The Marginalization of Philosophy

There is a long tradition of ridiculing philosophers, such as Aristophanes’s The Clouds, which mocked Socrates, one of the first philosophers who actually called himself a “philosopher.” This tradition has been waning over the last couple thousand years. Although philosophy has been at the forefront of many of the greatest intellectual advancements, many people no longer have any idea what philosophy is at all, and you can’t ridicule things you’ve never heard of. Philosophers have been marginalized to the point that few even know what they are.

I will discuss the following:

1. Some of the achievements made by philosophers.
2. How philosophers have been ridiculed and despised.
3. How philosophers have been marginalized.

A Moral Realist Point of View Free Ebook (PDF)

I have organized some of my essays (blog entries) to make a free ebook that tries to answer the question, How can a moral realist understand the world? It can be difficult to understand why moral realism is important unless we can see how it relates to our worldview, ethics, and our lives as a whole. This is a sequel to, Is There A Meaning of Life?

Ravi Iyer’s Argument Against “Moral Absolutism”

I just read “Sam Harris’ TED video and the danger of liberal atheist moral absolutism” by Ravi Iyer. He argues that moral absolutism – the belief that there are right and wrong actions – is dangerous based on some data that was collected.¹ He uses this argument as a response to Sam Harris’s suggestion that science can help us find answers to moral questions. I find several problems with Iyer’s essay and argument. For example, Iyer seems to think that there are no true moral beliefs, which would imply that he disagrees that “torturing babies is wrong.”

Joel Marks’s Moral Anti-Realism: An Atheistic View that Morality Requires God

I am unimpressed by atheists giving theism too much credit by assuming that morality requires God, and now I have read An Amoralist Manifesto by Joel Marks, where he discusses how he found himself persuaded by such horrible theistic arguments. The fact is that people had morality long before they thought the supernatural had anything to do with it. The reason to believe in morality has little to do with God, but a two thousand year old Christian tradition made people depend on religion and supernatural sources for morality. Many people then became unsure how morality could work without God.  (Hence, Nietzsche’s declaration that “God is dead.”) Aristotle, Epicurus, and many Buddhists had no problem having moral theories without requiring the supernatural. (More information here.)

A Proposal for a Philosophical Community

The Stoic and Epicurean philosophers welcomed everyone to learn philosophy and they offered free education to anyone interested. If people wanted to learn philosophy, they knew where to go. I want that to exist again. I not only want people to have to opportunity for free philosophical education, but I also want philosophy to offer people a community. I want a place for those who value rationality and knowledge to gather for education and friendship – a place for people to organize and figure out how we can make the world a better place.

Free Introduction to Moral Philosophy Ebook of Notes (Updated 9/3/2011)

I have organized some of my essays & notes (blog entries) to make a free ebook that tries to answer the question, How do we know right from wrong? People understand morality pretty well, but not perfectly. Their intuitive understanding is inadequate and can be improved with a more philosophical understanding.

This book discusses meta-ethics, normative theories of ethics, and applied ethics.

Are Muslims Evil?

Are all Muslims evil, immoral, or satanic? No religion is above criticism, but people have been displaying an irrational disapproval and hatred towards Islam that has lead to prejudice and intolerance towards Muslims. I will discuss the following: