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Rank: Valedictorian
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Keep in mind some of these questions might not sound right but its from my homework
The universe is a role playing game
Imagine standing in front of a door which reads “opening this door will take you to the next level”
1. Would you open this door if, additionally:
a You have 1% chance of plummeting to your death?
b Some other player has a 30% chance of winning immediately?
c Anouther player has a 20% chance of plummeting to his/her death?
d You will now have 30 seconds to solve the last puzzle failure to do which will certainly kill you?
e You will become immortal but 50% chance of entering a room with no exit
f You will promote all players to the next level
2. Would you trade your arms (I'm guessing weapons for fighting the monsters in the game) for immortality?
3. If ignorance was bliss would you volunteer to have your brain disconnected?
4. Quantity vs Quality?
YORK; Honors Arts - History Major/German minor? '12
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Rank: Frosh
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Hey, that's pretty interesting... 
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Rank: Frosh
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1. Would you open this door if, additionally:
c Anouther player has a 20% chance of plummeting to his/her death?
2. Would you trade your arms (I'm guessing weapons for fighting the monsters in the game) for immortality?
huh :S I guess I dont think of ever going in that situation
3. If ignorance was bliss would you volunteer to have your brain disconnected?
Yea for sure
4. Quantity vs Quality?
Quality !!!! all the way
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Rank: Student Body President
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TaintedKane wrote:Keep in mind some of these questions might not sound right but its from my homework
The universe is a role playing game
Imagine standing in front of a door which reads “opening this door will take you to the next level”
1. Would you open this door if, additionally:
a You have 1% chance of plummeting to your death?
b Some other player has a 30% chance of winning immediately?
c Anouther player has a 20% chance of plummeting to his/her death?
d You will now have 30 seconds to solve the last puzzle failure to do which will certainly kill you?
e You will become immortal but 50% chance of entering a room with no exit
f You will promote all players to the next level
2. Would you trade your arms (I'm guessing weapons for fighting the monsters in the game) for immortality?
3. If ignorance was bliss would you volunteer to have your brain disconnected?
4. Quantity vs Quality?
What kind of philosophy class is this? I have never heard anything like this in philosophy.
-Stringer
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Rank: Frosh
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This sounds like an ethics class. Why would questions of improbablity be posted as possible realities?
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Rank: Student Council
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yeah... this isn't what philosophy is like when you get to university
1 We are from Mac! 2 A little bit louder! 3 I still can't hear you! 4 more more more...
McMaster Class of 2011
Combined Honours Political Science and Philosophy
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Rank: Valedictorian
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I find it odd that you are posting to say nothing about the questions
YORK; Honors Arts - History Major/German minor? '12
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TaintedKane wrote:I find it odd that you are posting to say nothing about the questions Perhaps because the questions make no sense? And if they actually were homework questions...wow...
-Stringer
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I really love philosophy, and enjoy reading interesting questions.
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I am actually fascinated with these questions, and I think they make complete sense. My philosophy class seems simliar to yours in that we do study the history and beliefs of philosophers, but at the same time, our teacher tries to bring out our own ideas&beliefs on matters. (he loves using the Socratic dialectic)
Anyywhoo, back to your questions, it's interesting for me that I don't think I would open the door, even if there was just a 1% chance of death. And, another question that stood out, and which someone already answered - ignorant bliss? NO, I would not choose this option. I need to constantly ask quesitons, I love long discussions and arguments on life; it would be contradictory for me to choose ignorance, because this would not bring me bliss. Much like a famous philosopher believes, I think that "the unexamined life is not worth living."
I think that our constant questioning of the surrounding world is what separates us from other animals. If we lived in "ignorant bliss," how would we be any different from any other animal? I think that we are human for a reason. I could go on, but by now ppl have prolly stopped reading (if they even started in the first place, lol)
UW 2012
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weird questions, but philoshophy is kinda supposed to be weird. they are interesting though.
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thats cool!
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Rank: Valedictorian
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ok ok so some people didn't like those questions but that was what I got recently I had two sets of other questions but I'll just ask these two
Describe a person. Do not think of sex, or colour of hair, skin or eyes or age; just a person.
Imagine a forest. Now cut down a tree. Now anouther. Keep cutting down trees. (don’t worry about the morality of this; these are not real trees, or are they?) When is the forest gone?
YORK; Honors Arts - History Major/German minor? '12
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The first puzzle shows the limits of our language, in a way. Some people would describe a person as a "human being," an entity that can be aware of itself or sapient; conscious. Describing a person without using physical characteristics is impossible without having communication but you can also be sure that a person is, by definition, conscious.
The second question also shows the limit of our language. Forest is plural, but doesn't have a set about. The question is similar to removing grains from a pile of sand until it's not a pile anymore. Where is that point? At two? It seems so.
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Ship of TheseusAccording to Greek legend as reported by Plutarch, The ship wherein Theseus and the youth of Athens returned [from Crete] had thirty oars, and was preserved by the Athenians down even to the time of Demetrius Phalereus, for they took away the old planks as they decayed, putting in new and stronger timber in their place, insomuch that this ship became a standing example among the philosophers, for the logical question of things that grow; one side holding that the ship remained the same, and the other contending that it was not the same. Plutarch thus questions whether the ship would remain the same if it were entirely replaced, piece by piece. As a corollary, one can question what happens if the replaced parts were used to build a second ship. Which, if either, is the original Ship of Theseus? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus
-Stringer
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I would reject your reality and substitute my own lol
Wordsworth
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To the first question from tainedkane:
I have a philosophy class and i too have never talked about anything like that! But its cool i think.. i dont know what i would choose, but i would first as; Whats the next level?
What we learn is that philosophy is about asking questions, not trying to find answers... which is what your homework was looking for. Its sort of contradictory to what i'm learning. But anyways, if i had to answer.. i wouldn't open the door.
And an answer to your second question about describing a person.. once again its about asking questions. What is a person? We still dont know the answer to this.. so there really is no right answer. We still don't know what makes us human and what differenciates us from say animals. what a person is, is all based on perception.
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Imagine standing in front of a door which reads “opening this door will take you to the next level”
1. Would you open this door if, additionally:
f You will promote all players to the next level
2. Would you trade your arms (I'm guessing weapons for fighting the monsters in the game) for immortality?
No, I would rather have arms, life is great but it has to have an ending like all great things do.
3. If ignorance was bliss would you volunteer to have your brain disconnected?
No.
4. Quantity vs Quality?
Quality, thats pretty obvious
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