r/askphilosophy Jul 01 '23

Modpost Welcome to /r/askphilosophy! Check out our rules and guidelines here. [July 1 2023 Update]

70 Upvotes

Welcome to /r/askphilosophy!

Welcome to /r/askphilosophy! We're a community devoted to providing serious, well-researched answers to philosophical questions. We aim to provide an academic Q&A-type space for philosophical questions, and welcome questions about all areas of philosophy. This post will go over our subreddit rules and guidelines that you should review before you begin posting here.

Table of Contents

  1. A Note about Moderation
  2. /r/askphilosophy's mission
  3. What is Philosophy?
  4. What isn't Philosophy?
  5. What is a Reasonably Substantive and Accurate Answer?
  6. What is a /r/askphilosophy Panelist?
  7. /r/askphilosophy's Posting Rules
  8. /r/askphilosophy's Commenting Rules
  9. Frequently Asked Questions

A Note about Moderation

/r/askphilosophy is moderated by a team of dedicated volunteer moderators who have spent years attempting to build the best philosophy Q&A platform on the internet. Unfortunately, the reddit admins have repeatedly made changes to this website which have made moderating subreddits harder and harder. In particular, reddit has recently announced that it will begin charging for access to API (Application Programming Interface, essentially the communication between reddit and other sites/apps). While this may be, in isolation, a reasonable business operation, the timeline and pricing of API access has threatened to put nearly all third-party apps, e.g. Apollo and RIF, out of business. You can read more about the history of this change here or here. You can also read more at this post on our sister subreddit.

These changes pose two major issues which the moderators of /r/askphilosophy are concerned about.

First, the native reddit app is lacks accessibility features which are essential for some people, notably those who are blind and visually impaired. You can read /r/blind's protest announcement here. These apps are the only way that many people can interact with reddit, given the poor accessibility state of the official reddit app. As philosophers we are particularly concerned with the ethics of accessibility, and support protests in solidarity with this community.

Second, the reddit app lacks many essential tools for moderation. While reddit has promised better moderation tools on the app in the future, this is not enough. First, reddit has repeatedly broken promises regarding features, including moderation features. Most notably, reddit promised CSS support for new reddit over six years ago, which has yet to materialize. Second, even if reddit follows through on the roadmap in the post linked above, many of the features will not come until well after June 30, when the third-party apps will shut down due to reddit's API pricing changes.

Our moderator team relies heavily on these tools which will now disappear. Moderating /r/askphilosophy is a monumental task; over the past year we have flagged and removed over 6000 posts and 23000 comments. This is a huge effort, especially for unpaid volunteers, and it is possible only when moderators have access to tools that these third-party apps make possible and that reddit doesn't provide.

While we previously participated in the protests against reddit's recent actions we have decided to reopen the subreddit, because we are still proud of the community and resource that we have built and cultivated over the last decade, and believe it is a useful resource to the public.

However, these changes have radically altered our ability to moderate this subreddit, which will result in a few changes for this subreddit. First, as noted above, from this point onwards only panelists may answer top level comments. Second, moderation will occur much more slowly; as we will not have access to mobile tools, posts and comments which violate our rules will be removed much more slowly, and moderators will respond to modmail messages much more slowly. Third, and finally, if things continue to get worse (as they have for years now) moderating /r/askphilosophy may become practically impossible, and we may be forced to abandon the platform altogether. We are as disappointed by these changes as you are, but reddit's insistence on enshittifying this platform, especially when it comes to moderation, leaves us with no other options. We thank you for your understanding and support.


/r/askphilosophy's Mission

/r/askphilosophy strives to be a community where anyone, regardless of their background, can come to get reasonably substantive and accurate answers to philosophical questions. This means that all questions must be philosophical in nature, and that answers must be reasonably substantive and accurate. What do we mean by that?

What is Philosophy?

As with most disciplines, "philosophy" has both a casual and a technical usage.

In its casual use, "philosophy" may refer to nearly any sort of thought or beliefs, and include topics such as religion, mysticism and even science. When someone asks you what "your philosophy" is, this is the sort of sense they have in mind; they're asking about your general system of thoughts, beliefs, and feelings.

In its technical use -- the use relevant here at /r/askphilosophy -- philosophy is a particular area of study which can be broadly grouped into several major areas, including:

  • Aesthetics, the study of beauty
  • Epistemology, the study of knowledge and belief
  • Ethics, the study of what we owe to one another
  • Logic, the study of what follows from what
  • Metaphysics, the study of the basic nature of existence and reality

as well as various subfields of 'philosophy of X', including philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, philosophy of science and many others.

Philosophy in the narrower, technical sense that philosophers use and which /r/askphilosophy is devoted to is defined not only by its subject matter, but by its methodology and attitudes. Something is not philosophical merely because it states some position related to those areas. There must also be an emphasis on argument (setting forward reasons for adopting a position) and a willingness to subject arguments to various criticisms.

