Would anybody be interested in having a weekly (or every two weeks or monthly) discussion thread about different philosophical topics? Is this a thing on Hubski already? I tried searching but I didn't come up with anything. Currently on my feed there's a good thread about the afterlife and a thread questioning morality, which have some really intelligent and fascinating discussions and perspectives (shout-out to Kafke for the interesting moral nihilism discussion) and inspired me to create this post.
Philosophy is something that has always really interested and fascinated me, but it can get notoriously difficult to understand at times. So I'd love these threads to be something that generates an interest in philosophy for beginners or people who have never really considered reading philosophical text, but also a place for deeper discussion. Personally, I'm interested in reading about some different perspectives and ideas that I haven't considered before. Perhaps even some people would like to provide their own personal summary on the topic.
If this thread is successful and generates enough interest, I wouldn't mind posting a different topic every week or so. I'll post some links to some beginner-level sources and fire off some questions to get everyone started.
To kick off the first discussion, I chose the first topic that got me hooked in philosophy and a topic that most people will usually have considered once before (especially since most people have seen The Matrix):
"Cogito Ergo Sum"
How do you know that you exist? How do you know that anything exists? How do you know that the things you see, the things you hear or any sensations you experience are "true"?
When you dream at night you see things and hear things and feel things, and they felt just as real in the "dream world" as they do in "real life". So how do you know that "real life" isn't just another kind of "dream world" that you've yet to wake up from?
External Links To Get You Started
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Solipsism
"Why Solipsism is Bullshit" - Just something I randomly found on Google (as a couple of problems that I wouldn't mind discussing but it's always good to have an opposing perspective).
Three Minute Philosophy on Descartes - Mostly humor, covers a bit of who Rene Descartes was and his contribution to society.
Philosophy Bro on Descartes - A humorous summary on Descartes.