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Continue reading →: Fictional emotions
Why do we cry during sad movies like Philadelphia or Beaches? We know that the characters aren’t real and yet we get emotionally invested in the story lines. This is one of the paradoxes we are studying in Book 1, Truth in Fiction, of my distance learning course with the…
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Continue reading →: Are all cultures equally valid?
Let’s start with a definition of valid: based on truth or reason…my way of thinking may be different from yours, but it’s equally valid (Cambridge Dictionary). Kemi Badenoch, who is standing for leadership of the Conservative party, has written an article in today’s Sunday Telegraph emphasising the need for better…
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Continue reading →: Do ends justify means?
This week there was a familiar problem posted on the Open University’s Philosophy Forum. You see a train hurtling towards a group of five workers on the line. If you pull a lever the train will be diverted to a side line where only one worker is working on the…
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Continue reading →: Local Anaesthetic
My teeth have needed a lot of visits to the dentist over the years. Luckily a great deal of work went into conserving teeth that have a genetic flaw known as opalescent dentine. Plenty of crowns provided by the NHS dentists in London and Belfast, but I switched to a…
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Continue reading →: Is creativity irrational?
Our rational thoughts do not allow for flights of fancy or wildly emotional reactions, so are we using a different area of the brain when we become creative? If we organise shapes on a canvas or structure a story, are we giving full vent to our creativity? Maybe we can…
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Continue reading →: The joys of seating
Last night I took my seat in the stand at Ulster’s rugby ground. This is an admission of old age and painful joints that make my days standing on the terraces a thing of the past. There’s even a lift that took me to the top of the stand where…
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Continue reading →: Reason
The ability to weigh up factual information and decide on a course of action based on that judgement. That’s how I would define reason. The difficulty arises when you try to establish factual information. The search for objective truths is never easy, particularly when inaccurate or false information is so…
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Continue reading →: Anarchy or what?
Those who do not accept the legitimate rights of elected governments to rule, often carry out attacks on police forces whenever the opportunity arises. What form of government would appeal to anarchists? you may well ask. Capitalism is reviled by anarchists, as is socialism and any political philosophy that has…
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Continue reading →: Beer yes, but alcohol free?
I decided to give up alcohol for a while, but I didn’t want to stop drinking beer. I was surprised at the range of beers available that are alcohol free. I had accidentally ordered 48 tins of Brewdog online and hadn’t realised that I had bought their AF range. I…
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