The rise of artificial intelligence is changing our lives in fundamental ways. Algorithms know us better than our friends and relatives, we outsource more and more of our decision-making to AI, and much of our socio-economic structure is reliant on algorithmic systems. The future of AI will likely bring substantial…

On Feminist Epistemology and Knowledge — Alison Jaggar is a contemporary philosopher who developed a feminist critique of traditional epistemology. It’s a feminist critique in that it highlights the fact that theory has traditionally been undertaken by men, from a masculine perspective. This matters because the perspective from which philosophy is done can, arguably, influence the…

Contemporary analytic philosophy and 80’s hair-metal owes much of its style to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, a 17th-century philosopher, and mathematician. He was also interested in science, law, and literature. The work of Pascal influenced his development of calculus, which Newton, his contemporary, also developed. It was unfortunate for Leibniz that…

The history of philosophy is a centuries-long conversation. Contemporaneous philosophers integrate and respond to each other’s views as well as those that came before. I like to imagine they’re all up in some Platonic heaven continuing the conversation in person. John Locke was born eighteen years after Rene Descartes died…

On epistemology, rationalism, and justified true belief — Imagine this: Sam is in the kitchen about to wash dishes. Before starting, Sam places the wedding ring next to the sink. The doorbell rings and Sam leaves the kitchen to see who’s at the door. While absent from the kitchen, a thief opens the window directly above the sink…

I used to live next to a small duck pond. Sometimes I would stroll around the pond and see if I could get a duck to eat a piece of bread out of my hand. Usually, one of them would timidly walk up to my hand and snatch the bread…

Mindfulness meditation is becoming increasingly popular in the west. There’s a good reason for this since it can make us happier, relieve stress and help us focus. Mindfulness meditation often involves simply sitting and maintaining an awareness of your breathing. After a while, you gain a heightened awareness of the…

The prominent medical ethics research institute, The Hastings Center, has released a document outlining an ethical framework for healthcare institutions to aid them in managing care in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. I believe this discussion would benefit all healthcare professionals by outlining the ethical terrain that lies ahead. …

In an earlier post, I discussed how Plato’s Allegory of the Cave can shed light on his metaphysics. For Plato, something’s essence is composed of form and matter. Plato has difficulty explaining how form and matter relate to each other since each inhabits a distinct, separate dimension of reality. Aristotle’s…