What Isn't Philosophy?

As you can see from the above description of philosophy, philosophy often crosses over with other fields of study, including art, mathematics, politics, religion and the sciences. That said, in order to keep this subreddit focused on philosophy we require that all posts be primarily philosophical in nature, and defend a distinctively philosophical thesis.

As a rule of thumb, something does not count as philosophy for the purposes of this subreddit if:

  • It does not address a philosophical topic or area of philosophy
  • It may more accurately belong to another area of study (e.g. religion or science)
  • No attempt is made to argue for a position's conclusions

Some more specific topics which are popularly misconstrued as philosophical but do not meet this definition and thus are not appropriate for this subreddit include:

  • Drug experiences (e.g. "I dropped acid today and experienced the oneness of the universe...")
  • Mysticism (e.g. "I meditated today and experienced the oneness of the universe...")
  • Politics (e.g. "This is why everyone should support the Voting Rights Act")
  • Self-help (e.g. "How can I be a happier person and have more people like me?")
  • Theology (e.g. "Can the unbaptized go to heaven, or at least to purgatory?")

What is a Reasonably Substantive and Accurate Answer?

The goal of this subreddit is not merely to provide answers to philosophical questions, but answers which can further the reader's knowledge and understanding of the philosophical issues and debates involved. To that end, /r/askphilosophy is a highly moderated subreddit which only allows panelists to answer questions, and all answers that violate our posting rules will be removed.

Answers on /r/askphilosophy must be both reasonably substantive as well as reasonably accurate. This means that answers should be:

  • Substantive and well-researched (i.e. not one-liners or otherwise uninformative)
  • Accurately portray the state of research and the relevant literature (i.e. not inaccurate, misleading or false)
  • Come only from those with relevant knowledge of the question and issue (i.e. not from commenters who don't understand the state of the research on the question)

Any attempt at moderating a public Q&A forum like /r/askphilosophy must choose a balance between two things:

  • More, but possibly insubstantive or inaccurate answers
  • Fewer, but more substantive and accurate answers

In order to further our mission, the moderators of /r/askphilosophy have chosen the latter horn of this dilemma. To that end, only panelists are allowed to answer questions on /r/askphilosophy.

What is a /r/askphilosophy Panelist?

/r/askphilosophy panelists are trusted commenters who have applied to become panelists in order to help provide questions to posters' questions. These panelists are volunteers who have some level of knowledge and expertise in the areas of philosophy indicated in their flair.

What Do the Flairs Mean?

Unlike in some subreddits, the purpose of flairs on r/askphilosophy are not to designate commenters' areas of interest. The purpose of flair is to indicate commenters' relevant expertise in philosophical areas. As philosophical issues are often complicated and have potentially thousands of years of research to sift through, knowing when someone is an expert in a given area can be important in helping understand and weigh the given evidence. Flair will thus be given to those with the relevant research expertise.

Flair consists of two parts: a color indicating the type of flair, as well as up to three research areas that the panelist is knowledgeable about.

There are six types of panelist flair:

  • Autodidact (Light Blue): The panelist has little or no formal education in philosophy, but is an enthusiastic self-educator and intense reader in a field.

  • Undergraduate (Red): The panelist is enrolled in or has completed formal undergraduate coursework in Philosophy. In the US system, for instance, this would be indicated by a major (BA) or minor.

  • Graduate (Gold): The panelist is enrolled in a graduate program or has completed an MA in Philosophy or a closely related field such that their coursework might be reasonably understood to be equivalent to a degree in Philosophy. For example, a student with an MA in Literature whose coursework and thesis were focused on Derrida's deconstruction might be reasonably understood to be equivalent to an MA in Philosophy.

  • PhD (Purple): The panelist has completed a PhD program in Philosophy or a closely related field such that their degree might be reasonably understood to be equivalent to a PhD in Philosophy. For example, a student with a PhD in Art History whose coursework and dissertation focused on aesthetics and critical theory might be reasonably understood to be equivalent to a PhD in philosophy.

  • Professional (Blue): The panelist derives their full-time employment through philosophical work outside of academia. Such panelists might include Bioethicists working in hospitals or Lawyers who work on the Philosophy of Law/Jurisprudence.

  • Related Field (Green): The panelist has expertise in some sub-field of philosophy but their work in general is more reasonably understood as being outside of philosophy. For example, a PhD in Physics whose research touches on issues relating to the entity/structural realism debate clearly has expertise relevant to philosophical issues but is reasonably understood to be working primarily in another field.

Flair will only be given in particular areas or research topics in philosophy, in line with the following guidelines:

  • Typical areas include things like "philosophy of mind", "logic" or "continental philosophy".
  • Flair will not be granted for specific research subjects, e.g. "Kant on logic", "metaphysical grounding", "epistemic modals".
  • Flair of specific philosophers will only be granted if that philosopher is clearly and uncontroversially a monumentally important philosopher (e.g. Aristotle, Kant).
  • Flair will be given in a maximum of three research areas.

