Category Archives: Paper Topic

Eternity and Death

Posted on June 14, 2010 by shaunmiller

I’m teaching World Religions this summer semester and I’ve been thinking about the notion of eternity and death, particularly dealing with one’s soul after death. Let’s start with the typical Western conception of an afterlife: as soon as you die, … Continue reading →

Posted in Immortality, Paper Topic, Personal Identity | 11 Comments

Exercising the Will

Posted on May 24, 2010 by shaunmiller

In order to get strong, you must exercise.  Here are some examples: If you want to be physically strong, you must do some sort of athletics such as lifting weights, running, etc. If you want to be mentally strong, you … Continue reading →

Posted in Paper Topic, Will | 9 Comments

Marx’s Critique of the Liberal Notion of Freedom

Posted on April 21, 2010 by shaunmiller

I just finished Peter Singer’s Book on Marx.  I thought it was well-written and Singer does an excellent job of explaining Marx’s position and his overall philosophy.  In the end, Singer gives an evaluation of Marx and explains Marx’s critique … Continue reading →

Posted in Capitalism, Economics, Marx, Paper Topic, Peter Singer | 7 Comments

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness; or Methods on Dying

Posted on February 15, 2010 by shaunmiller

Thomas Jefferson once wrote that we are endowed “with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  As I experience the world, there are certain people that consider one of these as having a … Continue reading →

Posted in Epicurus, Paper Topic, Rights, Values | 7 Comments

Trying to Achieve Immortality Through Genes and Memes

Posted on November 17, 2009 by shaunmiller

How does one gain immortality?  There seems to be two ways: genes and Memes. In terms of genes, Richard Dawkins brings up some really interesting ideas about how genes work in his book The Selfish Gene. At some point in … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Evolution, Immortality, Memes, Paper Topic | 4 Comments

The Wishful Theist

Posted on September 30, 2009 by shaunmiller

Daniel Dennett in his book Breaking the Spell has talked about “belief in belief in God.”  What does that mean? People who believe in God are sure that God exists, and they are glad, because they hold God to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Paper Topic, Religion | 3 Comments

Original Sin as an Analogy to Moral Inheritance

Posted on August 17, 2009 by shaunmiller

In mainstream Christianity, there’s the concept of Original Sin.  Basically, Adam ate from the Tree of Knowledge and all of human kind inherited this sin.  So we are sinful because of what our ancestors did a long time ago. Does … Continue reading →

Posted in Paper Topic, Race, Religion | 7 Comments

A Contradiction in Sartre’s View of Love

Posted on July 27, 2009 by shaunmiller

Sartre has said that since we are free, there is no human nature.  Human nature means that you’re confined to a certain essence.  But if that’s the case, then we wouldn’t be free.  Basically, Sartre is pulling a Modes Tollens … Continue reading →

Posted in Paper Topic, Relationships | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Religiosity in the US

Posted on July 9, 2009 by shaunmiller

In a previous post, I mentioned that most of the developed countries have seen religion as a thing of the past.  Most aren’t even religious.  The exception is the United States.  Out of all developed countries, we still have deep … Continue reading →

Posted in Capitalism, Culture, Marx, Paper Topic, Pragmatism, Religion, Socialism | 3 Comments

On Keeping and Dissolving Friends

Posted on June 7, 2009 by shaunmiller

This past week, I had the good fortune of seeing too good friends of mine.  I won’t give their names, but I’ll say where they’re from: Seattle and LA.  I first visited Seattle in a coffee shop.  She was friendly … Continue reading →

Posted in Friendship, Love, Paper Topic | 7 Comments