19. ON THE NEED FOR A SECOND REFERENDUM - Why I Joined The People’s March

October 19, 2019 by DaN McKee in Ethics, Philosophy, Philosophy Unleashed, Politics

“The reason we see lifetime terms as undemocratic is because it is built into the fabric of a democracy that one vote is not enough. The mood of the nation is checked every four or five years for them to reconfirm their last electoral decision, or change their minds about the direction they want their country to go in. There seems no good reason to me why that same principle does not apply for something as significant as Brexit.”

16. THE CHINESE ROOM THEORY OF LEARNING - Can We Avoid An Educational Imitation Game?

September 30, 2019 by DaN McKee in Epistemology, Meaning, Philosophy, Philosophy Unleashed, School, Work, Education, Qualia, Mind

“I think of the Chinese Room often as a teacher, especially around exam season, and wonder how much our obsession with testing has led to a Chinese Room approach to learning?”

12. ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A "TRAITOR" - A Student Struggles With Forced Obligation To A Country

September 02, 2019 by DaN McKee in Identity, Immigration, Obligation, Philosophy, Philosophy Unleashed, Politics, Pop Culture, Student Writing

“I didn’t actually have a choice as to whether I wanted to accept these benefits or not. Some of these benefits, such as free healthcare, I agreed to as a baby before I had even developed long-term memory because if didn’t, I literally would’ve died. So I only really “chose” the United Kingdom in the same way someone with a gun pointed at them “chooses” to hand over their wallet. In other words, it isn’t really a choice. And if I didn’t choose to obey these rules, who can really call me a traitor?”

11. MONARCHY IN THE UK - Is This What Democracy Looks Like?

July 18, 2019 by DaN McKee in Philosophy Unleashed, Philosophy, Politics

“Either the monarch is sovereign or the people are. It cannot be both.”

10. IN DEFENCE OF WASTE - On the Essential Inessential

July 15, 2019 by DaN McKee in Philosophy Unleashed, School, Time, Work, Philosophy

“It is now my belief that the inessential, the waste, may be the most important thing in life for ensuring our true wellbeing. Furthermore, it may also ultimately have a knock-on effect of improving the productivity and efficacy of the essential.”