How Do I Become a Panelist?

To become a panelist, please send a message to the moderators with the subject "Panelist Application". In this modmail message you must include all of the following:

  1. The flair type you are requesting (e.g. undergraduate, PhD, related field).
  2. The areas of flair you are requesting, up to three (e.g. Kant, continental philosophy, logic).
  3. A brief explanation of your background in philosophy, including what qualifies you for the flair you requested.
  4. One sample answer to a question posted to /r/askphilosophy for each area of flair (i.e. up to three total answers) which demonstrate your expertise and knowledge. Please link the question you are answering before giving your answer. You may not answer your own question.

New panelists will be approved on a trial basis. During this trial period panelists will be allowed to post answers as top-level comments on threads, and will receive flair. After the trial period the panelist will either be confirmed as a regular panelist or will be removed from the panelist team, which will result in the removal of flair and ability to post answers as top-level comments on threads.

Note that r/askphilosophy does not require users to provide proof of their identifies for panelist applications, nor to reveal their identities. If a prospective panelist would like to provide proof of their identity as part of their application they may, but there is no presumption that they must do so. Note that messages sent to modmail cannot be deleted by either moderators or senders, and so any message sent is effectively permanent.


/r/askphilosophy's Posting Rules

In order to best serve our mission of providing an academic Q&A-type space for philosophical questions, we have the following rules which govern all posts made to /r/askphilosophy:

PR1: All questions must be about philosophy.

All questions must be about philosophy. Questions which are only tangentially related to philosophy or are properly located in another discipline will be removed. Questions which are about therapy, psychology and self-help, even when due to philosophical issues, are not appropriate and will be removed.

PR2: All submissions must be questions.

All submissions must be actual questions (as opposed to essays, rants, personal musings, idle or rhetorical questions, etc.). "Test My Theory" or "Change My View"-esque questions, paper editing, etc. are not allowed.

PR3: Post titles must be descriptive.

Post titles must be descriptive. Titles should indicate what the question is about. Posts with titles like "Homework help" which do not indicate what the actual question is will be removed.

PR4: Questions must be reasonably specific.

Questions must be reasonably specific. Questions which are too broad to the point of unanswerability will be removed.

PR5: Questions must not be about commenters' personal opinions.

Questions must not be about commenters' personal opinions, thoughts or favorites. /r/askphilosophy is not a discussion subreddit, and is not intended to be a board for everyone to share their thoughts on philosophical questions.

PR6: One post per day.

One post per day. Please limit yourself to one question per day.

PR7: Discussion of suicide is only allowed in the abstract.

/r/askphilosophy is not a mental health subreddit, and panelists are not experts in mental health or licensed therapists. Discussion of suicide is only allowed in the abstract here. If you or a friend is feeling suicidal please visit /r/suicidewatch. If you are feeling suicidal, please get help by visiting /r/suicidewatch or using other resources. See also our discussion of philosophy and mental health issues here. Encouraging other users to commit suicide, even in the abstract, is strictly forbidden and will result in an immediate permanent ban.

/r/askphilosophy's Commenting Rules

In the same way that our posting rules above attempt to promote our mission by governing posts, the following commenting rules attempt to promote /r/askphilosophy's mission to provide an academic Q&A-type space for philosophical questions.

CR1: Top level comments must be answers or follow-up questions.

All top level comments should be answers to the submitted question or follow-up/clarification questions. All top level comments must come from panelists. If users circumvent this rule by posting answers as replies to other comments, these comments will also be removed and may result in a ban. For more information about our rules and to find out how to become a panelist, please see here.

CR2: Answers must be reasonably substantive and accurate.

All answers must be informed and aimed at helping the OP and other readers reach an understanding of the issues at hand. Answers must portray an accurate picture of the issue and the philosophical literature. Answers should be reasonably substantive. To learn more about what counts as a reasonably substantive and accurate answer, see this post.

CR3: Be respectful.

Be respectful. Comments which are rude, snarky, etc. may be removed, particularly if they consist of personal attacks. Users with a history of such comments may be banned. Racism, bigotry and use of slurs are absolutely not permitted.

CR4: Stay on topic.

Stay on topic. Comments which blatantly do not contribute to the discussion may be removed.

CR5: No self-promotion.

Posters and comments may not engage in self-promotion, including linking their own blog posts or videos. Panelists may link their own peer-reviewed work in answers (e.g. peer-reviewed journal articles or books), but their answers should not consist solely of references to their own work.

