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About J.M.J. West
(Top Expert on this page)

Expertise
I am versed in formal logic and the predicate calculus; Modern Philosophy, Anglo-American Philosophy, Contemporary Philosophy, And Christian/Catholic Philosophy. I can answer questions on - but not limited to - The Pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, The Stoics, the Early Church Era, St. Justin Martyr, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Ockham, Moore, Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Russell, G. E. Moore, Quine, Rorty, Plantinga, etc. I also have experience with Philosophy of Religion, Epistemology and other areas.

Experience
I have a BA in Philosophy and History, and am continuing my education in both areas while discerning grad school.

Education/Credentials
Bachelors Degrees in Philosophy and History, (political science emphasis)

Awards and Honors
Cum laude, 1st Annual Harold Parker Award for Excellence in History, Benedictine College.

   

You are here:  Experts > Religion/Spirituality > Theology > Philosophy

Questions Answered By Expert  J.M.J. West 
In Category  Philosophy

SubjectDate Asked

Nanotechnology5/9/2009
  Q: What do you think/know about nanotechnology? what does it mean to you? Also, What is your ...
  A: I'm not an expert in nano-technology, but in general it opens avenues previously unavailable to us. ...
Nanotechnology5/5/2009
  Q: What do you think/know about nanotechnology? what does it mean to you? Also, What is your ...
  A: Alexandria, Thank you for your question. Nano-technology is simply the use of technology to ...
revision5/5/2009
  Q: Hey, Im reaching the end of my first year of university and have fast approaching exams. Last ...
  A: Jen, I'm sorry, I don't fully grasp what you are asking. Are you revising papers, or studying for ...
Infinite matter and empty space5/3/2009
  Q: how are you? I would like to ask you some questions about a hypothetical situation. Let's say an ...
  A: 1) Define "space", because by some accounts, "space" as a term is a useful abstraction and nothing ...
You can never step into the same river twice5/3/2009
  Q: how are you? I would like to talk about a particular situation. I'm sure you have heard of the ...
  A: Heraclitus said this famous phrase, and it wasn't in reference to a metaphorical river, but to an ...
Infinite matter and empty space5/2/2009
  Q: how are you? I would like to ask you some questions about a hypothetical situation. Let's say an ...
  A: Hey Joe, There are two ways to answer this. The first way would be to understand that filling ...
objective reality4/6/2009
  Q: How does one prove rationally and scientifically that objective reality exists or not? How do we ...
  A: Joe, Great question (one of the fundamental questions of modern philosophy); and one which by most ...
natural law and chance4/3/2009
  Q: I would like to ask you some questions about a hypothetical scenario. Let's say I am the only ...
  A: Joe, Thanks for the questions. If you're the only sentient being to ever exist, I'd have to ask ...
The Road less traveled: school is becoming a big business3/22/2009
  Q: Can humans be born naturally smart? If so, why would it be beneficial to study and read other ...
  A: You need to define "naturally smart" more clearly. It is quite conceivable that some people are ...
Philosophy vs Critical Thinking3/20/2009
  Q: I read a forum with a member who claims prowess in philosophy, but he frequently makes assertions ...
  A: Part of the problem is you may be using the word "philosophy" in various ways: -doctrine: a belief ...
Wondering about life3/9/2009
  Q: I would like to ask you yet a weird but hopefully insightful question. What do you think are the ...
  A: Virtue is the key to the good life. You might enjoy Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics, or for a more ...
clifford3/7/2009
  Q: Clifford argues that we have a duty to investigate our beliefs. Why is this a duty? What are we ...
  A: I'm assuming this is W.K. Clifford. Clifford was a man dedicated to the Truth, which is objective ...
Descartes3/7/2009
  Q: When Descartes says, “I think, therefore I am”, what is the “I” that he refers to? What does it ...
  A: What Descartes means, and what other philosophers think he's entitled to mean, are two separate ...
Set _theory_and_logic2/27/2009
