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Table of Contents
What are philosophical questions?
What are philosophical questions, and how do they differ from other question types?
Pending…
List of Philosophical Questions:
You can also just go over this list of philosophical questions.
I will add more questions as I find or think of one.
Also, are you a philosopher or a philosophy student?
Here is a Useful Resource for Philosophers.
Metaphysics
Here are some philosophical questions on metaphysics; enjoy!
- What is the nature of time? Is it linear, cyclical, or something else?
- What does it mean for something to exist?
- Is time travel possible?
- If you can travel back in time, can you kill your earlier self?
- If you go back in time and teach young Einstein relativity theory, where does the idea come from?
- What is the nature of reality?
- What is the role of consciousness in evolution?
- What is the role of consciousness in epistemic justification, if any?
- How do you know you are not dreaming right now?
- If we live in a computer simulation, does it make a difference to the meaning of life?
- Would you choose to live in a computer simulation if it will make you a lot happier?
- Why is there something rather than nothing?
- What is consciousness?
- Is the mind the same as the brain, or do we have souls?
- How can consciousness arise from non-conscious things like cells?
- What is the nature of space and time? Are they absolute entities, relational properties, or something else?
- How should we interpret quantum mechanics? Does it imply a fundamental indeterminacy in nature?
- Does every event have a cause?
- What is the relationship between the macroscopic and microscopic descriptions of reality?
- How should we interpret the concept of the multiverse in contemporary physical theories?
Epistemology
Here are some philosophical questions on epistemology; enjoy!
- What is knowledge, and how do we acquire it?
- Can we be certain of anything?
- Related: Skepticism (Free MOOC, UC Irvine)
- What is the difference between belief and knowledge?
- Are there limits to human understanding?
- How do we know what we know is true?
- Can thought exist without language? If so, what is the nature of such thought?
- Can scientific theories ever be proven true?
- What distinguishes science from pseudoscience?
- How do social values affect our scientific practice?
- How do theories of knowledge (epistemology) inform educational practices?
- What is the relation between credence and belief? Can one be reduced to another or are they irreducible?
Ethics (Meta, Normative, and Applied)
Here are a lot of philosophical questions on ethics; which is your favorite?
- What is the meaning of life?
- Is there free will?
- What is the best way to live?
- What is the best way to live a good life?
- Is morality subjective or objective?
- Can ethics be derived from reason alone?
- What are the obligations we have to others?
- Is it objectively wrong to torture innocent babies just for fun?
- Is it alright to torture terrorists to extract information?
- When is it okay, if ever, to disobey the law?
- Should governments penalize people for unhealthy lifestyles?
- Should prostitution be made legal?
- What is wrong with having sex with animals?
- Should we let people commit suicide when they are terminally ill?
- Should we kill coma patients on life support to provide more resources to others?
- Should organ donation be made compulsory?
- Is it wrong to grow brain-dead babies to harvest their organs?
- Why should we respect the dead?
- Should we fear death?
- Can Sisyphus find contentment in his perpetual struggle?
- Related: The Myth of Sisyphus (video)
- Related: The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus
- Is it wrong to spend money on expensive food when people are dying of hunger?
- If someone is drowning and you refuse to help, are you responsible for their death?
- Can moral statements be true or false, or are they expressions of emotion or preference?
- How do we know moral truths, if any? What is the epistemology of moral knowledge?
- What is the relationship between moral language and moral reality?
- Are moral properties reducible to natural properties, or are they non-natural?
- Can moral disagreements be rationally resolved, or are they fundamentally irresolvable?
- How do evolutionary theories of morality impact our understanding of moral truths?
- How do reasons motivate actions? What is the relationship between reasons and causes of actions?
- What is the connection between action and identity? How do our actions shape who we are?
- Should organ donors be financially compensated?
- Do we have the duty to help distant strangers in extreme need?
Logic
Here are some philosophical questions on logic; enjoy!
- What are the principles of valid reasoning?
- How do we distinguish between good and bad arguments?
- Can logic describe all truths?
- What is the role of paradoxes in understanding logic?
