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Through Francisco d'Anconia, Ayn Rand claimed in her marvelous novel Atlas Shrugged that "Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think that you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong." Do you have any contradictions or tensions in your belief system? Are all of your beliefs compatible? Do you find that you must use some kind of sophisticated reasoning in order for you to justify what appear to be two contradictory beliefs? What should we do if we find that our beliefs contradict with one another? Take the philosophical health check at the link below and let's discuss where you found tensions.

FTA:

To take the philosophical health check (PHC), go through the statements below, selecting for each one 'agree' or 'disagree'. If not sure, select the response which is closest to your opinion. When you have answered all the questions, click the 'submit' button and the results of your check will be generated.

The PHC does not judge whether your responses are right or wrong, so feel free to answer as honestly as you can. Each statement is carefully worded, so do pay attention to what each one actually says.

1. There are no objective moral standards; moral judgements are merely an expression of the values of particular cultures

2. So long as they do not harm others, individuals should be free to pursue their own ends

3. People should not journey by car if they can walk, cycle or take a train instead.

4. It is always wrong to take another person's life

5. The right to life is so fundamental that financial considerations are irrelevant in any effort to save lives

6. Voluntary euthanasia should remain illegal

7. Homosexuality is wrong because it is unnatural

8. It is quite reasonable to believe in the existence of a thing without even the possibility of evidence for its existence

9. The possession of drugs for personal use should be decriminalised

10. There exists an all-powerful, loving and good God

11. The second world war was a just war

12. Having made a choice, it is always possible that one might have chosen otherwise

13. It is not always right to judge individuals solely on their merits

14. Judgements about works of art are purely matters of taste

15. On bodily death, a person continues to exist in a non-physical form

16. The government should not permit the sale of health treatments which have not been tested for efficacy and safety

17. There are no objective truths about matters of fact; "truth" is always relative to particular cultures and individuals

18. Atheism is a faith just like any other, because it is not possible to prove the non-existence of God

19. Proper sanitation and medicines are generally good for a society

20. In certain circumstances, it might be desirable to discriminate positively in favour of a person as recompense for harms done to him/her in the past

21. Alternative and complementary medicine is as valuable as mainstream medicine

22. Severe brain-damage can rob a person of all consciousness and selfhood

23. To allow an innocent child to suffer needlessly when one could easily prevent it is morally reprehensible

24. The environment should not be damaged unnecessarily in the pursuit of human ends

25. Michelangelo is one of history's finest artists

26. Individuals have sole rights over their own bodies

27. Acts of genocide stand as a testament to man's ability to do great evil

28. The holocaust is an historical reality, taking place more or less as the history books report

29. Governments should be allowed to increase taxes sharply to save lives in the developing world.

30. The future is fixed, how one's life unfolds is a matter of destiny

Philosophical Health Check (the test must be taken at this link to be scored and receive feedback)

DISCUSS!

Original posting by Braincrave Second Life staff on Jan 5, 2011 at http://www.braincrave.com/viewblog.php?id=424

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