When the great Tao is forgotten, Kindness and morality arise. When wisdom and intelligence are born, The great pretense begins. When there is no peace within the family, Filial piety and devotion arise. When the country is confused and in chaos, Loyal ministers appear. -Translation by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English When something no longer …
Author Archives: hermitalex
Meditations on the Tao Te Ching: Chapter 17
When the Master governs, the peopleare hardly aware that he exists.Next best is a leader who is loved.Next, one who is feared.The worst is one who is despised.If you don’t trust the people,you make them untrustworthy.The Master doesn’t talk, he acts.When his work is done,the people say, “Amazing:we did it, all by ourselves!”-Translation by Stephen …
A Critique of Gettier’s Problems
Gettier problems are a type of hypothetical situation which aims to present beliefs that could be called knowledge under the “justified true belief” (JTB) definition while also conflicting with our intuitive notions of what should be called knowledge. These problems are used as evidence against the JTB definition of knowledge. They are named after Edward …
Meditations on the Tao Te Ching: Chapter 15
The ancient masters were subtle, mysterious, profound, responsive.The depth of their knowledge is unfathomable.Because it is unfathomable,All we can do is describe their appearance.Watchful, like men crossing a winter stream.Alert, like men aware of danger.Courteous, like visiting guests.Yielding like ice about to melt.Simple, like uncarved blocks of wood.Hollow, like caves.Opaque, like muddy pools.Who can wait …
How Determinism Agrees with Indra’s Net
“Far away in the heavenly abode of the great god Indra, there is a wonderful net which has been hung by some cunning artificer in such a manner that it stretches out indefinitely in all directions. In accordance with the extravagant tastes of deities, the artificer has hung a single glittering jewel at the net’s …
Free Will: Incompatibilist «Freedom»
This post is my attempt to put into words those realizations which some 3 years ago led me to my current position on the existence and nature of free will. Though I have written much on free will in online forums since arriving at my current beliefs, I’ve said little regarding these core realizations that …
Meditations on the Tao Te Ching: Chapter 14
Look! It cannot be seen;It’s called the obscure.Listen! It cannot be heard;It’s called the soundless.Feel it! It cannot be grasped:It’s called the bodiless.These three defy scrutiny.Intermingled, they blend into one.Above it is not bright.Below it is not dark.Continuous,Unceasing,Unnamable,Reverting to nothingness.It’s an occurrence of no occurrence.It is a form that takes no form.Elusive like a shadow.Intangible …
Meditations on the Tao Te Ching: Chapter 13
Favor and disgrace make one fearfulThe greatest misfortune is the selfWhat does “favor and disgrace make one fearful” mean?Favor is high, disgrace is lowHaving it makes one fearfulLosing it makes one fearfulThis is “favor and disgrace make one fearful”What does “the greatest misfortune is the self” mean?The reason I have great misfortuneIs that I have …
Meditations on the Tao Te Ching: Chapter 12
The five colors blind the eye.The five tones deafen the ear.The five flavors dull the taste.Racing and hunting madden the mind.Precious things lead one astray.Therefore the sage is guided by what he feels and not by what he sees.He lets go of that and chooses this.-Translation by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English Hinging one’s happiness …
Free Will: «Could Have Done Otherwise»
In my previous post on this topic, I analyzed a common argument for incompatibilism and found it to not be logically valid, as it was based on contradictory assumptions. In this post, I want to say a few words about a widespread notion about free will that gets brought up by incompatibilists, by which I …
Under the Spell of Words 