The hottest Logic Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Philosophy Topics

Philosophy is the mathematics of language

Wood From Eden • 816 implied HN points • 23 Dec 23
📖 Philosophy Language Mathematics Concepts Logic Epistemology
  1. Philosophy is the art of clarifying concepts and finding links between them.
  2. Philosophy is similar to mathematics in that it explores relationships between concepts, just as mathematics explores relationships between numbers.
  3. Concepts in philosophy change over time, making it a field that evolves constantly unlike mathematics which is built on stable concepts.

2.5 René Descartes

Fields & Energy • 259 implied HN points • 17 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy History Logic Metaphysics Epistemology Ethics
  1. René Descartes believed science is connected and trying to find one truth could help explain other truths. He thought this truth came from the 'infinite perfections of God.'
  2. He had some important ideas in physics, like how light bends and motion is conserved. However, some of his ideas turned out to be wrong, showing that science takes time to improve.
  3. Descartes thought that studying nature could help humans control it, but his methods sometimes lacked support from experiments. He lived a relaxed life, which changed when he had to teach in Sweden and sadly got pneumonia.

The Unreasonable Ineffectiveness of Effective Altruism in thinking about AI

Ulysses • 179 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
📖 Philosophy Ethics Logic Epistemology Ontology Psychology
  1. Knowledge systems using symbolic logic in natural language are heuristic and capture reality imperfectly.
  2. Validity of heuristics depends on the similarity between the original context and current application.
  3. Rigid deontological symbolic morality may fail in reasoning about new events like AI, leading to ineffective discussions and decision-making.
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Me vs Huemer

David Friedman’s Substack • 341 implied HN points • 13 Feb 24
📖 Philosophy Epistemology Ethics Logic Bias Experts
  1. Consider forming opinions on controversial issues based on evaluating arguments rather than just trusting the experts
  2. Experts may not always have expertise in all aspects of an issue, so it's important to critically evaluate their arguments and not just rely on their authority
  3. It's crucial to judge both arguments and arguers, as bias and incentives can influence the opinions of experts in controversial topics

The Parks puzzle

A Piece of the Pi: mathematics explained • 36 implied HN points • 11 Nov 24
🚌 Education Mathematics Puzzles Computer Science Logic
  1. The Parks puzzle is a game where you place trees on a grid with specific rules, similar to Sudoku. Each row, column, and park needs a certain number of trees without them being next to each other.
  2. While checking if a proposed solution is correct is easy, finding that solution can be quite complex. Researchers found that the Parks puzzle belongs to a group of difficult problems called NP-complete.
  3. The puzzle can be used to model logical operations like AND and OR. This means it has connections to computer science concepts and can help explore complex problems.

Of Course You Can Prove a Negative

Philosophy for the People w/Ben Burgis • 279 implied HN points • 23 Apr 23
📖 Philosophy Logic
  1. Confident statements that you can't prove a negative are common online, but this idea isn't found in logic textbooks.
  2. There is a discussion happening about this essay on the This is Revolution podcast with Stefan Bertram-Lee, focusing on the essay from last week and this one.
  3. This specific post is for paid subscribers only.

The Liar Paradox (and Russell's Paradox) for Non-Logicians (UNLOCKED)

Philosophy for the People w/Ben Burgis • 399 implied HN points • 22 Jan 23
📖 Philosophy Logic Consistency Reasoning
  1. The Liar Paradox questions whether statements can be both true and false, challenging fundamental logical principles like Bivalence and the Law of the Excluded Middle.
  2. Russell's Paradox, on the other hand, questions the existence of sets based on self-referential properties, leading to contradictions like a set that contains itself and doesn't.
  3. The debates around these paradoxes highlight the importance of classical logic principles like the Law of Non-Contradiction and Disjunctive Syllogism in everyday reasoning and understanding the world.

Elephant Riding

Polymathic Being • 104 implied HN points • 10 Nov 24
📖 Philosophy Ethics Logic Cognition Emotion Human behavior
  1. We balance emotions and reason like an elephant and a rider. The elephant represents our feelings, which often drive our decisions more than we think.
  2. Relying only on logic can lead to problems. Emotions help us make decisions, and without them, we might struggle with even simple choices.
  3. To make better decisions, we should understand our emotions and how they influence us. This means taking time to think things through and checking if our feelings align with reality.

