What is a Law of Nature?

In philosophy, there is much debate as to what constitutes a ‘law of nature’. In this essay, I will be critically examining the Naive Regularity Theory of Laws, a popular philosophical account of laws of nature. A proponent of this theory claims that p is a statement of a law of nature if and only…

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Authenticity is Key to Living a Meaningful Life

The philosopher Bernard Williams defines authenticity as “the idea that some things are in some sense really you, or express what you are, and others aren’t.” This concept can also be encapsulated by the phrase, “to thine own self be true”, spoken by the character Polonius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Authenticity means realising and manifesting your…

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The Crab Mentality: Why Can’t We Be Happy for Other People’s Success?

When you put a bunch of live crabs in a bucket, you can witness quite an interesting phenomenon. Some of these crabs can easily escape – but as they attempt to climb out of the bucket, other crabs pull them back down. At first glance, this can seem like cruel and senseless behaviour: rather than…

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Is a Standard of Taste Possible or Even Desirable?

There is undoubtedly a variety of opinion in matters of art appreciation – someone may, for example, detest Damien Hirst’s work but praise Raphael’s, and vice versa. A standard of taste is a criterion by which you can judge art to be praiseworthy or not. This means that opinion holds no authority. There are certain…

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The Rise of Automation Could Allow Us to Lead More Meaningful Lives

As developments in artificial intelligence (AI) continue, more and more jobs are at risk of being taken over by robots. There are fears that the rise of automation will lead to mass unemployment. In terms of the foreseeable future, it seems that, while some jobs in the future will invariably be better performed by a…

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