In this essay, I argue that we can know what a sentence means without knowing what, if anything, would make it true, due to semantic competence consisting in grasping truth conditions as an intelligible sentence, separated from what grounds those conditions ontologically. I formulate my argument by introducing the best
Critically evaluate Descartes' divisibility argument for Dualism. 1. Introduction Descartes divisibility argument in the Sixth Meditation attempts to establish substance dualism by claiming that minds are indivisible, while bodies are divisible. In this essay, I argue that the argument fails as it conflates epistemic access with metaphysical structure. At
This is not your fight, nor is it your salvation. There is no need to pick sides. The current siege on Iran by the hands of Israel and the United States of America is not some football match we ought to cheer on. Israel have commenced this war with Iran
In Status and Constitution in Psychiatric Classification, Roberts and Wilkinson (2025) aim to intervene in one of the most intractable debates within the philosophy of psychiatry, the relation between values and facts. They do this by introducing their own conceptual distinction that aims to reframe, rather than resolve, the current
Andrew Janiak’s Enlightenment’s Most Dangerous Woman serves as an impassioned, well-reasoned argument for Émilie du Châtelet's inclusion in the canon of Philosophy. Janiak grounds his research in the well-documented writings of Émilie du Châtelet, in which she tackles many of the fundamental problems ongoing in both
1. Introduction In “Experience without the head”, Noë challenges the internalist assumption that perception is purely determined by the neural processes inside the head. Noë argues that perceptual presence consists not in internally stored representations but in practical access to the world. This access comes through embodied, sensorimotor skill-based learning.
If you are interested in this topic, I made a video essay on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ1HRWMRMDw&t=231s To what extent is Universal Causation (the claim that ‘whenever C, E’) necessary for an adequate metaphysical account of causality, and can a theory of Local
I often pack my bag and travel off to any desired location. No plan, no system, no logistics, just unadulterated adventure. Our society continuously sells us on one principle: security. Get a salaried job to guarantee your living, buy package insurance plans for every minute purchase we make, warranty on
I thought an interesting thing to do on this blog, after uploading such a dense essay as I just did, would be to explain dense analytic philosophy in digestible words. A problem with philosophy that has existed since its inception, and perhaps has gotten worse as the discipline has become
Why does Strawson think the self is fundamentally a mental phenomenon? Using at least one other reading we’ve considered so far (up to and including Week 6), develop a critical reading of Strawson’s view. How might Strawson respond? Which view do you find more convincing, and why? In
1. The Man Who Folds His Shirt On a cool, rainy October evening, I’m sitting at my desk at the University. Pen and notebook in hand, I sketch out my philosophical musings, a steaming cup of coffee resting beside me. The soft lulls of Chet Baker play on the
Phenomenology is the philosophical investigation of lived, first-person experience. It separates itself from analytic philosophy, clinical psychiatry, and cognitive science, which often rely on objective data to drive a point across. Phenomenology operates within the subjective, offering a direct analysis of how subjects live and experience the world. This provides