Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'The Evolution of Modern Metaphysics', 'Existentialism: an introduction' and 'A Slim Book about Narrow Content'

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28 ideas

1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 1. Nature of Metaphysics
21959 Metaphysics is the most general attempt to make sense of things [Moore,AW]
1. Philosophy / G. Scientific Philosophy / 1. Aims of Science
3123 Science is in the business of carving nature at the joints [Segal]
1. Philosophy / H. Continental Philosophy / 2. Phenomenology
20744 Phenomenologists say all experience is about something and is directed [Aho]
2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 8. Naturalising Reason
3125 Psychology studies the way rationality links desires and beliefs to causality [Segal]
10. Modality / A. Necessity / 5. Metaphysical Necessity
3105 Is 'Hesperus = Phosphorus' metaphysically necessary, but not logically or epistemologically necessary? [Segal]
10. Modality / D. Knowledge of Modality / 4. Conceivable as Possible / b. Conceivable but impossible
3106 If claims of metaphysical necessity are based on conceivability, we should be cautious [Segal]
11. Knowledge Aims / C. Knowing Reality / 3. Idealism / b. Transcendental idealism
21958 Appearances are nothing beyond representations, which is transcendental ideality [Moore,AW]
14. Science / B. Scientific Theories / 2. Aim of Science
20736 Science has to abstract out the subjective attributes of things, focusing on what is objective [Aho]
14. Science / D. Explanation / 3. Best Explanation / c. Against best explanation
3113 The success and virtue of an explanation do not guarantee its truth [Segal]
18. Thought / A. Modes of Thought / 4. Folk Psychology
3112 Folk psychology is ridiculously dualist in its assumptions [Segal]
18. Thought / C. Content / 5. Twin Earth
3108 If 'water' has narrow content, it refers to both H2O and XYZ [Segal]
3110 Humans are made of H2O, so 'twins' aren't actually feasible [Segal]
3124 Externalists can't assume old words refer to modern natural kinds [Segal]
18. Thought / C. Content / 6. Broad Content
3117 Concepts can survive a big change in extension [Segal]
3104 Must we relate to some diamonds to understand them? [Segal]
3103 Maybe content involves relations to a language community [Segal]
3111 Externalism can't explain concepts that have no reference [Segal]
3109 If content is external, so are beliefs and desires [Segal]
3116 Maybe experts fix content, not ordinary users [Segal]
18. Thought / C. Content / 7. Narrow Content
3121 If content is narrow, my perfect twin shares my concepts [Segal]
18. Thought / C. Content / 10. Causal Semantics
3118 If thoughts ARE causal, we can't explain how they cause things [Segal]
3119 Even 'mass' cannot be defined in causal terms [Segal]
23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 3. Angst
20734 Anxiety, nausea, guilt and absurdity shake us up, revealing our freedom and limits [Aho]
23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 5. Existence-Essence
20733 Our 'existence' is how we create ourselves, unconstrained by any prior 'essence' [Aho]
23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 6. Authentic Self
20753 The self is constituted by its choices made within a social context [Aho]
24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 2. State Legitimacy / c. Social contract
20738 Social contracts and markets have made society seem disconnected and artificial [Aho]
29. Religion / B. Monotheistic Religion / 4. Christianity / a. Christianity
20737 Protestantism brought the modern emphasis on inner states of the soul [Aho]
29. Religion / C. Spiritual Disciplines / 3. Buddhism
20766 Four Noble Truths: life is suffering, caused by attachment, it is avoidable, there is a path [Aho]