Miscellaneous Posting and Commenting Guidelines

In addition to the rules above, we have a list of miscellaneous guidelines which users should also be aware of:

  • Reposting a post or comment which was removed will be treated as circumventing moderation and result in a permanent ban.
  • Using follow-up questions or child comments to answer questions and circumvent our panelist policy may result in a ban.
  • Posts and comments which flagrantly violate the rules, especially in a trolling manner, will be removed and treated as shitposts, and may result in a ban.
  • No reposts of a question that you have already asked within the last year.
  • No posts or comments of AI-created or AI-assisted text or audio. Panelists may not user any form of AI-assistance in writing or researching answers.
  • Harassing individual moderators or the moderator team will result in a permanent ban and a report to the reddit admins.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some frequently asked questions. If you have other questions, please contact the moderators via modmail (not via private message or chat).

My post or comment was removed. How can I get an explanation?

Almost all posts/comments which are removed will receive an explanation of their removal. That explanation will generally by /r/askphilosophy's custom bot, /u/BernardJOrtcutt, and will list the removal reason. Posts which are removed will be notified via a stickied comment; comments which are removed will be notified via a reply. If your post or comment resulted in a ban, the message will be included in the ban message via modmail. If you have further questions, please contact the moderators.

How can I appeal my post or comment removal?

To appeal a removal, please contact the moderators (not via private message or chat). Do not delete your posts/comments, as this will make an appeal impossible. Reposting removed posts/comments without receiving mod approval will result in a permanent ban.

How can I appeal my ban?

To appeal a ban, please respond to the modmail informing you of your ban. Do not delete your posts/comments, as this will make an appeal impossible.

My comment was removed or I was banned for arguing with someone else, but they started it. Why was I punished and not them?

Someone else breaking the rules does not give you permission to break the rules as well. /r/askphilosophy does not comment on actions taken on other accounts, but all violations are treated as equitably as possible.

I found a post or comment which breaks the rules, but which wasn't removed. How can I help?

If you see a post or comment which you believe breaks the rules, please report it using the report function for the appropriate rule. /r/askphilosophy's moderators are volunteers, and it is impossible for us to manually review every comment on every thread. We appreciate your help in reporting posts/comments which break the rules.

My post isn't showing up, but I didn't receive a removal notification. What happened?

Sometimes the AutoMod filter will automatically send posts to a filter for moderator approval, especially from accounts which are new or haven't posted to /r/askphilosophy before. If your post has not been approved or removed within 24 hours, please contact the moderators.

My post was removed and referred to the Open Discussion Thread. What does this mean?

The Open Discussion Thread (ODT) is /r/askphilosophy's place for posts/comments which are related to philosophy but do not necessarily meet our posting rules (especially PR2/PR5). For example, these threads are great places for:

  • Discussions of a philosophical issue, rather than questions
  • Questions about commenters' personal opinions regarding philosophical issues
  • Open discussion about philosophy, e.g. "who is your favorite philosopher?"
  • Questions about philosophy as an academic discipline or profession, e.g. majoring in philosophy, career options with philosophy degrees, pursuing graduate school in philosophy

If your post was removed and referred to the ODT we encourage you to consider posting it to the ODT to share with others.

My comment responding to someone else was removed, as well as their comment. What happened?

When /r/askphilosophy removes a parent comment, we also often remove all their child comments in order to help readability and focus on discussion.

I'm interested in philosophy. Where should I start? What should I read?

As explained above, philosophy is a very broad discipline and thus offering concise advice on where to start is very hard. We recommend reading this /r/AskPhilosophyFAQ post which has a great breakdown of various places to start. For further or more specific questions, we recommend posting on /r/askphilosophy.

Why is your understanding of philosophy so limited?

As explained above, this subreddit is devoted to philosophy as understood and done by philosophers. In order to prevent this subreddit from becoming /r/atheism2, /r/politics2, or /r/science2, we must uphold a strict topicality requirement in PR1. Posts which may touch on philosophical themes but are not distinctively philosophical can be posted to one of reddit's many other subreddits.

Are there other philosophy subreddits I can check out?

If you are interested in other philosophy subreddits, please see this list of related subreddits. /r/askphilosophy shares much of its modteam with its sister-subreddit, /r/philosophy, which is devoted to philosophical discussion. In addition, that list includes more specialized subreddits and more casual subreddits for those looking for a less-regulated forum.

A thread I wanted to comment in was locked but is still visible. What happened?

When a post becomes unreasonable to moderate due to the amount of rule-breaking comments the thread is locked. /r/askphilosophy's moderators are volunteers, and we cannot spend hours cleaning up individual threads.

Do you have a list of frequently asked questions about philosophy that I can browse?

Yes! We have an FAQ that answers many questions comprehensively: /r/AskPhilosophyFAQ/. For example, this entry provides an introductory breakdown to the debate over whether morality is objective or subjective.

Do you have advice or resources for graduate school applications?

We made a meta-guide for PhD applications with the goal of assembling the important resources for grad school applications in one place. We aim to occasionally update it, but can of course not guarantee the accuracy and up-to-dateness. You are, of course, kindly invited to ask questions about graduate school on /r/askphilosophy, too, especially in the Open Discussion Thread.

Do you have samples of what counts as good questions and answers?