  Q: Is there any sense in defining the logical conditions such as "sufficient reason" and "necessary ...
  A: Set theory was the logical fruit of analytic philosophy, which sought to do away with things like ...
nothingness and morality2/25/2009
  Q: I would like to ask you a question about nothingness, in the sense of absolute nothingness. If ...
  A: Joe, Great question. You said it yourself "nothingness [has] no qualities]", so it lacks any ...
Does world exist?2/25/2009
  Q: Does the real world exist? And can we believe it is the same as it appears to be?
  A: Yes, it exists, and it is as you see it to be under normal circumstances. Many people will confuse ...
Ethics: rule of rescue2/24/2009
  Q: Would you go out of your way to bring about a 1/100% decrease in the likelihood of a premature ...
  A: Anthony, Thanks for the questions, but such hypotheticals are unanswerable without more ...
Infinite Matter2/18/2009
  Q: I would like to ask you a hypothetical question. If empty space was filled up with an infinite ...
  A: Joe, Great questions! Assuming that all of a given space X was completely filled, then it stands ...
Fallacious reasoning1/30/2009
  Q: I'm trying to think of the technical phrases (or Latin term if applicable) for the type of hazy ...
  A: The concept of the first is rooted in scripture (the trial of Jesus in the desert), but the quote, ...
Skeptical hypotheses1/29/2009
  Q: Why do skeptical hypotheses undermine certainty?
  A: Skeptical Hypothesis seek to get rid of any "false certainty" which is "unwarranted" by some lack of ...
Nothingness1/18/2009
  Q: Couldn't you say that nothingness exists because of the very fact that it doesn't exists because it ...
  A: John, Great question. Philosophers since Parmenides have been wrestling with this question, and ...
hi1/11/2009
  Q: Are you familiar with Jesse Prinz, emotional construction of morals. If so i just finished reading ...
  A: Steph, What I mean by bringing up the holocaust was that most people think that the holocaust was ...
hi1/9/2009
  Q: Are you familiar with Jesse Prinz, emotional construction of morals. If so i just finished reading ...
  A: I am only vaguely familiar with Prinze, but I understand him to be pushing some form of "emotivism", ...
aristotle and happiness is an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue.1/7/2009
  Q: i have been given 2 essays to do, one on Plato and his theory of knowledge and the other on ...
  A: Zakiya, Thanks for the question. First, there we must understand that there are to states of ...
Proof of God12/21/2008
  Q: What are the best "classic" proof and best "modern" proof of God's existence?
  A: Joe, Thank you for your question. There have been many "proofs" given for the existence of God. ...
The first religion12/17/2008
  Q: What was the first religion?
  A: This would be a matter of speculation, as we simply don't know. It may have been a more ...
religious faith12/17/2008
  Q: Is it an advantage or a disadvantage for the researcher to have a religious faith?
  A: It depends on what he or she is researching, and also how true their faith is. (1) If all religions ...
religion declining urban and industrial contexts12/17/2008
  Q: Relgion is declining in modern urban and industrial contexts. Is this the truth?
  A: Maybe, but such a broad generalization is rough to make. Certainly the western world gives the ...
Is there a God?12/17/2008
  Q: Is there a God / a spiritual dimension to life?
  A: Yes. I can prove the latter easily. You cannot have Reason or Free Will without some non-material ...
Nietzsche quote12/16/2008
  Q: Hey there, i was looking for a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche that i heard on the radio...thought yu ...
  A: Nietzsche prophesied often about the oncoming destruction. "The story I have to tell, is the ...
experience and reality12/13/2008
  Q: I would like to ask you a question about experience and reality. If a person is in a coma for 20 ...
  A: By absolute reality do you mean the one, overarching world which persists regardless of our own ...
plato11/30/2008
  Q: I am having difficulty figuring out the argument for the existence of god in Plato's law's book X. ...
  A: The essential argument is that God is the first cause of all causes. All things are in motion now. ...
A-Level R.S11/26/2008
  Q: Sorry about my earlier question. I am an A level student studying A2 Religious Studies. We have just ...
