Philosophy
There are many things most of us just take for granted as obvious or just plain common sense, and therefore as not worth wasting our time on. Philosophers, however, nit-picking bunch that we are, are insatiably curious, and in our search for some coherent grand theory of everything, usually mange to find trouble instead, of the conceptual kind, although there is also a respectable history of weird philosophers' deaths, which you may find interesting.
When you question what others take as self-evident, you may come to realize that what we take to be real may be anything but. If you can spare 60 seconds, the following animation demonstrates one of Zeno's famous paradoxes of motion proposed to support his mentor Parmenides' thesis that "all is one" and that change is impossible.
According to this paradox,if you think that it is possible for something to move from point A to point B, you've got to be kidding... and you haven't actually "thought" anything...
And for a more comprehensive introduction to, and analysis of, Zeno's paradoxes, check out the article on the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
- Bite Size Comments On ?parmenides? By Plato
Using Translation by H. N. Fowler / Heinemann(Note: Delightful short 2 -3 page introductions by Fowler) In my opinion it is the first 15 pages or so of this 35 page dialogue that are by far the most interesting. For me the latter pages are rather hard...
- Schrödinger?s Cat... In 60 Seconds
We've seen in previous episodes of this 60-second Adventures in Thought series, all sorts of philosophical, logical, mathematical and scientific paradoxes and all-around weirdness. To remind you, we've seen Zeno's paradox concerning motion,...
- Hilbert's Infinite Hotel
If you study subjects like philosophy, cosmology or mathematics, it won't be long until you find yourself deep in the contemplation of the nasty little business of infinity. Zeno's paradoxes of motion represent some of the earliest attempts to...
- Time Travel And The Grandfather Paradox
Nothing beats boredom quite like philosophy. You start with almost any seemingly simple question, you do some heavy thinking, and before you know it, like when we were first introduced to Zeno of Elea (or even his mentor, Parmenides), it turns out motion...
- "favorite Pre-socratic Greek Philosopher" Poll
Favorite pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Anaxagoras... Anaximander... Anaximenes... Democritus...1 Diogenes...1 Empedocles... Heraclitus... Parmenides... Pythagoras...3 Thales... Zeno... All...1 None...1 I had to vote for Pythagoras even though I do...
Philosophy
The Impossibility of Motion - Achilles and the Tortoise
When you question what others take as self-evident, you may come to realize that what we take to be real may be anything but. If you can spare 60 seconds, the following animation demonstrates one of Zeno's famous paradoxes of motion proposed to support his mentor Parmenides' thesis that "all is one" and that change is impossible.
According to this paradox,if you think that it is possible for something to move from point A to point B, you've got to be kidding... and you haven't actually "thought" anything...
And for a more comprehensive introduction to, and analysis of, Zeno's paradoxes, check out the article on the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
- Bite Size Comments On ?parmenides? By Plato
Using Translation by H. N. Fowler / Heinemann(Note: Delightful short 2 -3 page introductions by Fowler) In my opinion it is the first 15 pages or so of this 35 page dialogue that are by far the most interesting. For me the latter pages are rather hard...
- Schrödinger?s Cat... In 60 Seconds
We've seen in previous episodes of this 60-second Adventures in Thought series, all sorts of philosophical, logical, mathematical and scientific paradoxes and all-around weirdness. To remind you, we've seen Zeno's paradox concerning motion,...
- Hilbert's Infinite Hotel
If you study subjects like philosophy, cosmology or mathematics, it won't be long until you find yourself deep in the contemplation of the nasty little business of infinity. Zeno's paradoxes of motion represent some of the earliest attempts to...
- Time Travel And The Grandfather Paradox
Nothing beats boredom quite like philosophy. You start with almost any seemingly simple question, you do some heavy thinking, and before you know it, like when we were first introduced to Zeno of Elea (or even his mentor, Parmenides), it turns out motion...
- "favorite Pre-socratic Greek Philosopher" Poll
Favorite pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Anaxagoras... Anaximander... Anaximenes... Democritus...1 Diogenes...1 Empedocles... Heraclitus... Parmenides... Pythagoras...3 Thales... Zeno... All...1 None...1 I had to vote for Pythagoras even though I do...