Blog topic
Philosophy articles
The Ship of Theseus, the trolley problem, Plato's cave, the Socratic method, the veil of ignorance, free will, virtue ethics, scepticism and the mind-body problem, plus the big positions: utilitarianism, deontology, empiricism, rationalism, nihilism and absurdism. Each piece states the problem plainly before it gives anyone's answer.
36 explainers, newest first. Each one ends with real questions from the unit that teaches it, so you can read the explanation and then check whether it stuck.
These are the readable companion to the Philosophy track, which holds 18 units and 2,179 practice questions. If you are starting the subject rather than looking something up, the study guide is the better place to begin.
What Is a Counterexample? One Case That Ends an Argument
A universal claim says something holds in every case, so one case where it fails destroys it completely, and the asymmetry is a powerful tool in reasoning.
October 19, 20267 min readWhat Is a Category Mistake? Asking a Question That Cannot Have an Answer
Some questions are malformed rather than hard, treating a thing as the kind of thing it is not, which is why asking what colour Thursday is has no answer.
October 16, 20266 min readTake Away Every Property of an Object. Is Anything Left?
One position says an object simply is its properties occurring together, and the other says properties need a bearer that persists through change.
October 14, 20266 min readWhat Is a Blessing? Speech Meant to Accomplish Something
The words are not a description and not quite a request either, since they are uttered in the expectation that saying them does something.
October 12, 20267 min readWhat Happened at the Trial of Socrates? The Death That Founded a Tradition
In 399 BC an Athenian jury condemned Socrates to hemlock for impiety and corrupting the young. What the charges really meant, and why he refused to escape.
October 10, 20268 min readWhat Are Prisons For? Four Answers That Pull in Different Directions
Retribution, deterrence, incapacitation and rehabilitation recommend different sentences, which is why penal policy is incoherent in nearly every country.
October 8, 20267 min readHow Does Triage Work? Deciding Who Waits When Everyone Cannot Be Treated
Sorting a group so limited treatment does the most good is a different goal entirely from treating each patient as well as possible.
October 6, 20267 min readWhat Is Pascal's Wager? Betting on God With the Mathematics of Chance
Pascal argued that since belief costs little if God does not exist and gains all if he does, the rational bet is to believe. What he said, and why it fails.
October 5, 20268 min readWhat Is Epicureanism? Pleasure, Friendship and a Garden in Athens
Epicurus taught that pleasure is the goal of life and that the greatest pleasure is freedom from pain and fear. What he said, and why his name became an insult.
October 1, 20269 min readWhat Is Occam's Razor? Why the Simpler Explanation Usually Wins
Occam's razor says not to multiply assumptions beyond what is needed. Who William of Ockham was, what the rule actually claims, and where it is misapplied.
September 29, 20267 min readWhat Is Deontology? Rules, Duties, and Moral Action
Learn how duty-based ethics judges actions by rules and obligations, and how it differs from judging morality only by consequences.
August 17, 20269 min readWhat Is Moral Relativism? A Simple Philosophy Guide
Explore the idea that moral judgments can depend on cultures or frameworks, plus the arguments and problems philosophers debate.
August 17, 202610 min readWhat Is Rationalism? How Reason Can Support Knowledge
Explore the philosophical view that reason can provide important knowledge, how it contrasts with empiricism, and what questions it raises.
August 17, 20268 min readWhat Is Absurdism? Meaning, Freedom, and an Unanswered Question
Learn what absurdism is, why it focuses on the clash between our search for meaning and an indifferent world, and how thinkers respond to that tension.
August 17, 20268 min readWhat Is Utilitarianism? The Greatest Good Idea Explained
Learn how this ethical theory judges actions by consequences, wellbeing, impartiality, and the challenge of comparing outcomes.
August 14, 20269 min readWhat Is the Social Contract? A Simple Philosophy Guide
Learn how philosophers use the idea to explain political authority, consent, rights, duties, and the rules of living together.
August 14, 202610 min readWhat Is the Problem of Evil? A Philosophy Guide
Explore why suffering challenges belief in an all-good, all-powerful God and how major philosophical responses differ.
