Philosophy Debate Topics for Students — page 14

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• You got it all wrong, get a glossary and erudite yourself betwixt the definition of the word "knowledge". Technology is made via the help of knowledge, is it not? - Knowledge and greed. If the bible places blinders on people, then all books do the same.
• The Bible says it, the more you know, the more corrupt you get. Technology is corruption and demise. Chernobyl anyone? It's good to not know all the details, ALWAYS.

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• RebuttalsThough one may have the illusion of free will due to the possibility of more than one outcome, it still does not grant one free will. One is controlled by the physical laws of the universe which are predictable. "One must be able to control at least one of these in…
• All things are led by the principles of chemistry. Chemicals react in nearly predictable patterns*, and since our entire existence is made of chemicals, that means the entirety of existence runs in predictable patterns. We may not know the exact means of the nature of our…

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• So what about people who don"t like music? I"m 51 now and I"ve always hated music. My mother said that if she switched the radio on when I was a baby I would scream and thrash about until she switched it off. Even now I find music stressing. My head spins, my heart starts…
• Philosophy of music is the study of fundamental questions about the nature of music and our experience of it. Music plays a central role in many people's lives. Music is perhaps the art that presents the most philosophical puzzles. Music's emotional expressivity is a…

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• I will not vote if you won't either ;) And here is my case in a nutshell. [summary]Claim: There is no truth. Counter: Is THAT a truth? Claim: You can't know the truth. Counter: Then how do you know THAT? Claim: All truth is relative. Counter: Is THAT a relative truth? Version…
• The rules: 1) No spamming, trolling nor flaming. 2) No evidence nor arguments shall be presented in round 1. Definitions: Truth: Conformity with fact or reality, the true or actual state of a matter (. http://dictionary.reference.com...) So, how are you, my dear spectators and…

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• Rebuttal 1Its common sense that someone can believe something. People believe things all the time. At this moment you're believing that someone can't know that they exist. I believe that I'm wearing a green shirt right now. Some people believe in God. How is belief in one's…
• Someone can have knowledge of their existance because: 1: They could belive that they exist.2: If they belive anything they would have to exist just because they're thinking at all. This would make their belief that they exist true.3. Their belief would be justified from the…

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• any false answer is imaginary if i take 1 stone in my hand, and then 1 more stone in it, i have 2 stones in my hand, and i have to imagine a third in my hand, but numbers are false, so the equation is considered true as i know i dont have 3 rocks in my hand language is…
• false=imaginary this statement is not imaginary i am wearing a bunny custome, but these words on your screen are not imaginary its true that lies exist, but its false true that lies are false

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• I do agree that there is an obvious need for reproduction however for man or any animal to reproduce love isn't considered necessary and lust will do. And also about the revealing feelings part, i think the debate is about man loving woman regardless of the woman's acceptance…
• welcome to the debate, seeker of truth. I accept your definition of love however let me redefine necessity and also compulsion necessity- an indispensable thing or person. here it implies that man loves woman because without that he can't survive. compulsion-an irresistible…

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• Hey Con!Let's go straight into the rebuttals.Instinctual vs Learned BeliefsI think some clarification is needed. I explicitly mentioned in my opening round and indeed the round after that, that because under naturalistic evolution, neurology in itself is adaptive, the products…
• Hey ConArgument#1To my understanding, Con makes the following points:- Instinctual beliefs do not equal all beliefs- True beliefs are more likely to be naturally selected-Supernaturalism falls under the same trapAnd so I'll respond to these claims next.Only instinctual…

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• You've suggested that if I do not perceive the cat in the box, then in my perspective, the cat is alive and not alive. The conclusion of that conditional statement is a contradiction. I suggest the solution to this problem is that if I do not perceive the cat in the box, then…
• If I do not perceive a thing, then in my perspective, the thing does not exist.Argument.Assume I do not perceive a thing. Then, although I may have evidence that supports the truth of the proposition "The thing exists," ultimately, I have insufficient evidence that supports the…

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• Con has chosen to open his second round argument with an unambiguous and baseless ad hominem attack. Con's first round argument is far afield of the scope of this debate which is namely the concept of "objective morality". I was initially inclined to dismiss his attempt to…
• Please don't conflate scientific observation and moral judgment. Oh, ok, nevermind. Go right ahead. 1) Even the staunchest proponents of so called "scientific morality" propose a flexible survey based standard which would change over time, and/or a consequentialist position…

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• My opponent forfeited the round so there is nothing to argue. Furthermore, examining his previous post I was sad to realise that it was assembled in its totality by copy and pasting from his sources. This is extremely annoying as I actually spend my time rebutting his copy…
• Therefore I simply must thrust my arguments in and my opponent must still prove his point. I could simply refute his claims and the debate would be lost him but that is ok. So my opponent makes the argument put very simply that outside mathematics we need experience. " I am not…

