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Philosophy/Questions Answered by Expert J.M.J. West
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Research on a topic | 5/24/2011 |
| Q: my name is alex and i have a reasearch paper to do. the chosen topic for me is Religious expression ... A: Usually "Religious expression" and "religious practice" would be close to synonymous. However, the ... | |
| ethical theory | 5/18/2010 |
| Q: .would like to find out sub theory of those two and can you give me a workplace example 1. ... A: Relativistic ethics would claim simply that all moral values are entirely subjective, based upon the ... | |
| decisions | 1/12/2010 |
| Q: Can you drop out of college for no reason? A: You may do as you wish (though probably there would be SOME underlying reason). For if you are ... | |
| Quine | 1/3/2010 |
| Q: ..I don't know where to begin can you help. It is pages 81 - 90 Any help gratefully received, ... A: Sandra, Unfortunately, I'm not aware of the exact text you're using. Quine's basic point in such ... | |
| Philosophical Questions | 12/19/2009 |
| Q: There are a few questions which I haven't found answers to yet. They resemble the nature vs nurture ... A: Osman, Thank you for your interesting questions. It's good to struggle with such questions. The ... | |
| Nanotechnology | 5/9/2009 |
| 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. ... | |
| Nanotechnology | 5/5/2009 |
| 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 ... | |
| revision | 5/5/2009 |
| 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 space | 5/3/2009 |
| 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 twice | 5/3/2009 |
| 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 space | 5/2/2009 |
| 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 reality | 4/6/2009 |
| 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 chance | 4/3/2009 |
| 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 business | 3/22/2009 |
| 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 Thinking | 3/20/2009 |
| 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 life | 3/9/2009 |
| 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 ... | |
| clifford | 3/7/2009 |
| 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 ... | |
| Descartes | 3/7/2009 |
| 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_logic | 2/27/2009 |
| 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 morality | 2/25/2009 |
| 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 rescue | 2/24/2009 |
| 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 Matter | 2/18/2009 |
| 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 reasoning | 1/30/2009 |
| 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 hypotheses | 1/29/2009 |
| 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 ... | |
| Nothingness | 1/18/2009 |
| 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 ... | |
| hi | 1/11/2009 |
| 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 ... | |
| hi | 1/9/2009 |
| 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 God | 12/21/2008 |
| 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 religion | 12/17/2008 |
| 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 faith | 12/17/2008 |
| 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 contexts | 12/17/2008 |
| 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 quote | 12/16/2008 |
| 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 reality | 12/13/2008 |
| 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 ... | |
| plato | 11/30/2008 |
| 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.S | 11/26/2008 |
| 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 Omniscience | 11/26/2008 |
| 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 Agent | 11/21/2008 |
| 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. Aquinas | 11/14/2008 |
| 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 ... | |
| hi | 11/14/2008 |
| 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. Aquinas | 11/14/2008 |
| 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 books | 10/17/2008 |
| 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 Reason | 10/14/2008 |
| 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 ... | |
| Philosophy | 10/5/2008 |
| 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 Philosophy | 10/2/2008 |
| 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 Philosophy | 10/2/2008 |
| 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 ... | |
| Republic | 9/30/2008 |
| 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 books | 9/29/2008 |
| 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 ... | |
| philosophy | 9/26/2008 |
| 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 ... | |
| VEDAS | 8/29/2008 |
| 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 the | 8/17/2008 |
| 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 the | 8/11/2008 |
| 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 Akrasia | 8/8/2008 |
| 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 Akrasia | 8/8/2008 |
| 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 ... | |
| statements | 7/30/2008 |
| 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 ... | |
| philosophy | 7/9/2008 |
| 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 ... | |
| Numbers | 7/2/2008 |
| 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 ... | |
| Reality | 6/17/2008 |
| 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 SPIRIT | 6/12/2008 |
| 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 philosophy | 5/8/2008 |
| 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. ... | |
| Neitzche | 5/2/2008 |
| 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 Epicurus | 4/30/2008 |
| 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 ... | |
| Feuerbach | 4/27/2008 |
| 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 ... | |
| Descartes | 4/21/2008 |
| 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 & 8 | 4/16/2008 |
| 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 ... | |
Philosophy
Answers by Expert:
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.
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