Abused Words

David Friedman’s Substack • 260 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🚌 Education Language Grammar Logic Statistics
  1. Words like 'exponential' and 'organic' are commonly misused with meanings different from their actual definitions.
  2. Terms like 'guarantee' and 'literally' are often used incorrectly causing confusion in communication.
  3. Understanding technical terms like 'statistically significant' is crucial to avoid misinterpretation in discussions.

Dishonest Words

David Friedman’s Substack • 170 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
📖 Philosophy Language Ethics Logic Rhetoric Meaning
  1. Labeling someone as 'homophobic' for having negative views of homosexuality can falsely imply a single cause for their opinion and stigmatize them without considering other reasons.
  2. Using terms like 'racism' and 'denier' to label those with differing views can be a dishonest tactic to imply that their opinions are unreasonable without proper argumentation.
  3. Words like 'thermal pollution' and 'CO2 emission as pollution' can carry hidden value judgments, implying negativity without explicitly stating the values being used.

When Your Map Doesn't Match Reality

Good Reason • 227 implied HN points • 13 Dec 23
📖 Philosophy Reality Logic Hypocrisy Maps Bias
  1. Regardless of how well you know a situation, remember your knowledge is just a map and not reality itself.
  2. Be cautious of projecting your biases onto situations to force them to fit your preconceived notions.
  3. Acknowledging and being aware of your own potential biases can help prevent misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

Can You Solve the 'Simple' Two Door Riddle From Labyrinth?

Pryor Questions • 336 implied HN points • 13 Dec 23
🚌 Education Logic Puzzle Movies
  1. In the movie Labyrinth, there is a logic puzzle involving two guards, two doors, and a choice between truth and lies.
  2. To solve the puzzle, Sarah can ask one guard what the other guard would say, then choose the opposite door.
  3. This puzzle is a version of the Knights and Knaves problem, where one guard always tells the truth and the other always lies.

Chomp

Infinitely More • 20 implied HN points • 31 Jan 25
🎭️ Culture Games Logic Philosophy Analysis Creativity
  1. The game Chomp involves two players taking turns biting from a chocolate bar, and the goal is to avoid being the one to take the last bite. Players remove chocolate squares from the lower-left, taking away everything above and to the right of their chosen square.
  2. Winning strategies in Chomp can depend on whether you're going first or second, especially based on the size of the chocolate bar. Players need to think carefully about their moves to ensure they don't end up losing.
  3. Chomp is not just a fun game; it also teaches lessons about strategy and decision-making in game theory. Understanding how to analyze your options can give you an edge in winning.

Two Master Fallacies

Fake Noûs • 306 implied HN points • 16 Sep 23
🚌 Education Logic Critical Thinking
  1. Assumption is a common error where people quickly believe something with little evidence.
  2. Dogmatism is the resistance to changing beliefs, even in the face of evidence.
  3. To avoid assumption, consider alternatives, objections, empirical tests, and listen to different perspectives. To combat dogmatism, question your beliefs and avoid dogmatic techniques like ignoring contrary evidence and appealing only to your belief system.

What is the essential structure of the complex numbers?

Infinitely More • 38 implied HN points • 10 Nov 24
📖 Philosophy Mathematics Epistemology Ontology Logic
  1. There are different ways to think about complex numbers, like focusing on their algebraic or topological structures. Each viewpoint gives us unique insights into how complex numbers behave.
  2. Mathematicians don't all agree on what the essential structure of complex numbers is, leading to multiple interpretations. It shows us that understanding math can be quite flexible.
  3. The paper identifies four main perspectives on complex numbers, which can help clarify the discussions around their nature and engage with broader philosophical questions in mathematics.

Why the Principle of Sufficient Reason is Self-Evident and its Criticisms are Self-Defeating

Ethics Under Construction • 20 implied HN points • 01 Feb 25
📖 Philosophy Logic Existence Truth Reason Knowledge Determinism
  1. The Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR) states that everything has a reason for existing. It means for every fact, there's an explanation behind it.
  2. Critics of the PSR often make self-defeating arguments because they need reasons to argue against it. Thus, denying the PSR actually supports its validity.
  3. PSR is important for understanding the world and making sense of knowledge. It encourages us to seek underlying reasons rather than accept things as random.

