A blog about philosophical explorations supported by the Barcelona Institute of Analytic Philosophy (BIAP)
This is a post by Marcelino Botín (University of Barcelona) and Markel Kortabarria (University of Barcelona)
Consciousness is a rare beast. It is the aspect of reality with which we are most intimately acquainted, yet itremains strikingly resistant to scientific characterization. Classic thought experiments such as Mary in the black-and-white room suggest that one can possess complete scientific knowledge about the brain and still lack knowledge of what consciousness really is.
This is a post by Riin Kõiv (University of Barcelona).
Imagine being told that personality, performance in math, substance addiction, or excess body weight has genetic causes. For many, this information plants a sense of inevitability — as if their personality, their math performance, or their body weight were in some sense “determined,” beyond their own control.
This is a post by Markel Kortabarria (University of Barcelona).
It is a commonsense belief that reality is built from the ground up. At its base lie the fundamental building blocks that serve as a foundation for everything else. This belief is largely shaped by the dominant scientific view in physics, which suggest that every object is made up of fundamental particles. Philosophically, the view is reminiscent of the ancient atomism of Leucippus and Democritus, as well as Leibniz’s theory of monads—simple, indivisible substances that form the foundation of every other substance.
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