There Is No Such Thing As A Purely Logical Argument

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Dominic Wilkinson’s paper, “Grief and the Inconsolation of Philosophy”, explores the gap between philosophical insight and psychological comfort when it comes to death. He distinguishes between “rational consolation”, when philosophical analysis leads to the conclusion that it would be rational to care less about death than we currently do, and “psychological consolation”, when philosophical reflection actually leads us to care less about death. Through his analysis of Derek Parfit’s reductionist definition of personal identity, Wilkinson is sceptical that this philosophical consolation will have psychological traction, and finds it “deeply implausible” that philosophical perspectives can lead to actual consolation. Read full article here

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