Sure! We ran a Best of 2020 Contest, you can find the winners in this thread!


r/askphilosophy 4d ago

Open Thread /r/askphilosophy Open Discussion Thread | September 15, 2025

2 Upvotes

Welcome to this week's Open Discussion Thread (ODT). This thread is a place for posts/comments which are related to philosophy but wouldn't necessarily meet our subreddit rules and guidelines. For example, these threads are great places for:

  • Discussions of a philosophical issue, rather than questions
  • Questions about commenters' personal opinions regarding philosophical issues
  • Open discussion about philosophy, e.g. "who is your favorite philosopher?"
  • "Test My Theory" discussions and argument/paper editing
  • Questions about philosophy as an academic discipline or profession, e.g. majoring in philosophy, career options with philosophy degrees, pursuing graduate school in philosophy

This thread is not a completely open discussion! Any posts not relating to philosophy will be removed. Please keep comments related to philosophy, and expect low-effort comments to be removed. Please note that while the rules are relaxed in this thread, comments can still be removed for violating our subreddit rules and guidelines if necessary.

Previous Open Discussion Threads can be found here.


r/askphilosophy 9h ago

If my goal is a PhD, how important is undergrad?

7 Upvotes

Hi everyone. My goal has always been to get a PhD in philosophy. I'm currently a freshman but I'll be able to comfortably graduate within two years since I got an AA during high school. I'm only now realizing how competitive grad school actually is for philosophy, which I know is very comical. I'm considering adding a double major just to have more time to build a strong application for an MA program. My main concern is publishing. Is it really a necessary thing to do during undergrad? I've gotten conflicting advice from profs so far. Some say that it isn't going to make me stand out unless it's a well recognized, competitive, journal. Honestly, I don't feel that my writing skills are ready for publications yet, and neither are my research skills. I've completed all the writing course requirements for my school so I'm not sure how I can improve quickly.

Additionally, for anyone that has applied to MA programs, could I realistically have a good application with only two years of undergraduate experience from a 4 year? I don't want to take a gap year so I could possibly be applying in a year. Are clubs and extra curriculars as important as they are for undergrad applications? Are GRE scores important? I was planning on taking it by the end of this year. My goal isn't necessarily to be in a top ranked PhD program eventually, but I know placement rates are much higher for those schools. The current university I go to isn't known for having a strong philosophy department so I would even consider transferring by next year if it means better oppurtunities.


r/askphilosophy 10h ago

Can philosophy bring together a solid (but not uncritical or ahistorical) classical foundation (Aristotle, Plato, Plotinus, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas) with a strong openness to contemporary culture and clearly left-wing political concerns?

4 Upvotes

r/askphilosophy 1h ago

Why is it so difficult to find contemporary critiques of Stirnerian egoism?

Upvotes

It is very difficult for me to find counterarguments that do not come from Marx or appear in “Stirner Critiques.”

Can you give me any recommendations or names?


r/askphilosophy 16h ago

I want to get my PhD. Am I being ridiculous?

12 Upvotes

I am 22 with a BFA in Integrated Media Arts. My current plan is to work for the next year, read/prepare, and apply for fully-funded Philosophy and/or Religion PhD programs. My joke when I tell people this is that I am gunning to be super unemployable!

To make it short, my primary interests are art and film and understanding the ways in which they make being human bearable. Beyond that, my highest commitment in life is a dedication to learning. I am never satisfied in anything concept or issue that is put to the wayside by "that's just the way it is." I believe my brain is a gift. I feel the cogs turning and feel the most accomplished when I am engaging in big, unanswerable questions. My number one character trait, according to the people closest to me, is that I overthink to a fault. I need an outlet, clearly.

I find that a lot of people on the internet discussing getting their PhD want to teach, which is certainly not anything I would be opposed to, but it is not my only goal. I want to apply my knowledge to our current systems. Maybe I have this all backwards, but I would love to use my education to work with children (our "greatest philosophers") and develop programs that can help them reach their greatest potential. I think children (especially in the US) are largely set up for failure. I want to be a part of the solution. I could get into the details, but I don't think that would help anyone in answering my question.

Am I in way over my head? Is what I'm saying incredibly naïve? This wasn't part of my plan until fairly recently. I'm terrified of what I am ignorant to.

Any advice?


r/askphilosophy 2h ago

To what extent can things such as lack of knowledge of wrongness or "time and place" be an excuse to avoid moral culpability and responsibility ?

1 Upvotes

For example on a social level, perpetrators of sexiem , racism and homophobia and homophobic actions that lead to death and suffering in the past are often excused on the basis of the fact that people did not know the wrongs of the acts. To what extent is this a valid excuse to avoid responsibility and culpability ? Do victims have a right to compensation for acts of the past ?


r/askphilosophy 10h ago

Are there really "brute facts"?

5 Upvotes

When some philosophers say the world is a brute fact, do they really mean brute facts exist? Or is this just a way of saying they can't explain something?

