism also denotes a general mood of despair or pessimism toward life. Continue reading Nietzsche: Active and Passive Nihilism
Epicurus is credited with first expounding the problem of evil.
(Excerpts below from the Templeton Foundation.)
In 2017, University of Kentucky psychologists Will Gervais and Maxine Najle published a paper titled “How Many Atheists Are There?” Continue reading How Prevalent Is Atheism?
I have recently become aware of a new young artist, Syne, who produces music videos with a philosophical bent. I really like them. As an example, in the above video, the poetic and other-worldly sounds and lyrics of “Siddhartha” tell about the universal struggle of dealing with change, Continue reading Philosophical Music Videos
Triumph of Faith over Idolatry by Jean-Baptiste Théodon (1646–1713)
[My post “Faith and Properly Basic Beliefs” provoked this response from Dr. Darrell Arnold.]
My Beliefs Are Basic, Your’s Are Not
Sociologists and historians can show us many cultures in which individuals have had beliefs that they probably thought were properly basic. Continue reading Polytheism and Reformed Epistemology