  A: These might help you to get a general feel for the issues at hand. ...
Implication of Omniscience11/26/2008
  Q: I'd like to ask your opinion on a certain logical argument I have been thinking about, regarding the ...
  A: Johann, Thanks for your question. This is a real pickle of a philosophical quandary, but there is ...
Free Moral Agent11/21/2008
  Q: West, I am not a student and I have no formal training in philosophy, logic or ethics, and I am not ...
  A: John, Thank you for your questions. I'll do my best to give you what I believe is the correct ...
Hobbes vs. Aquinas11/14/2008
  Q: I'm writing a 10 page paper for my philosophy class, and I'm comparing and contrasting Hobbes and ...
  A: Best tip would be to make a table for each topic, and then find a relevant passage or two for each ...
hi11/14/2008
  Q: I am currently in a Philosophy of Epistemology class and as a requirement i need to write a paper on ...
  A: Hey Steph, Epistemology is a broad but very interesting topic to explore. What do we know, and ...
Hobbes vs. Aquinas11/14/2008
  Q: I'm writing a 10 page paper for my philosophy class, and I'm comparing and contrasting Hobbes and ...
  A: It's kind of hard to just say "comparing Hobbes and Aquinas", as that's like saying "Comparing the ...
Characters in books10/17/2008
  Q: This might be a strange question to you, but I am hoping someone can send me off in the right ...
  A: Best I can find is: http://www.fanfiction.net/book/ You might consider starting your own forum ...
Critique of Practical Reason10/14/2008
  Q: I'm not sure who to ask this; last time I asked a question like this, no one knew. But when was ...
  A: Carissa, Thanks for your question. The Critique of Practical Reason, Kant's follow-up to his ...
Philosophy10/5/2008
  Q: Can a Premise be a question?
  A: Su, Thanks for your question. To the best of my knowledge, no, a question cannot be a premise. ...
Modern Philosophy10/2/2008
  Q: Can you please explain the difference between the enlightenment and romanticism? Thank you. ANSWER: ...
  A: The fact that we value human feelings and emotions, that we celebrate "individuals", that we love ...
Modern Philosophy10/2/2008
  Q: Can you please explain the difference between the enlightenment and romanticism? Thank you.
  A: Marisol. The basic answer is that this is the difference between "head" and "heart" (though in ...
Republic9/30/2008
  Q: I am 21 and a senior in college and just wondering if there was anything you could tell me about ...
  A: The Republic is some of the most readable philosophy there is (perhaps not the most, but very high ...
Characters in books9/29/2008
  Q: This might be a strange question to you, but I am hoping someone can send me off in the right ...
  A: >>What I would like to know is this: Is there a name for a person that draws/illustrates ...
Omniscient?9/28/2008
  Q: Considering with the double slit experiment in quantum mechanics,when unobserved matter acts like ...
  A: Sam, I don't think that your inference holds. This would seem to be incorrect precisely because ...
philosophy9/26/2008
  Q: What were Kant's views on how reason dictated his moral principles?
  A: Ultimately Kant viewed reason as placing certain obligations on us, and so sought (successfully or ...
VEDAS8/29/2008
  Q: could you tell me the first ever religion? and also do you have any knowledge on the Vedas writings? ...
  A: Debs, Interesting question. The oldest religious manuscripts belong to the Egyptians, and they ...
How can I solve the8/17/2008
  Q: 1.Do you think that the external world is really like what we see? Is Apple really look like a ...
  A: >>-Do you believe that human does PERCEIVE the world accurately? and what we perceive is the ...
How can I solve the8/11/2008
  Q: 1.Do you think that the external world is really like what we see? Is Apple really look like a ...
  A: Sorry it took so long to get back to you, but this has been a very busy week for me (my wife was ...
How can I solve the "problem of other mind"8/10/2008
  Q: 1.Do you think that the external world is really like what we see? Is Apple really look like a ...
  A: YOU ASKED: 1.Do you think that the external world is really like what we see? Is Apple really look ...
on Akrasia8/8/2008
  Q: On the light of the current advanced in the neuroscience and psychological fields, what is currently ...