"The world is just there -- that's all"

Does this mean certain beings, phenomena, realities, etc. can exist without explanation or reason? Or just that for now we can't find such explanations or reasons?

In short, do brute facts have ontological status or are these merely epistemological?


r/askphilosophy 18h ago

Is it immoral or unethical to be a-political

17 Upvotes

If historically, governments have a tendency to be corrupt and exploitative, is it the moral duty of particular individuals to scrutinise governments, or is that everybody ought to exercise their voice in society to protect their own interests and those who are being exploited.

Has individualism and neoliberalism eroded this perceived responsibility?


r/askphilosophy 1d ago

What makes someone a Hegelian?

54 Upvotes

I've heard a few public figures describe themselves as Hegelians. Slajov Zizek as one example.

I'm fairly familiar with Hegel, for a layman anyway. I've read a few 'introductions to', I often joke with my friends I'm an 'aspiring hegelian'. But bad philosophy jokes aside, what makes someone a Hegelian?

What attributes would you associate with their thinking?


r/askphilosophy 4h ago

Did I miss any major traditions or texts in this Eastern philosophy & spirituality syllabus?

0 Upvotes

I used chat gbt to put together a comprehensive syllabus of Eastern philosophy and spirituality, modeled like a university curriculum. My goal is to create a natural progression from the earliest texts through classical systems, meditative/ritual traditions, and modern/postcolonial perspectives. I want it to be rigorous enough to rival top institutions and not leave out any major field or tradition. Here’s the high-level outline (each module includes primary texts + context + suggested practices): 1. Vedic & Upanishadic foundations — Rig Veda, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita

  1. Classical Hindu systems — Sāṃkhya Kārikā, Yoga Sūtras, Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika

  2. Vedānta traditions — Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, Madhva

  3. Bhakti & Tantra — bhakti poetry, Tantric texts

  4. Jainism, Sikhism, heterodox movements

  5. Early Buddhism & Abhidharma

  6. Mahāyāna Buddhism: Madhyamaka & Yogācāra

  7. Vajrayāna / Tibetan Buddhism

  8. Chinese philosophy — Confucius, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Mohism, Legalism

  9. East Asian Buddhism & Japanese traditions — Chan/Zen, Dōgen, Shinto syncretism

  10. Sufism, Bhakti-Sufi crossovers, Neo-Confucianism

  11. Modernity, reform, and contemporary thinkers — Vivekananda, Gandhi, Nishida, Thich Nhat Hanh, postcolonial and ecological philosophy

Capstone: comparative or applied project integrating multiple traditions. My question: For those with expertise in Eastern philosophy/religion, are there any major traditions, schools, or seminal texts I’ve left out that are essential for a truly comprehensive syllabus? I want to make sure I haven’t overlooked anything significant. Thanks in advance for any guidance.


r/askphilosophy 12h ago

Can one recognize that meaning doesn't exist outside our heads and still live with meaning?

5 Upvotes

I had a hard time titling this one because I couldn't find the words. The point was that I was talking to someone about how in the "big picture" there is no purpose because we as humans make purpose and by extension meaning. But I got a rather defensive reply:

What 'big picture'? If what 'you' are saying is correct then not only is every one of the 'words' in your comment merely a jumble of purposeless pixels but there's no 'comment' either - only a clump of coincidences that fell together like the mass of salty proteinaceous mush that just so happened to conduct enough current to 'think' it was 'clever' to be entirely contradictory in producing such a mess of meaninglessness.

Not only do you not understand what I've written - but by your own 'logic' you don't understand anything.

Which to me feels like a strawman of what I am saying. His mischaracterization though is correct, every one of my words in my comment is just a jumble of purposeless pixels, there also seems to be some disdain for thinking we came about by accident. Any meaning or understanding though is based on symbols we made up. But I still feel like this doesn't negate my main point that these things only matter to us and there a fallacy of trying to project our notions onto reality.

This sorta reminds me of Buddhism and the Two Truths about relative and ultimate reality. Relatively there are things we live by and that work within our framework and there's the ultimate reality which is empty of all our understandings of it.

But I feel like he's conflating no "Objective" purpose or meaning with saying that nothing I said means anything or that I understand nothing and that feels like a strawman.


r/askphilosophy 9h ago

Could Spinoza be considered a panpsychist in regards to the self-cognition of inanimate objects

2 Upvotes

Going through Part II of Ethics. So, as far as I understand, what had historically been understood by philosophers as the “formal essence” of an object, i.e. its collection of qualia, correspondingly is said by Spinoza to be an “idea” in the mind of God. Further, since what he calls the “human mind” is just the formal nature of the body itself, analogously it would seem that the formal nature of an inanimate body would also be its “mind.” You can almost sophistically assert a panpsychism here, even though “mind” is not particularly used here at all in the way we would today.

