Tag: Philosophy
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A Simple Argument Against Physicalism
I want to start by saying that I haven’t exhaustively surveyed the literature on physicalism, so the following argument probably isn’t new (relevant links to the literature would be appreciated). Physicalism is the philosophical view that everything is physical. The problem with physicalism is that it seems that the process of thinking and reasoning disproves…
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Should You Invest in Life-Extension Medical Research?
The right to choose to live or to die is the most fundamental right there is; conversely, the duty to give others that opportunity to the best of our ability is the most fundamental duty there is. —Aubrey de Grey Should you invest in healthy life-extension medical research? Aubrey de Grey thinks that you should.…
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How to Make Rational Choices
Unless there are overriding moral objections, one should make instrumentally rational choices—choices that best serve one’s ends full stop. Expected utility (EU) theory is generally accepted as a normative theory of (instrumentally) rational choice under risk. EU theory advises agents to rank their choice options (from least to most choiceworthy) according to their EU, where…
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Should You Be Skeptical of Climate Change: Letter to a Climate Skeptic
This is a short letter in response to a Reddit post on climate change skepticism (see below): Until recently, I never read much about climate change other than standard newspaper stuff. I think I have heard most of the arguments for it. I’ve also heard people say stuff like “everyone who actually studies/is an expert…
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How to Acquire Rational Belief Attitudes
How should a layperson think (or form belief attitudes) about any given statement? Is it enough to research reliable sources and use logical, unbiased thinking? In Chapter 1, I will argue that it is not and that a layperson should instead defer to the majority testimony of experts on that statement, if there are any…
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A Companion to Rationality
It has always appalled me that really bright scientists almost all work in the most competitive fields, the ones in which they are making the least difference. In other words, if they were hit by a truck, the same discovery would be made by somebody else about 10 minutes later. —Aubrey de Grey To make…
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