We had an interesting discussion in class today (15/5/24). A number of questions were raised in class today which could be explored more. All these could be a discussion topic on their own. Thanks to all the class members who brought these topics up in class.
What is Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc?
This informal fallacy was mentioned in class. The following gives some information on the fallacy.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_hoc_ergo_propter_hoc
YouTube- Wireless Philosophy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A7hSaoRv0g
Are there Facts?
The term "Fact" was discussed in class today. The following gives some information on the term.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fact
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/facts/index.html
PPPD post - Fact and Truth: https://philosophyphorphun.blogspot.com/search?q=Facts
Do luck and serendipity relate to critical thinking?
For scientific studies, which use inductive reasoning, scientists use appropriate techniques such as experimental design, random sampling to avoid the effect of luck and serendipity in the their experimental results and conclusions. Nevertheless luck and serendipity can play a significant role in scientific research and discovery.
The following links give some information on luck and serendipity:
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://iep.utm.edu/luck/#H1
The Philosophy of Everything: https://www.thephilosophyofeverything.com/blog/2016/8/28/the-philosophy-of-luck
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serendipity
[The following response to this question was added on 19/5/24]
ABC Radio Late Night Live - How chance and luck profoundly shape our lives:
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/latenightlive/annie-jacobsen-nuclear-war-mark-rank-luck-randomness/103744286
Do you believe in ghosts?
One might decide to believe in ghosts or not. Would one accept a particular religious or cultural account of ghosts, or would one work out an individual version of the concept of ghosts? If one decides to believe the existence of ghosts, how does that affect one's outlook and daily life?
A Philosopher's Blog: https://aphilosopher.wordpress.com/?s=ghost
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost
[The following response to this question was added on 19/5/24]
[Sam's contribution 19/5/24]
As mentioned above, one might decide to believe in ghosts or not.
One common way of deciding if something is real or not is to rely on one's perception. If one can see and feel a table in front of oneself, one is entitled to believe there is in fact a table in front. Another way to decide if something is real or not is to rely on a trusted source.
Therefore, if one has seen ghosts or if a trusted friend says they have seen ghosts, how should one respond to that information?
After carefully considering the information, one may consider what happened or what was reported to have happened was hallucination or illusion. The following gives some information on the topic of hallucination:
Cleveland Clinic article on Hallucinations:
Wikipedia - Hallucination: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallucination
The following gives some information on mass hallucination:
The Bart Ehrman Blog: https://ehrmanblog.org/group-hallucinations-how-can-they-possibly-happen/
American Psychological Association: Collective hysteria - Updated on 04/19/2018
The spontaneous outbreak of atypical thoughts, feelings, or actions in a group or social aggregate. Manifestations may include psychogenic illness, collective hallucinations, and bizarre actions. Instances of epidemic manias and panics, such as choreomania in the Middle Ages, tulipmania in 17th-century Holland, and radio listeners’ reactions to the Orson Welles broadcast based on H. G. Wells’s War of the Worlds in 1938, have been attributed to collective hysteria. Also called group hysteria; epidemic hysteria; mass hysteria.
However, if one considers that the scientific explanations are not satisfactory, and decides to believe in the existence of ghosts, what then? Should one accept a particular religious or cultural view of ghosts?
Personally, I believe if one decides to believe in ghosts, it is better to come up with one's personal concept of ghosts. This is because (1) there are many different religious or cultural views of ghosts. It would be difficult to work out which is the correct view; and (2) religions and cultures often have particular reasons why they form their views of ghosts which may not be suitable or appropriate for oneself.
My initial thought is that ghosts, if real, could be like the person's mental spirit. The physical body would pass away, but the person's mental spirit lingers. That mental spirit would also eventually pass away just like the physical body. My rationale is that often reports of ghosts are seen in this world. Therefore, based on the principle of Occam's razor, there is no reason to postulate there is another realm where ghosts live. In addition, often people do not report that you see ghosts of people who have passed away many years ago. Therefore, it is reasonable to postulate that ghosts do not exist forever.
Can we rely on perception to determine truth?
[This question and response were added on 21/5/24]
Perception can be a tricky foundation for determining truth, as it is inherently subjective and influenced by numerous factors such as personal experiences, beliefs, and biases. While perception can provide us with valuable information about the world around us, it is not always a reliable indicator of objective truth.
For example, optical illusions demonstrate how our sensory perception can be deceived, leading us to interpret visual information in ways that do not align with reality. Similarly, two people can witness the same event but have different perceptions of what occurred based on their individual perspectives.
In philosophy, this topic is often explored under the branch of epistemology, which studies the nature of knowledge, belief, and truth. Philosophers have long debated whether our senses can be trusted to convey truth, with some arguing that only through reason and logic can we approach an understanding of objective reality.
Ultimately, while perception is a valuable tool for navigating our environment, it is important to corroborate perceptual experiences with evidence and rational analysis to form a more accurate picture of truth.
[The above response is from Bing Copilot 21/5/24]
The following videos may be relevant to this question:
The above videos may be relevant to the question regarding Ghosts.
What is the history of Critical Thinking?
[This question and response were added on 21/5/24]
The following article gives a description of the history of Critical Thinking:
A Brief History of the Idea of Critical Thinking