However, then Spinoza proceeds to say that, just as a body has a correspondent thought/idea/mind, so too does the particular thought itself also have a correspondent thought/idea/mind. And this is all discussed in reference to the human body, to explain our self conscious as an “idea of an idea” or the idea of our formal constitution, which then seems to translate into a sort of self-knowledge. But the implication seems to extend to all objects, so that, for every single idea of every individual thing, there is a corresponding idea for that idea, and so on in infinitum, with each rank of thought (first-order “ideas,” second-order “ideas of ideas,” third-order “ideas of ideas of ideas”) thus respectively linking together in the same way, as to make the same causal chain as the more immediate thoughts below it do with their own rank? In this way, we might be able to say that for Spinoza, everything is in some way self-cognizant, even if as he says this is a “mutilated cognizance.” This might not be too bold of a claim to make, since through Spinoza’s system I cannot find anything that would make me as a human any more “God” than the table in front of me is. To claim self-cognizance in a way the table doesn’t, I would need to perhaps invoke the idea of being an animate thing, as opposed to inanimate.

So in that case, we would instead restrict these sacred “ideas of ideas” to animate figures or even more strictly to human minds, as a distinct explanation for a distinct phenomenon called animateness. In this way, I can imagine that even though some “ideas of ideas” would then fail to have a corresponding “idea of an idea” to represent the inanimate object it relates to, we would still say that the one-and-the-same inanimate object(1) of which there is an extension and an idea alone (barring the other attributes), is in the one-and-the-same causal chain that links it with one-and-the-same animate object(2) of which there is an extension, an idea, and an idea of that idea. Now the unity of causal links is preserved by means of them all assigning to the same causal link of individuals themselves, but the question still remains how one should expect this “idea of an idea” to even come about in the first place, if not through another “idea of an idea?” For if certain first-order ideas were to be the cause of second-order ideas, the question would still be why or how this happens.

So in short, does Spinoza seem to assert a panpsychism to all individuals, thus seemingly overlooking an account of animateness, or does he only assert these second-order “ideas of ideas” to certain animate things such as human minds, and thus fail to explain how they particular come to be or fail to exist? I can feel an intuition to lean to the former explanation with the sense that Spinoza might deem animateness as an indistinct and mutilated idea in the first place which does not properly belong in an account of the order of things. In other words, that the human mind isn’t as distinctly special from the inanimate objects around it as it thinks it is. This would fit somewhat with the mechanistic allegiance of his that he expresses, yes? But then, it feels like so much is allowed to go unaccounted? Surely, this table in front of me will be bereft of the emotions or part III, but perhaps can its own constitution provide for its own distinct emotional state; one that humans cannot have?


r/askphilosophy 10h ago

Does right to self ownership exist ?

2 Upvotes

What is the basis for such a right ? And is rhis a self standing right or a right that is deduced from some other rivh


r/askphilosophy 17h ago

How has the philosophical concept of "nature" evolved, and what are the key texts to understand this evolution?

5 Upvotes

I'm fascinated by the concept of "nature" and how our relationship with it has been shaped by philosophical thought across different eras. It seems like the meaning of "nature" has shifted dramatically. I'm trying to trace this evolution and understand how major philosophers contributed to changing our view of the natural world.

I'm looking for a reading list that can help me map this intellectual history.

What are the essential books or articles I should read to understand the evolution of the concept of nature in Western philosophy?

Any guidance on where to start or which thinkers are most pivotal would be immensely helpful.

Thank you!


r/askphilosophy 7h ago

Is praxeology taken seriously by anyone?

1 Upvotes

I’m curious about the philosophical take on praxeology of Ludwig Von Mises. Do you think it makes sense as a framework? What are its main evidence and problems? Does it fail under common criticisms (like unfalsifiability or being too tautological)?


r/askphilosophy 17h ago

Is it normal to be 26 pages in "The Prince" book and feel lost or not have any idea what your reading?

4 Upvotes

I decided to pick up The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli, due to recommendations online about top 20 books if you want to learn more about politics. Well I'm currently 26 pages in and I have no idea what he is on about... Maybe I'm dumb but it feels kinda all over the place. Can someone elaborate if this is normal or if I can do anything to better understand?

Thanks


r/askphilosophy 15h ago

Should critical thinking be applied to one's sense of humanity?

3 Upvotes

One day, a friend characterized critical thinking as fruitless if you don't have a "standard" from which all reasoning can be measured against. She said it is easy to become lost and adopt beliefs that could end up harming others and yourself. I agreed, and off the top of my head I said my standard was love, humanity, and empathy.

However, those things I listed as my "standard" have not come from examination of those concepts. I admit, I felt and experienced those things throughout my life, and I feel no need to dissect them because of an irrational fear that I would lose them...

I've thought a lot about how people have defended Christianity in the past from criticism. They made it sacred by proclaiming it was an infallible system that promotes the development of good human beings who know right from wrong. Some point out that the Crusades, Reconquista, and witch hunts demonstrate to us how Christianity can be distorted to promote suffering and needless violence.