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• Potential can also me the capable of being but not yet in existence. being is the key word for me as I am debating from a perception that wants to let go of all perceptions, all expectations, all exceptions. All have the power of thought, all have the power that watches these…
• We are the seer, the watcher able to perceive mankind. We are that which perceives all. Yes we as a species differ on a wide variety of physical, mental and genetic characteristics etc. but in all there is the seer. The 'soul' if you like, watching at the core as the body and…

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• Pro's entire argument is based upon the idea that one immoral act makes the entire concept of a state immoral itself. Concepts can't be immoral this statement makes no sense. ...one immoral act does not make you immoralYes it does. If you lie to your friend you are a liar . One…
• Firstly, I did assume that nonviolence is universally preferable to violence and I believe that to be true and generally accepted. For example, can you imagine a society where children were encouraged to settle disputes with murder instead of dialogue? If I need $10 would you…

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• I'll perhaps repeat myself a bit in the statements. Without authority, god, you say, truth isn't justified. In this sense, I can agree. If there's no authority behind truth, there is no obligation to follow it, it isn't justified that you habe to follow it. However, this…
• (I didn't answer chronically. ) You asked the question if god exists. Do answer with my opinion, I first need to have a definition of the god we talk about. I can already state that I am an atheist, I don't believe in an almighty person that is god. For this, I don't see enough…

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• Eskimos The point that my opponent attacks here is point 2: There exist no universal precepts, truths, or beliefs, and/or no objective standards that unite all such codes or allow us to judge one against the other My opponent uses Eskimos and Americans as an example. There are…
• In my case I will walk through the 4 points in which Bsh has used to defined cultural relativism in R1 and will show them to be true in order to meet my burden. 1 - Different human cultures have different moral codes. This point is a truism. Various cultures have different…

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• This is great statement but this means that infinity has no beggining and no end ?Or could you elaborate how is infinity the middle I agree with your statement by the way can we talk so more .I should have added linear in my sentence I believe is not correct.If linear infinity…
• I am claiming that if infinity exists as a concept and its linear then the middle can not be defined . I magine infinity as the absolute.

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• My opponent unfortunately wasn't able to make the last round. :)
• Thanks for the great reply! You are definitely great with words, and have already made this debate exciting, thankyou.I will proceed with the debate with the acknowledgement that you will be debating as a subjectivist. While I do hold belief that nihilism and subjectivism are…

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• Straw-ManMy opponent claims that my argument is that because there is no "before" The Big Bang, that asking about causal states of affairs "before" The Big Bang is meaningless. The problem was that this was not really my argument. My argument is that there is nothing impossible…
• Assuming The A-Theory Of TimeIf something comes into being, then this entails that prior to the first state of that thing existing, that thing was out of being. This seems like a self-evident truth. For example, we know I came into being because prior to the first state I…

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• I've been trying to explain this to you, but it seems like you may not be understanding what I'm trying to say. In the eyes of the law, yes, bank robbing is bad. But, in the eyes of the robber, bank robbing is good. Neither of those two things alone or together are universal.…
• I would like to start by saying that those definitions may be in their own respect completely solid, but the way people use those definitions to define other things is very skewed. To go back to what my opponent said about Robbing a bank: The robbing of a bank may be bad for…

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• Well it seems my opponent has ran off... Too bad.
• The Universe Began To ExistMy opponent sites The Big Bang theory in an attempt to show that the universe began to exist, however a universe with a finite past doesn't automatically equate to a universe with a beginning. For example, if we go with Richard Swinburne and Adolf…

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• artificial bear skin is artificial.. bears are natural a bear is a bear some bachelors are unhappy.. why change the subject
• cant have a bear skin without a bear.. cause and effect you pick up a chicken and eat it, you have tasted it before so you know what you be eating

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• intent can not exist without randomness, machine can not exist without nature
• everything that exist has 2 sides

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• I feel it is more important to be a human first than a citizen. For example, if someone is residing in his enemy country and if he is in urgency... then what should citizen of that country do...obviously they are gonna help him.
• you should read an story, The Enemy by PEARL S. BUCK. in it there is a soldier of war who is successful of escapng the prison. and as he is badly wounded, an surgeon of enemy country shows humanity and saves his life. now you only say if the surgeon would think of patriotism,…

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• Lie is an intent of persuading others and misdirecting someone to believe something else. However, hiding the truth is basically not bringing the real truth to the surface and making sure it stays HIDDEN (Completely unaware in the eyes of the victim). Yes, I know you put up…
• My contender just posted out sources defining the meaning of lie which is completely not what I was looking for in a debate. I was expecting more of examples or scenarios and explaining how it affects the perspective of the person. According to me, the contender's argument was…

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• First of all, you have not addressed any of the reasoning I provided in my opening post. I don't think you have made an argument here, you are just describing what the world would be like if determinism were true. You argue that time is a line stretching into the future laid…
• I will be arguing for the existence of what philosophers call agent causal libertarian free will, which is the position that we have the ability to make free choices which are neither random nor deterministic, but proceed from our rational nature as an agent. The existence of…

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• As Pro, I state that information exists as something independent of matter and energy. What I mean by this, is that matter and energy are simply the medium that convey information. Information has it's own independent existence. Con must prove that the existence of information…
• Well. It looks like my opponent has decided to forfeit. It also looks like no one is interested in this debate. Pity.

