TIL: Philosophy

The Five Stages of Grief, first popularized by Swiss-American psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, maps out an emotional journey often charted by humans in the wake of loss or hardship. Though it originated in a clinical context meant to describe the processes experienced by terminally ill patients, it has been widely adopted by people navigating various forms of personal trauma. The stages — denia...

Have you ever wondered how to evaluate the moral value of a world population? Population ethics poses mind-boggling questions, one of them being the "Mere Addition Paradox" leading to what philosopher Derek Parfit termed as the 'Repugnant Conclusion'. Imagine a world, say World A, filled with a billion people all leading extremely happy lives. Now imagine a world, World A+, identical to World A bu...

The Philosophy of Cynicism might leave a bitter taste in your knowledge-palette due to its modern connotations, but it's not all pessimism and mistrust. It was originally a school of ancient Greek philosophy that promoted, above everything else, radical honesty, asceticism and freedom from societal constraints in search of the truth. Born in the 4th century BC, the Cynics saw society as a trap, fi...

The principle of identity is one of the most fundamental concepts in philosophy, providing the backbone for every logical argument. Although it may seem exceedingly simple - stating that something is itself, it lays a foundation from which all rational discourse and understanding emerge. At its core, the Principle of Identity is summed up in the equation A = A. Basically, it means that any entity,...

The teleological argument, derived from the Greek word 'telos' which means 'end' or 'purpose', is a philosophical concept that proposes the existence of God or a designer based on perceived evidence of order, purpose, or design in nature. This postulate is part of the broader field of natural theology. Conceptualized by various philosophers throughout history, with notable contributors including P...

The Principle of Least Action might seem like an obscure, purely scientific concept. Yet, it carries profound philosophical reflections on the operation of natural laws and the universe. This principle, often referred to as the backbone of analytical dynamics – the study of motion, underpins a compelling idea: nature, though infinitely complex, navigates the course of least resistance to perform t...

In the grand scheme of all philosophical discourse, there exists an idea of a single, unified spiritual truth that underlies all religions and spiritual traditions. This is the concept of the Perennial Philosophy – a philosophical perspective that represents the distilled wisdom of humanity, a shared spiritual heritage transcending geographical, cultural, and historical boundaries. Coined by Leibn...

Emerging from the ancient schools of philosophy, the principle of non-contradiction (PNC) maintains an integral position in classical logic and reasoning. Being one of the three classic laws of thought, Aristotle articulates this axiom as, "It is impossible for the same thing to belong and not to belong at the same time to the same thing and in the same respect." In simpler terms, a proposition ca...

Have you ever felt something was "off" or unnerving about an ultra-realistic robot or a CGI character in a movie? If you've ever sensed a cold shiver or an instinctual creepiness in response to an almost-human, you've encountered what is known as the "uncanny valley" – a concept that dwells in the eerie corridors of philosophy, psychology and robotics. Coined in 1970 by Japanese robotics professor...

Scientists say that there are innumerable stars in the universe, each potentially hosting a host of planets. Given the sheer number of opportunities for life, it would seem reasonable, even highly probable, to conclude that intelligent life exists somewhere else in the universe. Yet, contrary to any expectation, there is a profound silence. Birthed from this puzzling contradiction, the Fermi Parad...

The Social Contract is an illuminating concept that has shaped the modern world as we know it. Championed by philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau during the Enlightenment, the social contract theory suggests that our rules, our rights, our very society, are all born out of implied contracts between individuals as each person surrenders a part of their inherent fre...

This fascinating idea sprouted from the deep wisdom of Stoicism, a school of ancient Greek philosophy. The Dichotomy of Control is a straightforward yet life-changing concept that could be the secret to achieving peace amid the restless pace of life and the ceaseless flood of uncertainties. The Dichotomy of Control envisages the world as consisting of two sects of things - those that are within ou...

