Doing Philosophy/Philosophy Seminar Questions

Below is a list of possible philosophy seminar questions^[1] first grouped into categories and then expanded into an unstructured list.

• What does it mean to live a good life?
• Is truth discovered or created?
• Can we ever be certain of anything?
• What is the difference between knowledge and belief?
• Do we have free will, or is everything determined?

• What is the nature of time—does it flow, or is it an illusion?
• Are numbers real things or just useful fictions?
• Do we live in a simulation, and if so, does it matter?
• What does it mean for something to exist?
• Is free will compatible with determinism?

• What makes an action right or wrong?
• Is morality objective or subjective?
• Do the ends ever justify the means?
• What do we owe to future generations?
• Should we prioritize individual freedom or collective responsibility?

• Is it ethical to eat animals?
• Should wealth inequality be considered a moral failure?
• Can lying ever be morally justified?
• Does morality require religion?
• Do corporations have moral responsibilities beyond making profit?
• Epistemology and Knowledge

• How do we know what we know?
• Can we ever have certainty, or is all knowledge provisional?
• What is the difference between belief, opinion, and knowledge?
• How should we treat conspiracy theories epistemically?
• Can artificial intelligence "know" anything, or is it just processing data?

• What is consciousness, and can it be explained scientifically?
• Could a machine ever think or feel?
• What makes someone the same person over time?
• Do animals have rights based on consciousness or sentience?
• Is the mind more than the brain?

• What is justice?
• Is democracy the best form of government?
• Should wealth be redistributed, and if so, how?
• What are the limits of free speech?
• Do nations have moral responsibilities beyond their borders?
• Should freedom of speech have limits?
• What obligations do nations have to refugees?
• Is civil disobedience morally required in unjust societies?
• Can war ever be just?

• Why is there something rather than nothing?
• Does life have meaning without God?
• How should we face death?
• Is suffering necessary for growth or purely destructive?
• Is happiness the ultimate goal of life?

• What is consciousness, and can it be explained scientifically?
• Could a machine ever be conscious?
• Do non-human animals have minds like ours?
• Is personal identity preserved if memories are transferred to another body or machine?
• What is the relationship between the brain and the mind?

• What distinguishes science from pseudoscience?
• Is scientific progress always good?
• Should humans use technology to enhance themselves biologically?
• Can AI ever be considered a moral agent?
• How should we respond to existential risks like climate change or nuclear war?

• What makes something art?
• Is beauty objective or subjective?
• Can life be meaningful without belief in God?
• Is the pursuit of happiness the highest goal in life?
• Does tragedy in art enrich our lives, or make them heavier?

• How should we balance work, leisure, and contemplation?
• What is friendship, and why does it matter?
• How do stories and art shape what we believe?
• Are we more influenced by reason or emotion in daily choices?
• How can philosophy help us navigate misinformation today?

• What does it mean to live a good life?
• Is forgiveness always virtuous?
• Should parents impose values on their children?
• How should we weigh personal freedom against public health in pandemics?
• Is it better to be authentic or to conform for the sake of harmony?
• What role does luck play in success, and how should we respond to it?

