# Philosophical health check **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 13, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790 "2005-11-13T00:20:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/21 "2005-11-13T07:48:25Z")
33%, what do I win, what do I win??? ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/22 "2005-11-13T16:26:31Z")
7% ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/23 "2005-11-14T04:55:25Z")
I scored 7%, but that’s because I calculated the double-negative in the second one (not always right/disagree) wrongly: > [@](#): > > You agreed that: > 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 > And disagreed that: > It is not always right to judge individuals solely on their merits > [@Sattua](#): > > 13% tension, but the two “conflicts” were ridiculous. > > You agreed that: > It is always wrong to take another person’s life > And also that: > The second world war was a just war > > Well yes, the second world war was just a war–wars always involve killing and often involve genocide. So? So that invalidates your answer to the first one - you agree there _are_ circumstances in which it is not wrong to take another person’s life - a just war. I note that they presumably mean the Allied side of WWII was a just war, I assume they’re not asking if Hilter’s invasion of Poland was just. > [@](#): > > You agreed that: > The environment should not be damaged unnecessarily in the pursuit of human ends > But disagreed that: > People should not journey by car if they can walk, cycle or take a train instead > > Blah. This involves person choice vs. community choice. It is confusing the issues. No it’s not. Given that travelling by car unnecessarily, damages the environment unnecessarily (ie more than public transport does), your two answers clash. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/24 "2005-11-14T05:06:12Z")
13%. The art and morality ones were my purported conflicts. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/25 "2005-11-14T05:25:13Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > I note that they presumably mean the Allied side of WWII was a just war, I assume they’re not asking if Hilter’s invasion of Poland was just. Ack, I misread that question! I thought it read “just a” war. Not that it changes my answer much. I had 7%, with my contradiction being “Severe brain damage can rob a person of conciousness and sense of self” and “One continues in a non-physical form after death”. Which got me to thinking–for about five minutes, when I realised that their proposed reconciliation is actually what I believe 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/26 "2005-11-14T14:52:19Z")
20% and I also think that some of the questions were poorly worded–I guess I don’t parse my philosophies the same way they do. I agreed that truth is relative, but then also agreed that the Holocaust is fact–and this is tension? Huh? Truth is relative, but facts are facts. Bah-this is why I hated philosophy in school. It just seems to exist to trip people up and say nyah, nyah–you hold two opposing POV’s…and I say, so what? Has this quiz never heard of negative capability? Feh. Bah. Bosh. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/27 "2005-11-14T17:04:40Z")
7% I am conficted on free will and destiny. Actually I think there is a philisophical conflict here. So I am conflicted because I acknowledge this? Ho hum. ---
**Author:** ![GillianBoardman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc79bd/32.png) [@GillianBoardman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GillianBoardman)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/28 "2005-11-14T18:12:46Z")
> [@uglybeech](#): > > 7%. I got the environment/car idiocy wrong apparently. :rolleyes: > > Interesting test, but invalid on almost every level. Me too. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/29 "2005-11-14T20:31:06Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > I agreed that truth is relative, but then also agreed that the Holocaust is fact–and this is tension? > > Huh? Truth is relative, but facts are facts. It’s tension. If you say “the Holocaust happened”, you’re stating that something is objectively true. But, if truth is relative, then nothing can be objectively true. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/30 "2005-11-14T21:04:38Z")
Ha! Many a truth is found in fiction, fantasy,legend, and myth. But facts are facts. The Holocaust happened. To those who think it didn’t, I point to a concept called denial. Or do such concepts have no place in philosophy? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/31 "2005-11-14T21:21:52Z")
“The Holocaust happened.” Is that statement: 1. Objectively true? 2. Objectively false? 3. Neither objectively true or false, or its truth value can not be determined? If you say 1 (or if you’re a holocaust denier, and say 2), you’re saying that there is at least one objective truth in this world…that the holocaust happened (or, if you’re a denier, that it didn’t happen). If you’re saying “truth is relative”, you’re saying that that there are no statements you can make that are “objectively true” or “objectively false”…you’re saying that a statement can only be true or false as far as you’re concerned, or like Jack Handy said in his “Deep Thoughts” > [@](#): > > Instead of having “answers” on a math test, they should just call them “impressions,” and if you got a different “impression,” so what, can’t we all be brothers? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/32 "2005-11-14T21:35:07Z")
Tension Quotient = 27% Test was bullshit. Too many questions need a neither agree nor disagree answer. Excuse my language. Jim ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/33 "2005-11-14T21:44:36Z")
I’m saying truth is not always the same as fact. This is elemental. All the philosophy sections in college did was make me want to drink heavily (love the Python song about philosophers, BTW)–so, am off to quaff a cold one and mumble to meself. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/34 "2005-11-14T22:00:54Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > I’m saying truth is not always the same as fact. This is elemental. Right. Truth is a value a fact statement has. “I had chicken for lunch today”=true. “I had beef for lunch today”=not true I guess the question I have for you would be, how do you define “truth” and how do you define “fact”? ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/35 "2005-11-14T22:06:54Z")
How about I buy you a drink instead? \ ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/36 "2005-11-14T22:17:16Z")
I got 20%. One was a real conflict (“Is morality relative?”), one was due to trying too hard to give the ‘right’ answer and inadvertently giving the wrong one (“What is faith?”) and the third was the test making stretched assumptions about my motivation for an answer. (“How do we judge art?”) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/37 "2005-11-14T22:22:03Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > \ Fine with me, even though I don’t know what mindF means. You’re the one who brought it up, after all. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/38 "2005-11-14T22:23:18Z")
I got 0%, I’m not really surprised. I think it’s a good test, but could be worded a little better. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/39 "2005-11-14T22:24:27Z")
33% I didn’t like the statement, “Homosexuality is wrong because it is unnatural.” Many people believe it is wrong, but not because of it being unnatural. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790/40 "2005-11-14T22:25:10Z")
Don’t want to swear in MPSIMS…F stands for eff uu…you get the drift. sorry about not discussing this–I’m too lazy tonoc to do much stringent logical thinking. Now, what can I get you? I have pop, water, vodka, beer and wine. Or would you like a nice cup of tea? 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophical-health-check/330790.md?page=3)