Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

In reply to Irfan Khawaja. Irfan; Regarding, “… it’s not clear that the Big Bang Singularity was in motion.” It’s not clear there even was a “Big Bang Singularity”, much less whether it was in motion. And the properties of that “Big Bang Singular…

You said “Foggy Bottom,” huhhuhhuh. LikeLike

In reply to Dina. Thank you. LikeLike

From the US State Department’s periodic safety advisory to travelers, Nov. 23, 2021: Reconsider travel to Israel due to COVID-19. Exercise increased caution in Israel due to terrorism and civil unrest. No need to “exercise caution” due to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank or the Israeli siege of Gaza, apparently. Sporadic terrorism and…

How is the argument for premise (2) compatible with the fact that even apart from the Unmoved Mover, some things in Aristotle’s world are self-movers? If nothing moves itself, how can moral agents be a source of action, taking action to be a kind…

In reply to sean samis. All of cosmology is contested, but it’s not clear that the Big Bang Singularity was in motion. https://www.space.com/13347-big-bang-origins-universe-birth.html Given that, contemporary physics does not conclusively demonst…

Doesn’t the fact that there is no sphere of the fixed stars, and hence no example of circular motion that continues forever, actually improve Aristotle’s argument to the Unmoved Mover? That is, all motions – in Aristotle’s defin…

In reply to berserkrl. Aristotle’s argument is perfectly valid GIVEN premises 1 and 2; but both premises are not quite right. In Aristotle’s time they may have seemed reasonable, but we know better now. Everything is in motion. In your entire life you …

In reply to berserkrl. Damn, there goes my hope of a MacArthur genius grant. What did Theophrastus conclude? Does he reject the unmoved mover on this basis or find a solution somehow? LikeLike

I think Theophrastus was the first to ask this question. LikeLike