1. Are abstract concepts like “justice” real or invented?
2. Are cause and effect real or human constructs?
3. Are dreams meaningful or meaningless?
4. Are humans fundamentally rational or irrational?
5. Are numbers real or invented?
6. Are we the same people we were ten years ago?
7. Can AI ever be a moral agent?
8. Can art be immoral?
9. Can artificial intelligence ever be truly intelligent?
10. Can cultures be judged by external moral standards?
11. Can emotions be rational?
12. Can everyday life be considered art?
13. Can games and play have intrinsic philosophical value?
14. Can life be meaningful in the face of death?
15. Can life have meaning without God?
16.  Can lying ever be justified?
17. Can machines be creative?
18. Can machines ever have consciousness?
19. Can morality evolve?
20. Can morality exist without empathy?
21. Can one person truly understand another?
22. Can philosophy solve problems, or only clarify them?
23. Can science answer questions of value?
24. Can secular societies flourish without religion?
25. Can suffering be eliminated without diminishing humanity?
26. Can the universe have purpose without a designer?
27. Can truth exist without language?
28. Can war ever be just?
29. Can war ever be morally required?
30. Can we ever achieve certainty?
31. Can we trust our senses?
32. Do corporations have moral responsibilities beyond profit?
33. Do humans have a natural purpose (telos)?
34. Do humans have free will, or are we determined by nature and nurture?
35. Do non-human animals have minds like ours?
36. Do we have duties to protect the environment?
37. Do we have obligations to future generations?
38. Do we live in a simulation?
39. Does democracy require truth?
40. Does God exist, and what difference would it make if God does not?
41. Does morality require religion?
42. Does technology expand or diminish human freedom?
43. Does tragedy enrich life or make it heavier?
44. Is altruism possible, or are we always self-interested?
45. Is art essential to civilization?
46. Is authenticity more important than conformity?
47. Is beauty important in ethics or politics?
48. Is beauty objective or subjective?
49. Is boredom philosophically significant?
50. Is capitalism compatible with morality?
51. Is climate change an ethical issue as well as a scientific one?
52. Is comedy philosophically important?
53. Is curiosity a moral virtue?
54. Is death the end of existence?
55. Is democracy always the best form of government?
56. Is economic inequality a moral failure?
57. Is forgiveness always virtuous?
58. Is friendship necessary for a good life?
59. Is history a science or an art?
60. Is hope rational?
61. Is ignorance bliss?
62. Is ignorance ever rational?
63. Is knowledge socially constructed?
64. Is life absurd?
65. Is lying to oneself possible?
66. Is morality objective, relative, or subjective?
67. Is nationalism morally defensible?
68. Is privacy a moral right in the digital age?
69. Is progress always good?
70. Is punishment about deterrence, retribution, or rehabilitation?
71. Is punishment for crimes morally justified?
72. Is self-deception always harmful?
73. Is suffering necessary for meaning?
74. Is violence ever morally necessary?
75. Should artificial life forms have rights?
76. Should civil disobedience be required in unjust societies?
77. Should freedom of speech have limits?
78. Should future people count as much as present people?
79. Should genetic engineering of humans be allowed?
80. Should governments prioritize happiness over freedom?
81. Should historical figures be judged by modern ethics?
82. Should human rights be universal?
83. Should humans aim for immortality?
84. Should humans try to colonize space?
85. Should humans use technology to enhance themselves?
86. Should parents impose values on their children?
87. Should people be free to harm themselves?
88. Should people be held responsible for unconscious biases?
89. Should science pursue knowledge without limits?
90. Should voting be mandatory?
91. Should we act morally for its own sake or for consequences?
92. Should we aim for equality of opportunity or equality of outcome?
93. Should we eat animals?
94. Should we fear death?
95. Should we prioritize individual rights or the common good?
96. Should wealth be redistributed by the state?
97. Should wealthy nations alleviate global poverty?
98. What distinguishes science from pseudoscience?
99. What does it mean to be authentic?
100. What does it mean to live a good life?
101. What is beauty, and does it matter?
102. What is consciousness?
103. What is justice?
104. What is love: emotion, choice, or illusion?
105. What is personal identity over time?
106. What is the difference between knowledge and belief?
107. What is the difference between possibility and necessity?
108. What is the difference between wisdom and knowledge?
109. What is the nature of time?
110. What is the proper balance between liberty and equality?
111. What is the purpose of education?
112. What is the relationship between brain and mind?
113. What is the role of love in human life?
114. What is the self?
115. What is the value of philosophy itself?
116. What is truth?
117. What obligations do nations have to refugees?
118. What role does luck play in success?
119. What role should philosophy play in science?
120. Would teleportation preserve identity?