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• **Thanks for accepting the debate and good luck, I hope since this is my first debate I still make a challenging match** Intro: The resolution: "In society the common good should be valued over the individual's interest" Does not include the term Democracy anywhere. Since your…
• Individual interests interfere with the flow of society, as common individual interest's form a majority and represent the greater good, the common good. Therefore, as all successful societies are based upon utilitarianism, the greater good should be valued over the…

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• In classical mechanics, it was held that there is one world with only one line of events in a chain of cause and effect. This was a possibility for how the universe could be structured and at the time it was a phenomenal idea. Now we have a better understanding of the nature of…
• Thank you for being a part of this debate. I will argue on the possibility of free-will existing. I accept the challenge this debate presents.

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• It is impossible to do anything without thinking in your own self-interest. Why do you do something kind? Because you want to. If you do not want to do something kind, You do not do it. It is simple. This isn't a bad thing, It is only a natural, Human thing. Human nature can…
• You haven't argued a point, You've only brought up a psychological condition and called me a sociopath. So, Why are people altruistic? Just because it's "the right thing to do"? There's no such thing as a purely good person. Everything a person does they do for themselves, Even…

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• It is one I anticipated however. Refuting My Opponent's Objection"I admit that my opponent uses a good argument, but he ignores a big point. Does TPFTFS even exist? If TPFTFS doesn't exists, it fully refutes your point, and proves something can't come from nothing. "Although it…
• He is correct also, that I bear the BOP. It is my duty to show that something can come from nothing. Most people intuitively believe that something could not have possibly come from nothing. However, I believe this is false. I would argue that the potential for the first…

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• While I do believe that people THINK they have some sort of freedom in the choices they make throughout life and to some extent autonomous thought, I also believe that these perceptions of free will are an artificial construction that either never existed or no longer exists…

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• So your argument is that a perfect being could only do the one thing I propose he cannot do by ceasing to be perfect? In other words, a perfect being could only exist if at some point he made a decision not to be perfect. Whose argument are you trying to prove? I would also…
• You assume that I meant "wrong" in the sense of "evil." I did not. I meant "wrong" in the sense of "incorrect."

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• -Since it cannot be proven that there is a God or not, we cannot prove that the purpose of life is to serve Him. -The only purpose we have is to please ourselves while alive. The behaviors described in the definition of life is mostly based on our instincts. We learn, and…
• Life means something to you until you die, and, depending on what you leave behind, maybe to beings in the future. But eventually, you will die, they will die, our planet will die, our species will die. And you were here for nothing. So make of life what you will, because it…

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• Before I begin I would like to ask why you must rebuttal against your opponents arguments in a debate, for it is my decision whether I do that or not. I did not ask you to prove my argument wrong, so I have not committed any fallacy. An example of my point from my argument…
• I would like to point out Eugene Wigner's study; The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics. In which he says that mathematical equations and geometry "invented" centuries ago has proven useful even now, these mathematicians of ancient times could not have predicted the…

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• I accept your revised definition as I agree it is more fair. On my opponents first argument. The two examples I have provided in my opening are just that examples. My opponent has said that the first example with Female A and Female B is not what this debate is about. Decision…
• Definitions Emotion – a conscious mental reaction (as anger or fear) subjectively experienced as strong feeling usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body. [1] Weakness – fault, defect. [2] Feeling –…

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• There is only two options, creationism or evolution. Evolution doesn't provide the preconditions for intelligibility. How do you get from random/chance to uniformity? If your brain is just random chemical reactions you have know way of knowing if anything is true for certain.…
• I am not saying that we don't know if God exists i'm saying that He does and to even come to this argument and try to disprove him you are actually proving Him because you cannot account for logic or meaning without Him. Uniformity When you look around and see these physical…

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• Awesome, okay i'll start this round my conceding a point to you. I am indeed debating this round from a human perspective, as I am a human and have no other perspective to which I can debate this claim from. With that out of the way let us continue with the human perspective…
• Thank you for accepting Logical, always a pleasure to debate with you. I suppose I will quote you and attack specific points and then create a conclusion. "Ladies and gentleman, there is quite an ENORMOUS hidden assumption being made in this claim. That assumption is this: That…

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• I propose to solve the paradox of Theseus" Ship by demonstrating that the essence of an object, contained within the greater equation of a relationship between it and another object, changes without ever changing the sum of the relationship. Following that I demonstrate that…

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• Thank you for your views, con... "If we are disciplined then only we can have a mass around us and by having a mass and supporters we are not lonely" This phenomenon is never possible in the most important stage of ones life. Teenage.(a) See, when one tries to be disciplined,…
• elaborate your arguments.

