Tag Archives: philosophy

There Is But One Truly Serious Philosophical Problem

Posted on April 19, 2009 by Strange Loops

As a species with the apparently rare gift of being able to contemplate life and death, being able to choose our own end should we desire it, we are endowed, unavoidably, with the problem of suicide. ”There is but one … Continue reading →

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Experimental Philosophy

Posted on December 1, 2008 by Strange Loops

Science and philosophy are traditionally considered very distinct disciplines. Certainly many scientists are philosophical, and there are many philosophers of science. But we think of the two domains as following very different methodologies. Scientists perform experiments: they manipulate variables and … Continue reading →

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Word of the Day: Eudaimonia

Posted on November 20, 2008 by Strange Loops

Eudaimonia, n. 1. The good life. 2. Happiness, not as a state of mind like joy, but in the sense of human flourishing. 3. The process of living well, as an end in and of itself. Eudaimonia is a classical … Continue reading →

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Accepting Impermanence

Posted on October 26, 2008 by Strange Loops

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man.” –Heraclitus We humans are innately wired to seek out permanence. In our evolutionary past, it was useful … Continue reading →

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I Am a Strange Loop

Posted on October 24, 2008 by Strange Loops

Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter has long been one of my favorite books. That book tackles what it means to be conscious and how consciousness or meaning could arise out of unconsious and meaningless elements (i.e. physical particles bouncing … Continue reading →

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Last Week’s Potatoes

Posted on January 17, 2008 by Strange Loops

“So what is this mind of ours: what are these atoms with consciousness? Last week’s potatoes! They now can remember what was going on in my mind a year ago — a mind which has long ago been replaced. To … Continue reading →

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Death Gives Life Meaning, or Cognitive Dissonance?

Posted on December 29, 2007 by Strange Loops

The Singularity Institute (Oct 2007) posted a piece on how immortality can give meaning to a life, in much the same way people have argued that death gives meaning to our lives. The author, E. Yudkowsky, gives some common arguments … Continue reading →

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