Philosophy Archives - Flux https://flux.community/section/philosophy/ A platform for change Fri, 05 Jun 2026 23:28:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 It’s like this: Why perceptions are our realities https://flux.community/matthew-sheffield/2026/01/its-like-this-why-perceptions-are-our-realities/ Thu, 22 Jan 2026 23:34:36 +0000 https://flux.community/?p=14915 Cecilia Bleasdale just needed a dress to wear to her daughter’s wedding. She had no idea what was about to happen. After considering several frocks, she sent photos of three to her daughter, Grace, informing her she’d purchased one of them. “Oh, the white and gold one?” Grace replied. “No,” Cecilia answered. “It’s blue and […]

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]]> Cormac McCarthy’s fiction was a dark counter-narrative to American optimism https://flux.community/paul-giles/2023/06/cormac-mccarthys-fiction-was-a-dark-counter-narrative-to-american-optimism/ Wed, 14 Jun 2023 21:39:45 +0000 https://flux.community/?p=13777 It is testimony to Cormac McCarthy’s reputation as a writer of dark and violent fictions that his publishers should explicitly have stated in their press release on Tuesday that his death was due to “natural causes”. Normally the passing of a famous author at the age of 89 might be regarded as part of the natural cycle […]

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]]> If misinformation spreads similarly to viruses, can treatments for it be developed? https://flux.community/christie-aschwanden/2023/04/if-misinformation-spreads-similarly-to-viruses-can-treatments-for-it-be-developed/ Tue, 11 Apr 2023 16:17:23 +0000 https://flux.community/?p=13178 In the early months of 2022, U.S. intelligence officials announced that Russian propagandists were preparing to release a fake video and images that purported to show Ukrainian aggression as a pretext for Russia’s planned invasion. “The goal of these campaigns was not to convince foreign audiences that Russia’s military invasion was somehow justified, but to […]

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]]> AI isn’t close to becoming sentient, but people seem to want to think it is https://flux.community/nir-eisikovits/2023/03/the-immediate-danger-of-ai-is-how-easily-were-prone-to-anthropomorphize-it/ Fri, 17 Mar 2023 16:36:48 +0000 https://flux.community/?p=12966 ChatGPT and similar large language models can produce compelling, humanlike answers to an endless array of questions – from queries about the best Italian restaurant in town to explaining competing theories about the nature of evil. The technology’s uncanny writing ability has surfaced some old questions – until recently relegated to the realm of science fiction – […]

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]]> The January 6th hearings demonstrate how to move forward when dialogue is impossible https://flux.community/robert-repino/2022/07/the-january-6th-hearings-demonstrate-how-to-move-forward-when-dialogue-is-impossible/ Fri, 22 Jul 2022 14:00:55 +0000 https://flux.community/?p=11796 Humans are social creatures. So when a conflict arises, dialogue should always be the default solution. At the very least, we should give it a try before moving on to more drastic action. Talking out our problems is perhaps the most incredible development in our evolution, providing a thin barrier between us and our more […]

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]]> Democrats haven’t realized that you can’t defend democracy without explaining it https://flux.community/jim-carroll/2022/01/fascism-cannot-be-defeated-without-broad-articulation-public-good/ Wed, 26 Jan 2022 11:03:00 +0000 https://flux.community/2022/01/fascism-cannot-be-defeated-without-broad-articulation-public-good/ The post Democrats haven’t realized that you can’t defend democracy without explaining it appeared first on Flux.

]]> Embracing uncertainty may be a better way to cure conspiracist thinking https://flux.community/ivan-oransky/2021/12/embracing-uncertainty-may-be-better-way-cure-conspiracist-thinking-covid-lab/ Mon, 13 Dec 2021 19:06:32 +0000 https://flux.community/2021/12/embracing-uncertainty-may-be-better-way-cure-conspiracist-thinking-covid-lab/ The post Embracing uncertainty may be a better way to cure conspiracist thinking appeared first on Flux.

]]> Ghost stories tell us more about ourselves than the supernatural creatures they describe https://flux.community/melanie-trecek-king/2021/10/ghost-stories-tell-us-more-about-ourselves-supernatural-creatures-they/ Sun, 31 Oct 2021 15:31:06 +0000 https://flux.community/2021/10/ghost-stories-tell-us-more-about-ourselves-supernatural-creatures-they/ The post Ghost stories tell us more about ourselves than the supernatural creatures they describe appeared first on Flux.

]]> Want to ‘do your own research’ on vaccines or anything else? First realize what research actually means https://flux.community/melanie-trecek-king/2021/09/so-you-want-do-your-own-research/ Thu, 23 Sep 2021 10:00:00 +0000 https://flux.community/2021/09/so-you-want-do-your-own-research/ The post Want to ‘do your own research’ on vaccines or anything else? First realize what research actually means appeared first on Flux.

]]> Bad people who are Christians are still Christians, no matter how that makes other Christians feel https://flux.community/robert-repino/2021/09/bad-people-who-are-christians-are-still-christians-no-matter-how-makes-others/ Sun, 12 Sep 2021 18:14:57 +0000 https://flux.community/2021/09/bad-people-who-are-christians-are-still-christians-no-matter-how-makes-others/ The post Bad people who are Christians are still Christians, no matter how that makes other Christians feel appeared first on Flux.

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