Fred GuerinJun 3, 20206 minWhy do we Punish?If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed. [Albert Einstein] No...
Fred GuerinJun 3, 20207 minWhy Philosophize?“If we ought to philosophize we ought to philosophize, and if we ought not to philosophize we ought to philosophize; in either case,...
Fred GuerinJun 3, 20203 minOn Possible Paths to the FutureWhat’s needed now is neither fatalism nor utopianism, but a suite of practical pathways for families and communities that lead to a real...
Fred GuerinJun 3, 20205 minWhat is Wisdom?By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second by imitation, which is easiest; and third by...
Fred GuerinJun 3, 20203 minWhat is a ‘Person’?To be a person, a being must be self-conscious, aware of its identity and its continued existence over time [Derek Parfit] Persons are...
Fred GuerinJun 3, 20203 minShould There be a Universal Basic Income?“In a world of true abundance, you shouldn't have to work to justify your life.” Sam Harris Universal basic income (UBI)—the proposition...
Fred GuerinJun 3, 20203 minOn the Ethical Implications of a Quantum Universe Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control…we all dance to a mysterious tune,...
Fred GuerinMay 31, 20203 minWhat is ‘Critical’ About Critical Thinking?“Dare to think for yourself”. (Immanuel Kant) “What you think is less important than how you think”. (Christopher Hitchens) “Critical...
Fred GuerinMay 31, 20203 minThe Dehumanizing Cult of BehaviourismIf you really want to talk 'cult' then you need go no further than the pseudo-science of behaviourism. The latter theory has had a...
Fred GuerinMay 31, 20202 minHow Free Should Freedom of Speech Be?Philosopher's Café “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” [George Orwell]...
Fred GuerinMay 26, 20202 minIs Privacy Important?Philosopher’s Café “Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than...
Fred GuerinMay 25, 20203 minDoes God Matter?“I am afraid we are not rid of God because we still have faith in grammar”. [Friedrich Nietzsche Twilight of the Idols] “We are each free...
Fred GuerinMay 25, 20205 minRetribution or Restoration?In a retributive punishment oriented legal system it is claimed that when justice is done, and seen to be done, it provides a catharsis...
Fred GuerinMay 25, 20202 minOn Philosophy, Politics and Climate ChangeWhat to do about climate change is not simply a question for activists, scientists, politicians and economists—it’s a question for...
Fred GuerinMay 24, 20201 minStephen v. AlbertHere’s the difference between an idiot who happens to be a physicist, and a person of wisdom who happens to be the physicist without whom...
Fred GuerinMay 24, 20203 minPolitics and EthicsIn the present world we have gone to great lengths to separate the political from the ethical. The political we say is about acquiring...
Fred GuerinMay 24, 20201 minHannah Arendt"The conviction that everything that happens on earth must be comprehensible to man can lead to interpreting history by commonplaces....
Fred GuerinMay 24, 20203 minEcosocialismIt is fairly clear now that mainstream political parties have either been bought off by the power elite or they are just too timid to put...
Fred GuerinMay 24, 20203 minŽižek v PetersonIt happened a year ago and I put it on a list of things I wanted to watch so I'm just now getting to it today. Jordan Peterson v Slavoj...
Fred GuerinJun 30, 20192 minKnow Thyself!It seems this little bit of ancient advice is simple enough. Many philosophers have claimed that the way we come to know ourself is...