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Philosophy Professor’s Internet Advice Points Out the Limits of Common Sense IS THERE A POINT in listening to sad music? Does
was also being used to justify the government’s
may be a bit better than most people at helping
pure chance actually exist? Is dating my brother’s
bad actions. As a Canadian who is now a U.S. citi-
to take the question apart, see what the pieces
ex-girlfriend immoral if it freaks out my family?
zen, I also think about nationality and nationalism.
are, see the different ways you can look at it,
For more than a decade, philosophy Professor and
I just tried to offer empathy with their personal
and consider different answers that might be
Associate Chair Allen Stairs has fielded questions
situation and provide a little clarity on some
reasonable.
like these on AskPhilosophers.com, where he
peripheral issues, even if I couldn’t do much more.
and colleagues worldwide wrestle with “Dear
Any advice for the rest of us confronting a dilemma, philosophical or otherwise?
inquiries into the nature of reality. Stairs, who
What do philosophers have to offer people seeking answers?
studies the meaning of quantum physics, actually
When it comes to personal questions in particular,
are likely to be right. Be willing to recognize when
prefers the former—he finds it refreshing not to
I emphatically don’t think philosophers have
common sense has something to say, but be
hand out answers, but to help people carefully
any special training or insight that allows them
willing to step back and not take the easy answer
examine problems—and he’s become the site’s No.
to deliver perfect answers. But a philosopher
for granted.
Abby”-style relationship questions alongside
Resist the impulse to just assume your instincts
1 contributor, approaching 700 responses. —CC
That’s a lot of questions answered. Is this just for fun, or do you feel a sense of duty? There’s certainly an element of pleasure about it, because no one’s going to do philosophy for many years if they don’t find it satisfying to try to come to a right answer. But I do feel a responsibility to take questions seriously and give something useful to carry away. I occasionally get people following up offline to ask for further thoughts—in that case, you know you’ve done something worthwhile.
How long do you spend on a response? Sometimes I feel like I have something useful to say and I can write it up in five or 10 minutes. There are other cases I start drafting something and then I’m not happy with it, so I come back to it, and I can end up spending hours.
What’s the most meaningful question you’ve dealt with? There was someone in Zimbabwe struggling with the difficult situation in their country, and trying to understand if patriotism was an acceptable motivation to work for good, because patriotism
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