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• My opponent has forfeited twice, and offered no clash in this round.
• My opponent has forfeited. Extend everything.

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• Very well put sir thank-you. Yet I still have an argument. Imagine if there were no moving things like the sun etc and no us.. what would time apply to?.. when Einstein says time is relative . He is pointing out a contradiction of time. I think we invented the experience as…
• time is just the onlookers own representation of movement therefore does not exist as we describe it in the world as we know it.. time travel is impossible as time is differently perceived to parties. if i was to turn time back 50 years with a time machine, as i turned the…

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• the main reason pacifism is as bad as warmongering is because being passive or not trying to effectively solve the problem is as bad as instigating an unjust war because letting it happen is unknowingly condoning an atrocity. I also never said that ghandi and MLK were like…
• pac"i"fism G2;pasəG6;fizəm/Submit noun the belief that any violence, including war, is unjustifiable under any circumstances, and that all disputes should be settled by peaceful means. the idea of pacifism is just another extreme like warmongering. if a genocide is going on in…

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• Though out this debate I am going to try to demonstrate that time is something that help humans understand where they are in the universe, I am not going to be trying to disprove time in its entirety, obviously, because it exist (in the human world) and we use it. What I will…
• Pro will have to show that time is just an idea that has no effect on the rest of the universe, it is just a made up thing to help understand why we are here and what our place is (Not a religious debate). Con will have to show that Time is a "thing" that holds the universe…

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• My opponent asks how feeling sorry for someone can lead to a conflict on interest. It is easy. By feeling sorry for someone, you obtain a negative feeling. One feels bad for punishing a child. However, if one does not feel sorry for one's action, one will be more willing to…
• My opponent argues that: "A mother may beat her child but she can still feel sorry for him. After all, he didn't know any better." I would like to note that beating a child is proven to be an ineffective way to correct child behavior, and often makes the child more violent and…

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• ACTION AND CONDITIONMy opponent tries to undermine my conclusions by stating that in order for valid determinations of superiority/inferiority to be made, we must take into account object, action, and condition. He says that if we don't do this, we can't reach a correct…
• My opponent reaches a conclusion that is incorrect, and appears to come from a position that misunderstood the requirements of this debate's resolution."Humans are better than cats at building skyscrapers.""Therefore humans are more superior than cats at building…

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• I) INTRO REBUTTALSWhere we are stuck in this argument, is that my opponent is agreeing with me but not realizing it. He responds to the James Fallon argument by asserting that the desire to for him to attempt to defy his psychopathic tendencies in order to be better to his…
• It seems the under-lying flaw of logic I find his arguments running into, is that his mindset seems to be that having pre-existing reasons is essentially the equal to that of a pre-determined fate. Libertarianism doesn't seek to prove that the way a person is raised, or their…

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• Introduction You will remember in my second round that I said my refutation cannot be defeated by virtue of its existing outside of all principles of logic. It seemed that CON had at least a working grasp of this point as he seemed to summarize the corpus of my argument in a…
• I highlight this phrase for its irony, as this debate will be centered mostly about the irrelevancy of logic given the premises inherent in the omnipotence paradox. This will become more clear as we move forward. So let's begin. What is Omnipotence? There are a few different…

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• a first cause can not be caused by a cause that is not a cause
• eternal=no beginning and no end basicly im saying everything just is, as there is no first cause a cause that didn't cause anything, isn't a cause, so how could there be a first cause, when the first cause couldn't have been caused?

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• Con states that my argument is wrong but does not give any clear indication of what is supposed to be wrong with it. On the other hand, I have provided two clear criticisms of Dr_lillo's argument: Criticism one: The argument is vague and hard to understand and does not seem to…
• Voters should note that Dr_lillo at this point has apparently not offered any analysis of my argument. It is still unclear to me precisely what he is attempting to demonstrate. I am aware that fact and logic are different, but I fail to see how this observation is importantly…

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• I'm clearly not going to get a chance to read "The Rebel", the "Stranger" and "The Myth of Sisyphus" before responding, but I will quote the intro to "The Rebel" "Philosophy can be used for any purpose -- even for transforming murderers into judges" To respond to how Nazi…
• I am very well versed on Nietzsche, and am aware to some extent of the philosophical extensions of his "God is dead" proclamation. I do agree that it is used very much out of context today. I think if you take just The Gay Science's proclamation of "God is dead", you end where…