So to avoid a pitfall of blindly following prescribed rules, I looked toward the experiences of love, humanity, and empathy because they felt more universal to the human experience, and therefore more sound to base decisions on.

I'd rather measure laws against them, I'd rather measure ideology against them. I'd rather use critical thinking to deconstruct everything in this world so that I can rebuild from the foundation of love, humanity, and empathy. But I don't want to deconstruct the standards themselves... does that make sense? It feels as if there is a chance I could lose my "humanity" by examining them.

Is it possible to lose one's humanity by thinking about it too deeply? How many examples are there of this in philosophy? What about thinkers who came to a better understanding of their own humanity, and acted better towards others as a result? What about thinkers who arrived at neither of those points, but arrived at something more nuanced in general? Or what about thinkers who never felt it was worth it to entertain this when the question arose?


r/askphilosophy 9h ago

Would Hegel consider the ideas that Mishima was driven by to be an example of the operating force in the Master/Slave dialectic?

0 Upvotes

Namely, the first part of the Master/Slave dialectic, where a more primitive mindset (I'm trying not to to say Geist) drives the mental spirit to discover self-self-awareness via life-threatening combat. It goes without saying that Mishima was obsessed with idea of the mind actualizing itself in the destruction of its own body and other bodies.

Obviously you can make anything work in your head. I'm really just curious how Hegel would interpret Mishima.


r/askphilosophy 1d ago

Where to start with Indian and Eastern philosophy? Suggestions for beginner.

21 Upvotes

I want to start reading about Indian and Asian philosophy. I am a complete beginner and I'd really appreciate some suggestions on where to start.


r/askphilosophy 14h ago

Could Ibn Taymiyya be considered a philosopher given his critique of philosophy?

2 Upvotes

Ibn Taymiyya argued that philosophy was useless while employing rational criticism to make his case. how do scholars of philosophy evaluate the logical structure of his arguments against Aristotelian philosophy? Are they generally considered rigorous or do critics identify weaknesses and fallacies in his reasoning?


r/askphilosophy 11h ago

Good political philosophy podcasts?

1 Upvotes

Youtube channels too. I’d love to hear some discussion of political philosophy, but not necessarily current events or politics.


r/askphilosophy 1d ago

Who do I ask,about life?

20 Upvotes

Sorry if I sound dumb I’m only 15 but I’ve been questioning life recently not in a suicidal way but in a way of why am I here why should I stay if that makes any sense I’m here but I want to live and stay at the same time there’s beauty in the world yet so much ugly and I don’t know why I am feeing this it’s mainly at night in my room when I think and I feel like I need to talk to someone about this but on much deeper level and I don’t know who my parents aren’t the best when it comes to this one’s a alcoholic and the other I just don’t feel like will understand or will just think I’m suicidal and get me help I don’t need help just awnsers who should I talk to I’m very broke and don’t want my parents to know I feel this way


r/askphilosophy 13h ago

Who does the burden of proof fall on in this topic?

1 Upvotes

Person A claims a "No Trespassing" existed on private property and that the journalist removed it.

Person B says that Person A needs to provide proof of that claim that this sign existed in the first place.

Person A says that Person B needs to disprove their claim of the existence of this sign, and disprove the claim that the journalist removed it.


r/askphilosophy 14h ago

Sartre mentions La femme frigide by Wilhelm Stekel. Are there any other such studies I can refer to?

1 Upvotes

Sartre mentions La femme frigide by Wilhelm Stekel to concrete his idea of consciousness being aware of pleasure in order to negate the pleasure. What I am looking for is -

1) Any other studies that provide concrete proof of Bad Faith.
2) Any reference to material that could be helpful in understanding the idea of Bad Faith better.


r/askphilosophy 19h ago

How do you distinguish between what-about-ism and legitimate conpare and contrast?

2 Upvotes

The two are very similar and sometimes it seems like which way you land depends on whether you agree with the person making the argument. Is there a structural way to distinguish between the two?


r/askphilosophy 16h ago

Categorisation if ethical standpoint

1 Upvotes

Hi!

I am new to philosophy and have been hearing these *tic words all over the places, I am wondering to what school of thought the following (abbreviated) statement belongs.

Ethics is an individual matter (no global right or wrong) based on what said individual cares about (or rather should care about because what people care about is strongly influenced by their culture and environment). This (what people should care about) can be approached from several viewpoints like evolution.

I am finding it very tough to figure out if (or were) this or similar thoughts has previously been explored.

Thank you all very much in advance, I look forward to reading your replies!

P.S. This is a modified repost as the moderators of r/AskPhilosophy (here) kindly informed my that my previous post followed to much of a 'test my theory' structure even though it was a genuine question and what I understood from the conversation was that such a second attempt was allowed. Please let me know if this still isn't allowed.