August 14, 202610 min readWhat Is Hedonism? Pleasure, Wellbeing, and a Philosophical Debate
Explore the idea that pleasure matters fundamentally for wellbeing, plus common objections about value, desire, and a good life.
August 14, 20269 min readWhat Is Nihilism? Meaning, Values, and a Philosophy Often Misunderstood
Explore several philosophical forms of nihilism, what they deny, and why the idea is more precise than simply believing nothing matters.
August 14, 202610 min readWhat Is Epistemology? A Simple Guide to Knowledge and Belief
Explore how philosophers ask what knowledge is, how beliefs are justified, and why evidence, truth, and scepticism matter.
August 14, 20269 min readWhat Is Empiricism? How Experience Can Support Knowledge
Learn why empiricist philosophers emphasise observation and experience, and how this view differs from pure reason alone.
August 14, 20269 min readCategorical Imperative: Kant's Basic Moral Idea Explained
The categorical imperative is Kant's test for moral rules. Learn how universal laws, respect for persons, and consistent reasoning shape his approach to ethics.
August 13, 20268 min readStoicism and What You Can Control
Stoic philosophers distinguish between what depends on your choices and what does not. The idea is meant to guide attention, judgement and action without pretending difficult events do not matter.
August 8, 20269 min readWhat Makes a Promise Morally Binding?
Promises create expectations about future action, but philosophers disagree about why they generate obligations. Trust, consent, consequences and social practices all offer different ways to explain their moral force.
August 8, 20269 min readHow Moral Luck Challenges Responsibility
Moral luck appears when factors outside a person's control affect how strongly they are praised or blamed. The idea tests whether outcomes, circumstances and character should influence moral judgement.
August 5, 20269 min readIs Beauty Objective or Subjective?
Philosophers disagree about whether beauty belongs to objects, depends on individual experience or grows from shared human practices. The debate reveals how judgement, culture and attention shape aesthetic value.
August 5, 20269 min readExistentialism and the Search for Meaning
Existentialist philosophers explore freedom, responsibility and the challenge of living without a ready-made purpose. Meaning, on this view, is shaped through choices and commitments.
August 4, 20268 min readVirtue Ethics and the Question of Character
Virtue ethics asks what kind of person you should become, not only which rule to follow. Habits, judgement and character shape how a good action is understood.
July 29, 20269 min readPhilosophical Scepticism and What We Can Know
Philosophical scepticism questions whether our beliefs have enough support to count as knowledge. It can challenge careless certainty without requiring you to doubt everything forever.
July 29, 20269 min readThe Mind-Body Problem Explained
The mind-body problem asks how thoughts and conscious experiences relate to the physical brain and body. Dualist and physicalist theories offer different answers, each with difficult questions.
July 29, 20269 min readThe Socratic Method: Learning by Asking Better Questions
The Socratic method tests ideas through careful questions. It can reveal hidden assumptions, sharpen definitions and turn disagreement into a search for clearer reasons.
July 26, 20269 min readThe Veil of Ignorance and the Search for Fair Rules
The veil of ignorance asks you to design society without knowing which position you will occupy. The thought experiment tests whether rules remain fair when personal advantage is hidden.
July 26, 20269 min readFree Will and Determinism Explained
The debate over free will asks whether your choices are genuinely open or fully shaped by prior causes. Different philosophical views disagree about what freedom requires.
July 26, 20269 min readThe Ship of Theseus and the Puzzle of Identity
If every part of an object is replaced, is it still the same object? The Ship of Theseus turns a simple repair story into a deep question about identity.
July 24, 20269 min readThe Trolley Problem and the Difficulty of Moral Choices
The trolley problem asks whether it is right to harm one person to save several others. Its value lies less in a final answer and more in the reasons behind your choice.
July 24, 20269 min readPlato's Cave and the Search for Truth
Plato's cave asks whether familiar appearances show reality as it truly is. The story encourages you to question assumptions without pretending every answer is equally good.
July 24, 20269 min read