Ed Noble
Published in Thoughts And Ideas
Can We Define God into Existence?
Anselm and the Ontological Argument — In 1078, Saint Anselm of Canterbury formulated an argument for the existence of God in his work Proslogion. Known as the ontological argument, it has generated much attention from philosophers over the years, possibly due to it, unusually, being derived a priori. In chapter 2 of the Proslogion, Anselm defines…
My Thoughts on 2021
Looking back with gratitude and looking forward with hope — What an unusual year. In the UK the vaccination rollout has allowed life to regain a semblance of normality, but it is clear that we are unlikely to return to the world before COVID anytime soon. …
Mary's Room: A Thought Experiment
A philosophy debate around physicalism — Physicalism is a thesis in philosophy that states that "everything is physical". There is nothing to speak of beyond atomic collisions, and all can be explained in a material sense. While this paints a fairly barren view of reality, a survey in 2009 showed that physicalism is the majority view…
Does Our Vision Condition Our Thinking?
Considering Molyneux's Problem — William Molyneux, who lived in the late 17th century, was an Anglo-Irish writer and philosopher. He was a good friend of John Locke, to whom he proposed a thought experiment, now known as Molyneux's Problem. The problem raises fundamental issues within epistemology and the philosophy of mind. To do it…
Should COVID Vaccines Be Mandatory?
Considering the right balance between freedom and safety — Austria announced this month that vaccination against COVID-19 would be mandatory from February 2022. This makes the alpine republic the first western country to legally impose the jab upon its citizens. Other major countries like Germany are said to be considering such a move. …
Are We in Danger of Enlightenment Bias?
History should not teach us superiority, but humility — Dostoevsky said that every man was responsible for everything that happens to him, as well as everything that happens to everyone else. This is a very bold statement, so what are we meant to take from it? The obvious interpretation is to shoulder as much responsibility as possible, so as…
The Argument from Irreducible Complexity
How creationists tried to challenge the theory of evolution — Michael Behe, a professor of biochemistry, presented an argument in the 1990s asserting that certain observable systems in nature are too complex to be the product of evolution. It is a good example of an argument that is sound (to a point), but not valid, and it has been rejected…
Pascal's Wager: What have you got to lose?
Should we bet against the existence of God? — Blaise Pascal, a French philosopher, mathematician and physicist from the 17th century, presented an argument that a rational person should live as though God exists. The logic for this argument goes as follows: God either exists or does not exist, and reason cannot determine the answer. Being a part of…
Bitcoin is a Libertarian Ideal
We can escape inflation if we decentralise currency. — Money is a social contract. That is to say, it is a representation of an estimated value, judged between two parties. It allows us to produce a scalable hierarchy of values, where endeavour can be measured numerically. And currency is the practical manifestation of this contract. There are five key…
The Slow March of Automation
The robots are coming. How will this affect you? — Through history, humans have created machines to perform tasks for us, often more efficiently, reliably and safely. For example, modern factories can mass produce everyday objects to very high standards with only a few humans required to oversee the process. Fears that machines will lead to the destruction of industries…
I write about philosophy, psychology and ethics. I'm a data engineer working in London, having previously studied physics. Started writing in lockdown.
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