Philosophy bear

Philosophy Bear, initially de Pony Sum, explores a diverse range of subjects spanning philosophy, politics, psychology, and more, with a critical lens on current societal issues, ethical considerations, and future implications. It examines AI development, self-promotion, existential risks, self-defense, and the dynamics of societal standards and behaviors, offering insights into human morality, political economy, and the interplay between technology and society.

Philosophy Politics Psychology Ethics Artificial Intelligence Societal Issues Economic Theories Human Behavior Technological Implications Moral Philosophy

The hottest Substack posts of Philosophy bear

And their main takeaways

Tiling the universe and 'simple' theories of wellbeing plus an update on my life

104 implied HN points • 16 Jun 23
📖 Philosophy Ethics Wellbeing Narrative
  1. Well-being theories based solely on desire satisfaction or pleasure may not fully capture what makes a life 'good'.
  2. Comparing universes with simple lives to complex lives highlights the importance of diversity, continuity, and relationships for overall well-being.
  3. Considering well-being as forming a coherent and positive narrative could provide a richer perspective than solely focusing on desire satisfaction or pleasure.

Against THE LITERATURE : A plea for philosophical arrogance

90 implied HN points • 25 Jun 23
📚 Literature Philosophy
  1. The importance of challenging the traditional approach to philosophy focusing on extensive content-specific expertise.
  2. Advocating for a more creative and free-wheeling philosophy that focuses on generating new ideas.
  3. Acknowledging the balance of being well-read and informed versus hyper-specialization and deference to existing academic norms.
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Critical Bear update: Antonia the dwarf polar bear

69 implied HN points • 18 Jul 23
🌍 World Politics Animals
  1. Antonia is a dwarf polar bear living in Germany, weighing only a third of an ordinary polar bear.
  2. She stands at 70 cm (2.33 feet) and weighs 130kg, with both the charm of a big girl and a small girl.
  3. Antonia is known as "the pygmy polar bear" and has genetic growth hormone deficiency causing dwarfism.

A time to reflect

20 implied HN points • 11 Dec 23
  1. The author's blog activity will be reduced until at least the new year due to their PhD deadline
  2. The author notes that this reflective season may spark new ideas and asks for suggestions on what readers would like to see more of in their future posts
  3. The author is open to feedback and engagement from readers on the content they want to read

A defense of ethical subjectivism

69 implied HN points • 28 Jun 23
📖 Philosophy Ethics Metaethics Semantics
  1. Ethical subjectivism argues that moral statements reflect individual values or the values a better version of oneself would hold.
  2. Speaker subjectivism provides reasons for moral actions based on what a better version of oneself would want.
  3. Speaker-subjectivist semantics offer benefits like explaining moral truths, guiding moral debates, and accounting for confidence in moral beliefs.

Yelling into the storm- a protest against mental agony

69 implied HN points • 05 Jun 23
📖 Philosophy Mental health Existentialism Society Ethics Pain
  1. Sometimes, we don't have as much control over our lives as we think we do, and that realization can be scary.
  2. Mental pain is often overlooked and not given the urgent attention it deserves by society and healthcare systems.
  3. The belief that pain is character-building or insignificant unless it has noticeable effects is a harmful societal lie; we must prioritize abolishing mental agony.

Is there good reason to forgive off-color jokes when they're especially funny?

55 implied HN points • 14 Jul 23
📖 Philosophy Ethics Humor Sociology Culture Comedy
  1. Forgiving off-color jokes if they are exceptionally funny is a common norm, even among morally strict individuals.
  2. The defense for this principle includes arguments like the 'enough value' defense and the 'net benefits to the victims' view.
  3. There are downsides to leniency for off-color jokes, such as built-in motivation for comedians, inherent prejudices, and hypocrisy among people.

Concentric circles of morality

48 implied HN points • 03 Aug 23
  1. Morality has different levels of avoidance, from personal to public condemnation to making things illegal.
  2. Internet moralism can lead to confusion between personal views and societal standards.
  3. Being mindful of judgment and making allowances for mistakes can protect reputation and prevent hypocrisy.

Bleeding hearts and bleeding backs: Why we shouldn't be so quick to eliminate beatings from the labour market

55 implied HN points • 24 Jun 23
📖 Philosophy Ethics Political Economics
  1. Employers can legally include beatings in employment contracts, which some argue benefits marginal employees.
  2. Banning workplace beatings may lead to unintended consequences like increased unemployment among vulnerable workers.
  3. Advocates for allowing beatings argue that it is a private transaction and suggest implementing Pigouvian tax if externalities are a concern.