- How do formal and informal logic differ?
Aesthetics
Here are a few philosophical questions on aesthetics; enjoy!
- What is beauty?
- Can art be objectively evaluated?
- What is the purpose of art?
- How do cultural differences influence our perception of beauty?
- What is the relationship between art and morality?
- Is there progress in art?
Political Philosophy
Here are many philosophical questions on politics; enjoy!
- What is the best form of government?
- What is justice?
- Do individuals have rights, and what are they?
- What is the role of the state in the lives of individuals?
- How should wealth be distributed in society?
- Should people who pay more taxes get more votes?
- Is democracy suitable for all countries?
- When should governments intervene in the market?
- What is wrong, if anything, about protectionism?
- Is patriotism irrational?
- Can wars ever be just?
- Should people have the right to live in any country they wish?
- Is the preservation of culture a good reason to limit immigration?
- Why ban drugs and not alcohol or trans-fat?
- Are people free to sell themselves into slavery?
- How much freedom should people have?
- Should experts get more votes?
- What is the difference between free trade and fair trade?
- What makes the government legitimate, given legitimacy is possible?
Related:
Philosophy of Mind
Here are some philosophical questions on the mind; enjoy!
- Is the mind the same as the brain, or do we have souls?
- Can computers be creative?
- How can consciousness arise from non-conscious things like cells?
- What is the role of consciousness in evolution?
- Can we really know what it feels like to be a bat?
- When you have a toothache, is the pain in your mouth or in your brain?
- What is an emotion?
- Is love just a feeling?
- How is love different from passion or sexual desire?
- Are emotions irrational or rational?
- Which would you rather be – an unhappy human being or a happy dog?
- Why do we dream?
Philosophy of Science
Here are some philosophical questions on sceince; enjoy!
- What distinguishes science from pseudoscience?
- Can scientific theories ever be proven true?
- What is the role of observation and experiment in science?
- How do scientific paradigms shift, if it does?
- What is the relationship between science and technology?
- How is mathematics so effectively applicable to the natural world?
- Is mathematics the same as logic?
- Why believe in electrons and quarks if we can’t see them?
- Is science compatible with religion?
- Do social values affect our scientific practice?
- What is science?
- Does science need philosophy?
Related:
- Philosophy of Science – Intro (Free MOOC, UPenn)
- Philosophy of Physical Sciences – Intro (Free MOOC, Edinburgh)
Philosophy of Religion
Here are some philosophical questions on religion; enjoy!
- Does God exist?
- What is the nature of faith?
- Can the existence of evil be reconciled with an omnipotent, benevolent deity?
- What is the role of religion in human life?
- Can an atheist have faith?
- If God knows what you will do tomorrow, do you still have free will?
- If God exists, why is there so much evil in the world?
- Can God create a stone so heavy that he cannot lift it?
- Can there be morality without God?
Philosophy of Language
Here are some philosophical questions on languge; enjoy!
- What is the relationship between language and reality? How does language represent or misrepresent the world?
- Can thought exist without language? If so, what is the nature of such thought?
- How do words acquire meaning? Is meaning determined by usage, intention, or some other factor?
- What is the role of context in understanding meaning? Can a sentence have a fixed meaning independent of context?
- How do metaphors and figurative language contribute to our understanding of abstract concepts?
- What is the nature of linguistic meaning: is it purely mental, social, or a combination of both?
- Can two languages fully translate each other, or are there concepts that are untranslatable?
- How do social and cultural factors influence language and meaning?
- What is the relationship between syntax and semantics? How does the structure of a sentence affect its meaning?
- How do speech acts (e.g., asserting, questioning, commanding) work, and what conditions are necessary for their success?
Philosophy of Law
Here are a few philosophical questions on law; enjoy!
- What is the nature of law? Is it a set of rules, principles, or something else?
- How do laws derive their authority? What makes a law legitimate or binding?
- What is the relationship between law and morality? Can an immoral law still be a valid law?
- How should laws be interpreted? Should interpretation be based on the letter of the law, the intent of the lawmakers, or some other standard?