TIL: Philosophy

Imagine a world where every belief, value, and moral construct that you once considered important suddenly become meaningless - this is the basic premise of nihilism. This philosophical concept states that life itself has no intrinsic meaning, purpose, or value. You might have experienced brief moments in your life when you question the purpose of everything, only to come up with no satisfactory answers. Nihilism pushes this idea to the extreme, asserting that there's no inherent basis for

Imagine the world as you know it is not real. Instead, you're living in a highly sophisticated, computer-generated simulation. This idea, called the Simulation Hypothesis, was brought forward in 2003 by philosopher Nick Bostrom. He argued that if a civilization becomes technologically advanced enough, it has the potential to create an artificial world that is indistinguishable from reality. We, as humans, are no strangers to creating virtual worlds - just think of video games like The

--- Imagine you're standing by a train track and see a trolley moving toward five unsuspecting people at high speed. You're next to a lever that, if pulled, would divert the trolley toward another track, saving the five lives. However, there's a catch: there's one person on the other track who would get killed if you pull the lever. What would you do? The Trolley Problem is a philosophical thought experiment that examines the nature of morality, ethics, and the decisions humans make when

Have you ever found yourself questioning your existence, your purpose, or the meaning of life? If so, then you might be experiencing a touch of existentialism. Existentialism is a philosophical concept developed in the 19th and 20th centuries. It centers around the ideas of individuality, freedom, and the subjective nature of human experience. Originating from works of thinkers such as Søren Kierkegaard, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Friedrich Nietzsche, existentialism tackles the concept of

Imagine yourself inside a dark, gloomy cave along with multiple other prisoners, all bound and chained, facing a blank wall. You have been in this place for as long as you can remember, and the only world you've ever known exists on the wall in front of you — a series of shadows projected by objects behind you, illuminated by the light of a fire. The shadows are the reality you and your fellow prisoners are accustomed to. One day, you manage to break free from your chains and discover

--- Imagine living life for one ultimate purpose: to seek pleasure and avoid pain. This is the core idea behind hedonism, tracing back to ancient Greek philosophers like Epicurus and Aristippus. Above all else, proponents of hedonism argue that a pleasurable life translates to a fulfilled and happy existence. As a 30-year-old navigating life, the allure of this philosophy might be undeniable. Who wouldn't want to maximize their enjoyment and minimize their suffering? But it's essential to

Imagine that you are faced with a choice. It could be as simple as deciding whether or not to reach out and touch the glass of water on the table in front of you. It feels like you have the freedom to make this choice - it seems entirely up to you. But now, here comes the mind-bending question: is your choice really your own, or has it already been pre-determined by a sum total of events, forces or conditions outside of you? Welcome to the captivating world of freedom versus determinism, a

Have you ever wondered about the far-reaching consequences of our smallest actions? The Butterfly Effect, a fascinating concept in chaos theory, will make you think twice before considering anything as trivial. It suggests that even minuscule events, like the flap of a butterfly's wings, can trigger a chain of events that may ultimately have significant impacts across the world. Chaos theory, a branch of mathematics that deals with complex systems, provided the foundation for American