  A: All of that is theoretical and if you ask me, quite dubious. The human mind is not simply a causal ...
on Akrasia8/8/2008
  Q: On the light of the current advanced in the neuroscience and psychological fields, what is ...
  A: I don't know what is "currently defined" as akrasia vs. self control, nor what advances in ...
Should I ignore this 2 website?8/2/2008
  Q: Should I trust this 2 website? I have encounter this 2 website, which question reality once again, ...
  A: You don't have to ignore them per se, but I think it's bad/dangerous philosophy, because it is ...
statements7/30/2008
  Q: Do you agree with these two statements: 1. Losing all hope is freedom. 2. It's only after we've ...
  A: I think the underlying key to this notion of freedom is not being unduly attached to worldly things ...
philosophy7/9/2008
  Q: i m studying deconstruction and literaure . i want to see if it is related to wittgenstien's ...
  A: Wittgenstein lived a bit before the deconstructionalist era of philosophy, and while he may have ...
What is the real world like?7/5/2008
  Q: recently I come across a article in the internet, it is about human perception of the world and his ...
  A: This all depends on what you take as proof. YOU WROTE:-How about relationship? Am my relationship ...
What is the real world like?7/2/2008
  Q: recently I come across a article in the internet, it is about human perception of the world and his ...
  A: This doesn't sound absurd in that it is a commonly posited dilemma for the average empiricist; but ...
What is the real world like?7/2/2008
  Q: recently I come across a article in the internet, it is about human perception of the world and his ...
  A: This is a classic problem for modern philosophy - the problem of strict empiricism. If you begin by ...
Numbers7/2/2008
  Q: What are numbers?
  A: Great question, but very big and broad. Numbers are mathematical concepts used to describe and ...
What religions / philosophies believe that life and suffering give us reasons to enjoy heaven?6/22/2008
  Q: I believe that life and suffering (possibly over the course of several lifetimes) shape our unique ...
  A: Stephen, Great question! I'm not an expert on comparative religions per se, but here's what I do ...
Reality6/17/2008
  Q: I was wondering if you could explain to me Plato's three beds and true equality in comparison to ...
  A: Plato's three beds comes from Book X of the republic. Part of which I'll reproduce here: >And the ...
What is a Man?6/13/2008
  Q: Yesterday I read a dissertation, which has just earned my friend her Master of Science Degree. The ...
  A: A man is not his penis, but we are all beings created with gender; sex is a part of who we are in ...
QUALIA METAPHYSICS AND SPIRIT6/12/2008
  Q: QUALIA METAPHYSICS AND SPIRIT INTRODUCTION I am a Christian, and a computer programmer, and ...
  A: This is a big topic and unfortuantly I do not have the time or resources to go as deep in to this as ...
Ethics and philosophy5/8/2008
  Q: 1) What is the relationship between philosophy, ethics and bioethics? To what extent is bioethics ...
  A: I'll admit that this sounds a bit like a homework question, but I'll give you some guidelines. ...
Neitzche5/2/2008
  Q: Does Nietzsche address the same questions as Plato concerning morality?
  A: I don't know quite what you mean "the same questions". I don't know how to categorize that per say, ...
Ataraxia and Epicurus4/30/2008
  Q: Lately I've been delving into some of my own introspective research about "why I am the way I am" ...
  A: Well, honestly this is not advice that can be readily given over the internet. I think most ...
Feuerbach4/27/2008
  Q: What is another philosopher that I can compare to Feuerbach's new philosophy. Plese help thank you.
  A: It's been a long time since I studied Feuerbach, and even then it was limited. He was roughly a ...
Descartes4/21/2008
  Q: I just realized I never gave you the questions. Here they are: 1. Why, with Descartes, does there ...
  A: Lindsay, Interesting questions. I'm curious what philosophy class this is and where you're taking ...
Aphorisims 7 & 84/16/2008
  Q: I'm a high school student interested in philosophy, and who also has no guidance whatsoever; while ...
  A: Nietzsche is one of philosophy's odd ducks. For freshmen in college philosophy courses, he can seem ...

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