Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'fragments/reports', 'Principle Doctrines ('Kuriai Doxai') (frags)' and 'A Slim Book about Narrow Content'

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30 ideas

1. Philosophy / A. Wisdom / 2. Wise People
14519 It is a great good to show reverence for a wise man [Epicurus]
1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 2. Invocation to Philosophy
14518 In the study of philosophy, pleasure and knowledge arrive simultaneously [Epicurus]
1. Philosophy / G. Scientific Philosophy / 1. Aims of Science
3123 Science is in the business of carving nature at the joints [Segal]
2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 8. Naturalising Reason
3125 Psychology studies the way rationality links desires and beliefs to causality [Segal]
9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 5. Individuation / b. Individuation by properties
14524 Bodies are combinations of shape, size, resistance and weight [Epicurus]
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]
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]
16. Persons / F. Free Will / 6. Determinism / a. Determinism
14521 If everything is by necessity, then even denials of necessity are by necessity [Epicurus]
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]
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 2. Happiness / c. Value of happiness
14522 What happens to me if I obtain all my desires, and what if I fail? [Epicurus]
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 3. Pleasure / e. Role of pleasure
3563 Pleasure and virtue entail one another [Epicurus]
23. Ethics / B. Contract Ethics / 1. Contractarianism
3560 Justice is merely a contract about not harming or being harmed [Epicurus]
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 2. Elements of Virtue Theory / e. Character
14517 We value our own character, whatever it is, and we should respect the characters of others [Epicurus]
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / c. Justice
14513 Justice is a pledge of mutual protection [Epicurus]
24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 2. State Legitimacy / c. Social contract
14515 A law is not just if it is not useful in mutual associations [Epicurus]
25. Social Practice / F. Life Issues / 4. Suicide
14520 It is small-minded to find many good reasons for suicide [Epicurus]
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 1. God
6011 There is a remote first god (the Good), and a second god who organises the material world [Numenius, by O'Meara]