Proof of the External World (Archie Fletcher)

In this episode, Archie Fletcher discusses G.E. Moore’s (1939) famous paper ‘Proof of an External World’ and investigates how hands can be used to counter the external-world sceptic. If you’ve ever wondered, “How can I prove that the world is real?” this episode explains Moore’s argument that the world is real, shows why hands might serve as evidence for this, and sheds light on what this reveals about knowledge. Enjoy! Read Moore's paper here: https://gwern.net/doc/philosophy/epistemology/1939-moore.pdfRead Archie's blog post here: https://substack.com/@thezombieselfreportform/note/p-180346486?r=31bolx&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action

In this episode, Finn Thwaite introduces our mini-series on consciousness. We hear about the “hard problem of consciousness”, the subjective certainty of our own point of view, our confidence in the completeness of physics, and how this extrinsic, behavioural story relates to intrinsic, subjective experience. Enjoy!If you want to get in touch to suggest a topic, or apply to record an episode yourself, please email us at [email protected].

In this episode, Archie Fletcher guides us through a brief history of Analytic Philosophy. We hear about the key figures that shaped this style of Philosophy, which itself can be understood in terms of its method and aims, namely: clarity, rigour and logical argumentation. Enjoy!If you want to get in touch to suggest a topic, or apply to record an episode yourself, please email us at [email protected].

In this episode, guest contributor Yolanda discusses Standpoint Theory - the idea that your experience of reality can vary depending on your standpoint. This is particularly salient when applied to the experiences of marginalised groups, Yolanda argues, and by drawing on this theory we can better understand the members of these groups and their unique standpoints. Enjoy, and thank you Yolanda for your contribution! If you'd like to request an episode, or even do an episode yourself, please get in touch via email ([email protected]), Instagram (@fiveminutephilosophy) or Twitter (@fiveminutephil1).

In this episode, I'll be talking all about the theory of Possible Worlds, with a particular emphasis on David Lewis' Modal Realism. Enjoy! If you'd like to request an episode, or even do an episode yourself, please contact me on Instagram (@fiveminutephilosophy) or Twitter (@fiveminutephil1).

In this episode, guest contributor Mark Bowker (Marie Skłodowska–Curie Fellow in Philosophy at Lund University) discusses his current area of research - generalisations about social groups, particularly when these generalisations include certain types of prejudices (racism, sexism, homophobia etc). He also explores ideas quantification, asking the question: how many instances of something must there be for me to be warranted in making a generalisation about it, and does this change depending on the thing we are making a generalisation about? Enjoy!  If you'd like to request an episode, or even do an episode yourself, please contact me on Instagram (@fiveminutephilosophy) or Twitter (@fiveminutephil1).  Link to Mark's website: http://markbowker.xyz 

In this episode, I go through the claims Hume makes about causation in 'An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding', and why he takes causal inference to be an unreliable model for making rational claims about the world. Enjoy!  If you'd like to get in contact, message me on Twitter (@fiveminutephil1) or Instagram (@fiveminutephilosophy). 

After a 6 month hiatus, I'm back! In this episode, I talk about Aristotle's 'Golden Mean' - a commentary about virtue, found in his 'Nicomachean Ethics'. Enjoy! 

In this episode, guest contributor Will Hathaway and I discuss how culture would be different humans didn't have to eat - would culture have to centre around something different, and if so, what? Enjoy! If you'd like to request an episode, or even do an episode yourself, please contact me on Instagram (@fiveminutephilosophy) or Twitter (@fiveminutephil1). 

In this episode, we'll be talking about the three main approaches to the topic of self-knowledge: acquaintance theory, inner-sense theory and rationalist theory. Enjoy! If you'd like to request an episode, or even do an episode yourself, please contact me on Instagram (@fiveminutephilosophy) or Twitter (@fiveminutephil1).