I still don't think Slate Star Codex readers have an IQ of 137.

Unconfusion • 39 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
📖 Philosophy Logic Ethics Epistemology Metaphysics Phenomenology
  1. Claiming that a group of people has a very high average IQ is a big statement and not as straightforward as it seems. It's easy to assume that just because a blog attracts smart readers, their IQ is automatically high.
  2. Self-reported data, like IQ numbers, can often be inflated. People might think they have higher IQs or might overestimate their scores, making such claims less reliable.
  3. Belonging to a group can make people feel proud or special, but it's important to remember that individual worth isn't defined by group averages. Everyone has their own value, regardless of how they compare to others.

Interpretability

Infinitely More • 28 implied HN points • 30 Nov 24
📖 Philosophy Logic Mathematics Interpretation Language Concepts
  1. In math, we can understand one idea by using another. It's like using different languages to explain the same thing.
  2. Sometimes, when we translate ideas back and forth, we lose some meaning, similar to playing a game of telephone.
  3. To make this work, we create special objects in a new system that can help us relate and understand the original idea better.

What is Bayesian Statistics? The Beginner Math Guide (Part One)

The Software & Data Spectrum • 78 implied HN points • 13 Apr 23
🔬 Science Statistics Probability Logic Combinatorics
  1. Bayesian Statistics is used in various fields like Machine Learning, Engineering, Data Science, and more.
  2. Bayesian Thinking involves observing data, holding prior beliefs, forming hypotheses, gathering evidence, and comparing hypotheses.
  3. Probability is a way to measure belief strength, and calculating probabilities involves counting outcomes and using ratios of beliefs.

What is a "Reason"?

Ethics Under Construction • 15 implied HN points • 08 Feb 25
📖 Philosophy Epistemology Ethics Logic Metaphysics
  1. A 'reason' is simply an objective explanation for something. It helps us understand truths by shedding light on unclear ideas.
  2. Objective explanations are thoughts that anyone can understand, giving everyone a similar view of the truth.
  3. To count as a reason, an explanation must be clear, logical, and able to be comprehended by anyone, not just a particular individual.

Interpretability of theories

Infinitely More • 17 implied HN points • 11 Jan 25
📖 Philosophy Logic Theory Interpretation Models Semantics
  1. You can understand one theory by interpreting it through another theory. This means translating ideas from one set of concepts to another.
  2. Interpreting theories involves a consistent method to show how one theory fits within the framework of another. It connects the ideas and structures from both.
  3. The host theory provides a detailed explanation of how the interpreted theory operates, using only its own language and concepts. This helps clarify the relationships between different theories.

Swinburne's Argument Against Suicide

Going Awol • 119 implied HN points • 30 Jan 23
📖 Philosophy Ethics Religion Logic God Suicide
  1. Swinburne's argument against suicide is based on the idea that if God exists, taking one's own life is ungrateful towards the gift of life given by God.
  2. Swinburne's argument falls short in the face of extreme suffering, where ending one's life may not be a violation of gratitude towards God, as seen in cases like severe pain or incurable genetic conditions.
  3. The premise that suicide is always wrong due to ingratitude to God is questionable, as destroying a harmful gift might be what a loving benefactor would want in certain extreme circumstances.

Finding Fifteen

Infinitely More • 15 implied HN points • 20 Jan 25
🚌 Education Game Theory Mathematics Philosophy Logic
  1. Finding Fifteen is a game where two players try to pick numbers that add up to 15. It's a fun way to learn about strategy and competition.
  2. Players take turns choosing numbers between 1 and 9, and they can't repeat numbers. The first player to use three numbers that sum to 15 wins.
  3. Some moves can be forced, meaning players may have to make certain choices to avoid losing immediately. This adds a layer of strategy to the game.

The game of Nim

Infinitely More • 10 implied HN points • 07 Feb 25
🚌 Education Mathematics Games Logic Strategy Learning
  1. The game of Nim is based on a smart mathematical strategy that lets informed players almost always win against those who don't know the trick.
  2. In Nim, players take turns removing coins from piles, and the goal is to take the last coin to win.
  3. Anyone, even kids, can learn the winning strategy and easily beat more experienced players who don't know it.