Whatâs the definition of âtruth-seekingâ? Not your personal definition, but the pre-existing, canonical definition thatâs been written down somewhere and that everyone agrees on.
Not âeveryone agreesâ what âutilitarianismâ means either and it remains a useful word. In context you can tell I mean someone whose attitude, methods and incentives allow them to avoid the biases I listed and others.
If I want to know what âutilitarianismâ means, including any disagreements among scholars about the meaning of the term (I have a philosophy degree, I have studied ethics, and I donât have the impression there are meaningful disagreements among philosophers on the definition of âutilitarianismâ), I can find this information in many places, such as:
Academic lectures on YouTube and Crash Course (a high-quality educational resource)
So, itâs easy for me to find out what âutilitarianismâ means. There is no shortage of information about that.
Where do I go to find out what âtruth-seekingâ means? Even if some people disagree on the definition, can I go somewhere and read about, say, the top 3 most popular definitions of the term and why people prefer one definition over the other?
It seems like an important word. I notice people keep using it. So, what does it mean? Where has it been defined? Is there a source you can cite that attempts to define it?
I have tried to find a definition for âtruth-seekingâ before, more than once. Iâve asked what the definition is before, more than once. I donât know if there is a definition. I donât know if the term means anything definite and specific. I imagine it probably doesnât have a clear definition or meaning, and that different people who say âtruth-seekingâ mean different things when they say it â and so people are largely talking past each other when they use this term.
Incidentally, I think what I just said about âtruth-seekingâ probably also largely applies to âepistemicsâ. I suspect âepistemicsâ probably either means epistemic practices or epistemology, but itâs not clear, and there is evidently some confusion on its intended meaning. Looking at the actual use of âepistemicsâ, Iâm not sure different people mean the same thing by it.
Whatâs the definition of âtruth-seekingâ? Not your personal definition, but the pre-existing, canonical definition thatâs been written down somewhere and that everyone agrees on.
Not âeveryone agreesâ what âutilitarianismâ means either and it remains a useful word. In context you can tell I mean someone whose attitude, methods and incentives allow them to avoid the biases I listed and others.
If I want to know what âutilitarianismâ means, including any disagreements among scholars about the meaning of the term (I have a philosophy degree, I have studied ethics, and I donât have the impression there are meaningful disagreements among philosophers on the definition of âutilitarianismâ), I can find this information in many places, such as:
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Encyclopedia Britannica
Wikipedia
The book Utilitarianism: A Very Short Introduction co-authored by Peter Singer and published by Oxford University Press
A textbook like Normative Ethics or an anthology like Ethical Theory
Philosophy journals
An academic philosophy podcast like Philosophy Bites
Academic lectures on YouTube and Crash Course (a high-quality educational resource)
So, itâs easy for me to find out what âutilitarianismâ means. There is no shortage of information about that.
Where do I go to find out what âtruth-seekingâ means? Even if some people disagree on the definition, can I go somewhere and read about, say, the top 3 most popular definitions of the term and why people prefer one definition over the other?
It seems like an important word. I notice people keep using it. So, what does it mean? Where has it been defined? Is there a source you can cite that attempts to define it?
I have tried to find a definition for âtruth-seekingâ before, more than once. Iâve asked what the definition is before, more than once. I donât know if there is a definition. I donât know if the term means anything definite and specific. I imagine it probably doesnât have a clear definition or meaning, and that different people who say âtruth-seekingâ mean different things when they say it â and so people are largely talking past each other when they use this term.
Incidentally, I think what I just said about âtruth-seekingâ probably also largely applies to âepistemicsâ. I suspect âepistemicsâ probably either means epistemic practices or epistemology, but itâs not clear, and there is evidently some confusion on its intended meaning. Looking at the actual use of âepistemicsâ, Iâm not sure different people mean the same thing by it.