Why interpretations can’t be self-validating — I have noticed, and I sincerely doubt that I am alone, a cultural tendency in favor of the idea that what’s true is what is true for a given person, or perhaps, a given standpoint. I think this view is what most people are referring to when they talk about…

Do all virtues have the same shape? — In the history of philosophy, there is much talk about virtue. A philosopher’s ethical thoughts are oftentimes their most well-known propositions. But what exactly is a virtue? We all have an idea of what is being talked about when we hear that word. …

Is aesthetics merely about detecting the beauty in an object? — Aesthetics is one of the major subdivisions of philosophy. I think that, in comparison, to subjects like metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics, it has a tendency to be neglected. Aesthetics is generally conceived to be the study of beauty, beautiful things, or the ways in which we perceive those things. There’s…

Is justice really determined by power? — Plato famously wrote in the form of his dialogues. While all of Plato’s dialogues have a claim to fame, at the height of his corpus stands The Republic. The Republic is, by far, the most famous of all of Plato’s writings. This is the case for a number of reasons…

Why that’s a problem — We are all familiar with the scene. There is an argument in progress and at least one party, likely both, is becoming increasingly flustered with each sentence. Eventually, somebody gets to the point where they exclaim something along the lines of “That’s just your opinion!” or “According to you!” It’s…

Familiarize yourself with self-interest and selfishness in human nature — In the history of philosophy, the topic of human nature comes up frequently. Admittedly I think it comes up less frequently than is stereotypical, but that’s beside the point. Specifically, questions about our ethical nature have been the subject of much debate. Premises and conclusions about how we act naturally…

The life and ideas of Aristotle — Biography Aristotle was born in 384 B.C.E in a northeastern Greek town called Stagira. Stagira was a coastal town that didn’t have much of a claim to greatness besides being the birthplace of Aristotle. It’s common knowledge that Aristotle was a student of Plato. …

An introduction — Introduction You will often hear the descriptors “analytic” and “continental” tossed around in all things philosophy. In my experience these terms can be very nebulous and a simple definition is usually not sufficient to capture the meaning that people are trying to convey when they say them. In this article my…

The impetus for the most interesting period in philosophy — The modern period of philosophy is, in my opinion, the richest moment in philosophical history. The disputes that would originate at this time would come to determine the character of philosophy as we see it today. …