Travel with me, will you, to the heart of Nietzsche's philosophy - to his myth of eternal recurrence. Friedrich Nietzsche, a bold and controversial German philosopher of the late 19th century, dared to propose an audacious thought experiment to his readers: What if this life, with all its triumphs and tribulations, were to repeat itself endlessly, the same every time, ad infinitum? Would you view...

The Bystander Effect is at once psychological, philosphical and sociological. It describes a baffling paradox of humanity - in situations where someone is in distress or danger, the greater the number of onlookers, the less likely it is that any one person will step forward to help. Why does this occur? The common explanation boils down to two key factors: diffusion of responsibility and social in...

You've likely heard the term "humanism" floating around social media and the news, but what does it mean in a philosophical context? Humanism is one of the most influential and widely adhered-to philosophies—one that isn't hung up on dichotomies of dogma or the questions of existence, but instead, focuses on human beings. Humanism is an approach in philosophy that believes in human effort and inge...

We've all heard those catch-22 statements that leave us in a logical loop. "This statement is false," or "I always lie," are classic examples. Taking a moment to examine these assertions leaves us in a sort of gridlock - our logical minds struggle to find stability in these contradiction-laden sentences. This mind-boggling scenario is precisely what the Paradox of Self-Reference is all about. The...

Daoism or Taoism is an ancient Chinese philosophy that emphasizes living in harmony with the Dao, often translated as “the way” or “path.” According to Daoist philosophy, the Dao is the fundamental reality underlying everything in the universe. It's a deeply profound concept that's difficult to define and grasp because it's beyond all forms, norms, and comprehension. It's the absolute principle th...

The Turing Test, named after British mathematician and logician Alan Turing, is a yardstick for artificial intelligence. Its goal is to ascertain if a machine can exhibit intelligent behavior indistinguishable from that of a human. To put it in simpler terms, if you're having a text chat with an entity, and you can't discern whether it's a human or a computer, then the machine has successfully pas...

The philosophy of dualism cropped out of the human need to understand reality. It asserts that reality or existence, as we know it, is not unified and whole but is two-sided. In essence, it is a very ambitious attempt to split apart the complex thread of existence into two distinct parts. What are these two parts? That greatly depends on the flavor of dualism we're talking about. Some say it's the...

Among a whole world brimming with philosophical concepts, lies an exquisite corner dedicated to aesthetics. Not to be confused with cosmetic grooming or the pursuit of appealing imagery on social media feeds, Philosophical Aesthetics is far more profound. It fundamentally pertains to the exploration and understanding of beauty and art, questioning the genesis and delineation of taste, and analysin...

Welcome to the world of quantum mechanics! Here's a spin on a famous thought experiment that arises out of this surreal scientific realm. Imagine, if you will, a cat in a sealed box. Accompanying the cat is a potentially lethal setup — a single radioactive atom that, if it decays, triggers a hammer which smashes a poison vial, instantly killing the cat. With no personal insight into the box, you c...

Nestled within the vast sphere of philosophy, omni-subjectivity challenges conventional thought and unveils a provocative perspective on reality. Stripping away the enigma, omni-subjectivity suggests that reality exists solely in the realm of individual perception. Unearthing origins from the Radical Subjectivism movement - an evolution from traditional western philosophy, the idea of omni-subject...

Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher king of Rome, wrote a series of personal reflections known as "Meditations," which have endured as a profound record of private notes to himself and constitute a significant textual contribution to the philosophy of Stoicism. Stoicism stresses the development of self-control and moral virtue as a means to overcome destructive emotions. Marcus Aurelius' writings wer...

The paradox of hedonism is a philosophical concept that can seem counterintuitive. At its core, it suggests that focusing singularly on personal happiness—understood as the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain—often leads to disappointment. The philosopher Henry Sidgwick first theorized the paradox in "The Methods of Ethics" (1874). He argued that, strangely enough, personal happiness might b...

The Principle of Sufficient Reason is a powerful and provocative philosophical idea that demands an explanation or rationale for everything. This principle originates from German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, one of the greatest thinkers of the 17th century, who argued that for every fact or occurrence, there must be a reason or cause that necessarily brought it about. Put simply, it stat...