Verbal disputes over logic

41 implied HN points • 06 Aug 23
  1. Logic can be influenced by how we interpret 'true' and other terms
  2. Partial interpretation of sentences can lead to statements that are both true and false
  3. Debates over fuzzy versus binary truth can be just a matter of semantics

There is no right to dislike people

48 implied HN points • 09 Jul 23
  1. Disliking someone without good reason may harm them and hurt their feelings.
  2. It's possible to acknowledge and try to change our wrongful dislikes.
  3. Easily disliking others can lead to alienation from oneself or humanity.

Hitler's jig and two types of people

62 implied HN points • 30 Apr 23
📖 Philosophy Ethics Thought Morality Belief Metaphysics
  1. There is a divide between people who react calmly to controversial statements and those who get upset or angry.
  2. The case of Hitler's jig can be a test to learn more about people's tolerance and reactions to provocative ideas.
  3. Engaging in discussions about challenging topics can reveal different thinking styles and levels of openness.

"Mid" is unfalsifiable

62 implied HN points • 18 May 23
📖 Philosophy Concepts Reasoning Reality Ethics
  1. Calling someone 'mid' is unfalsifiable because it's hard to prove you're not just average.
  2. Labeling someone as 'mid' can lead to implications similar to being called 'ugly'.
  3. The concept of 'mid' has become popular due to unrealistic expectations and fear of commitment in relationships.

Survey (Repost due to error)

6 implied HN points • 08 Feb 24
  1. Philosophy Bear is conducting a survey on political and ethical attitudes.
  2. The survey data will be used for analysis on the author's blog.
  3. Participation in the survey is voluntary and some questions may be distressing to some.

Rationalism and social rationalism

62 implied HN points • 10 Mar 23
📖 Philosophy Rationalism Belief Epistemology
  1. It's more important for society to get questions right than for individuals to be right, especially for political, existential risk, scientific, technological, and ethical questions.
  2. Different aspects of belief can go in different directions within a single person, and collective rationality can differ from individual rationality.
  3. Advocating beliefs should consider the gap between personal belief and societal belief, and focus on contributing unique information to enhance public reason.

Depression drugs might work better than we think (or worse) because depression scales have a severe flaw

55 implied HN points • 03 Jun 23
  1. Depression scales may not accurately measure the severity of symptoms due to the varied and arbitrary nature of the questions.
  2. The gaps between answers in depression scales could impact the estimation of the effectiveness of drugs and therapies.
  3. Using core questions with clearer scales could provide a more intuitive way to understand the impact of treatments on depression.

A prison skeptic's manifesto

69 implied HN points • 05 Feb 23
  1. Prison skepticism is about questioning the current system while acknowledging the necessity of containment for violent individuals.
  2. Concern for prisoners should be based on recognizing their humanity and the misfortunes many have faced.
  3. Thinking about utopian alternatives to prisons, such as advanced technologies for intervention and treatment, is essential for progress.

A brief case for wild research

34 implied HN points • 02 Aug 23
  1. Some disciplines depend on prior work and are ranked based on cumulativity.
  2. In non-cumulative disciplines, wild research is encouraged as there's less harm in being wrong.
  3. Wild research can have long-lasting impact and be more influential in the growth of knowledge.

The color of obligation

41 implied HN points • 29 Jun 23
  1. Matthew and Nathan have differing approaches to addressing world issues
  2. Elise and Celine hold different beliefs on morality but find strength in their perspectives
  3. The story discusses various philosophical perspectives and how they influence individuals' actions

Questions on death- reading Mortals: Part 1

48 implied HN points • 30 May 23
  1. Consider if you care more about being remembered or impacting the world after you're gone
  2. Reflect on how you fear death and the absence of opportunities it creates
  3. Think about striving for immortality through various means and if it hurts or helps you

Kindness, mitigation

34 implied HN points • 24 Jul 23
  1. Mitigation of difficult circumstances can provide a partial excuse for wrongdoing.
  2. Kindness and empathy towards everyone can prevent contributing to oppression.
  3. Reputation is a complex concept - people often deserve a better reputation than their known deeds might suggest.

Racism, "Prejudice plus power" and the semantics/pragmatics divide in language

48 implied HN points • 05 May 23
  1. The definition of racism as 'prejudice plus power' may not capture the complexities of how racism operates in society.
  2. There is a need to understand the ideological function of language, separating pragmatics from semantics when discussing sensitive issues like racism.
  3. Personal racism against white people may not be as significant on a societal scale compared to racism against oppressed racial groups.

That Law and Economics is an ideologically captured discipline

48 implied HN points • 24 Apr 23
  1. Efficiency in economics needs to go hand in hand with redistribution for real social welfare.
  2. Increasing efficiency without redistribution often leads to more money going to the rich.
  3. There are obstacles to both harming the poor for efficiency and redistributing wealth, and the public and elites have different views on redistribution.