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Free Will and Determinism
Free Will and Determinism
One of the long-standing debates in the tradition of philosophy is the Free Will Paradox. It states that if God is omniscient, then there…
Rob McQueen
Jan 15, 2021
Locke on Identity
Locke on Identity
In Chapter 27, entitled Of Identity and Diversity, of his work Essays Concerning Human Understanding (1689), John Locke investigates the…
Rob McQueen
Jan 11, 2021
Hume’s Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
Hume’s Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
In 1748, Scottish Philosopher David Hume published his work, An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding. In it, he attacks “dogmatic…
Rob McQueen
Jan 10, 2021
Book Analysis: All Things Shining
Book Analysis: All Things Shining
All Things Shining by Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Kelly meditates on the question on how to find meaning in a secular age. In modern times…
Rob McQueen
Nov 9, 2020
Freud on Dreams
Freud on Dreams
Sigmund Freud’s work The Interpretation of Dreams was published in 1900. However, due to it’s length and complexity, Freud decided to…
Rob McQueen
Nov 8, 2020
Basics of Deontology
Basics of Deontology
Deontology is a branch of moral philosophy that reduces normativity to the conformity with duty. The right action is that which aligns…
Rob McQueen
Nov 3, 2020
Heidegger on Machination as Representation
Heidegger on Machination as Representation
In the previous blog post, we discussed Heidegger’s conception of Machination as makeability. In short, machination is how we experience…
Rob McQueen
Oct 6, 2020
Heidegger and Machination as Makeability
Heidegger and Machination as Makeability
In the mid-late 1930s, Heidegger turns towards a concept called machination (Machenshaft). Machination is an interpretation of the world…
Rob McQueen
Oct 5, 2020
Heidegger, Positionality, and Standing Reserve
Heidegger, Positionality, and Standing Reserve
Martin Heidegger (1889–1976) turns towards technology in the late 1940s. He makes explicit his lack of enthusiasm for the “philosophy of…
Rob McQueen
Oct 3, 2020
George Berkeley and Idealism
George Berkeley and Idealism
Irish philosopher George Berkeley (1685–1753) is notable for his advancement of idealism. He argues that matter doesn’t exist, only mind…
Rob McQueen
Sep 30, 2020
Locke’s Primary and Secondary Properties
Locke’s Primary and Secondary Properties
In his book An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1698), John Locke (1632–1704) gives an account about what we can know about reality…
Rob McQueen
Sep 28, 2020
Justified True Belief
Justified True Belief
What constitutes knowledge? According to one school of thought, knowledge can be defined as Justified True Belief (JTB). In this blog post…
Rob McQueen
Sep 21, 2020
Nietzsche on Knowledge and Truth
Nietzsche on Knowledge and Truth
In Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche attacks the philosophical tradition’s striving for Truth. He asks “What really is it in us that wants…
Rob McQueen
Sep 19, 2020
Descartes and Treatise on Man
Descartes and Treatise on Man
In his essay, Treatise on Man, Rene Descartes presents a theory concerning the inner-workings of man. He states that man is composed of…
Rob McQueen
Sep 18, 2020
Book Analysis: Phenomenology: The Basics by Dan Zahavi
Book Analysis: Phenomenology: The Basics by Dan Zahavi
Phenomenology: The Basics is a decent introduction to phenomenology for beginners. It introduces the main concepts of phenomenology…
Rob McQueen
Sep 16, 2020
The Essences of Totalitarianism
The Essences of Totalitarianism
According to Hannah Arendt, totalitarianism is a new phenomenon born in the 20th century. It found its instantiation in two movements…
Rob McQueen
Sep 13, 2020
Book Analysis: The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
Book Analysis: The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
In The Courage to be Disliked, authors Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga give an account of the philosophy of Alfred Alder, a lesser-known…
Rob McQueen
Sep 13, 2020
C.S. Peirce on the Fixation of Belief
C.S. Peirce on the Fixation of Belief
How do we know whether a belief we hold is true? For example, consider the following scenario:
Rob McQueen
Sep 8, 2020
Book Analysis: Out of our Heads by Alva Noë
Book Analysis: Out of our Heads by Alva Noë
Alva Noë is a professor of philosophy at UC Berkeley. In 2009, he published Out of our Heads, a book in which he argues for a new…
Rob McQueen
Sep 7, 2020
Charles Sanders Peirce on Clarity
In his essay How to Make our Ideas Clear, Charles Sanders Peirce (1839–1914) sets out to revise the present-day criteria for clarity. What…
Rob McQueen
Sep 6, 2020
First Post: Hello World
My intention for this blog is to create a space for myself in which I can better grasp ideas in philosophy. The practice of writing down…
Rob McQueen
Sep 5, 2020
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