epistemology

Scientific Realism makes three kinds of claims: 1. Metaphysical - There is an external world that is mind-independent. 2. Semantic – ex. “Should scientific claims be construed literally?” 3. Epistemological – Scientific theories are approximately true “The positive argument for...

The Argument from Ignorance - Argumentum ad ignorantiam The argumentum ad ignorantiam (also known as the argument from ignorance) is a logical fallacy wherein the speaker claims that a proposition is true because it has not been shown to be false, or vice versa. The argument is a form of non...

Science can answer moral questions Sam Harris points out we show greater concern for the well-being of primates than rocks or ants. He suggests this is due to their greater capacity for happiness and suffering. He claims all moral systems are a concern for life capable of conscious experience...

What is Truth? An event is a quantified aspect of reality. A fact is an observed event. Truth is a relation between a theory about events and facts. A statement about a relation between events is true if the relation is a fact. For example: “Elephants can be green”. The facts are “elephants” and...

Beliefs Belief is the state of mind in which a person things something to be the case, with or without there being empirical evidence to prove that something is the case with factual certainty. Beliefs are mental representations of an attitude positively oriented towards the likelihood of...