40 ideas
8525 | Relations need terms, so they must be second-order entities based on first-order tropes [Campbell,K] |
8518 | Events are trope-sequences, in which tropes replace one another [Campbell,K] |
7508 | Good reductionism connects fields of knowledge, but doesn't replace one with another [Pinker] |
8513 | Two red cloths are separate instances of redness, because you can dye one of them blue [Campbell,K] |
8514 | Red could only recur in a variety of objects if it was many, which makes them particulars [Campbell,K] |
8522 | Tropes solve the Companionship Difficulty, since the resemblance is only between abstract particulars [Campbell,K] |
8523 | Tropes solve the Imperfect Community problem, as they can only resemble in one respect [Campbell,K] |
8524 | Trope theory makes space central to reality, as tropes must have a shape and size [Campbell,K] |
8521 | Nominalism has the problem that without humans nothing would resemble anything else [Campbell,K] |
8515 | Tropes are basic particulars, so concrete particulars are collections of co-located tropes [Campbell,K] |
8519 | Bundles must be unique, so the Identity of Indiscernibles is a necessity - which it isn't! [Campbell,K] |
4033 | Two pure spheres in non-absolute space are identical but indiscernible [Campbell,K] |
7510 | Connectionists say the mind is a general purpose learning device [Pinker] |
7513 | Is memory stored in protein sequences, neurons, synapses, or synapse-strengths? [Pinker] |
7509 | Roundworms live successfully with 302 neurons, so human freedom comes from our trillions [Pinker] |
7511 | Neural networks can generalise their training, e.g. truths about tigers apply mostly to lions [Pinker] |
7512 | There are five types of reasoning that seem beyond connectionist systems [Pinker, by PG] |
8512 | Abstractions come before the mind by concentrating on a part of what is presented [Campbell,K] |
20289 | Ethics is universalisable - it must involve an impartial and universal view of things [Singer] |
20286 | Following an inner voice for morality is irresponsible in a rational agent [Singer] |
7505 | Many think that accepting human nature is to accept innumerable evils [Pinker] |
20282 | The sanctity of a human life depends either on being of our species, or on being a person [Singer] |
20278 | 'Marginal utility' says something is more useful if it is in short supply [Singer] |
20281 | Why should I do anything for posterity? What has posterity ever done for me? [Singer] |
20276 | Conflict of rules might be avoided by greater complexity, or by a hierarchy of rules [Singer] |
20290 | Psychopaths may just be bored, because they cannot participate in normal emotional life [Singer] |
20288 | You can't condemn violent revolution without assessing the evils it prevents [Singer] |
21997 | In Marxism the state will be superseded [Singer] |
20287 | If 49% of the population can be wrong, so can 51% [Singer] |
21993 | Materialist history says we are subject to incomprehensible forces [Singer] |
20277 | Equality of interests is a minimal principle, not implying equal treatment [Singer] |
20279 | Equality of opportunity unfairly rewards those lucky enough to have great ability [Singer] |
20285 | If a right entails having the relevant desire, many creatures might have no right to life [Singer] |
20284 | Why should a potential person have the rights of an actual person? [Singer] |
20283 | Killing a chimp is worse than killing a human too defective to be a person [Singer] |
8516 | Davidson can't explain causation entirely by events, because conditions are also involved [Campbell,K] |
8517 | Causal conditions are particular abstract instances of properties, which makes them tropes [Campbell,K] |
7516 | In 1828, the stuff of life was shown to be ordinary chemistry, not a magic gel [Pinker] |
7515 | All the evidence says evolution is cruel and wasteful, not intelligent [Pinker] |
7514 | Intelligent Design says that every unexplained phenomenon must be design, by default [Pinker] |