Zain's Guide to Overthinking Everything

Notes on the Basics of Hume     David Hume (1711-1776) was an influential figure in the Scottish Enlightenment who challenged traditional and rationalist notions of knowledge, causality, and ethics. Empiricists like Hume say that sensory experience is the only source of knowledge. Unlike rationalists who believe in innate ideas or truths accessible through reason alone, Hume argues that our ideas are derived from impressions, which are the immediate data of sensation or reflection. There are two categories of human knowledge for Hume, matters of fact and relations of ideas. Relations of ideas can be known prior to experience such as mathematical principles like the Pythagorean theorem. Matters of facts, on the other hand, are only known through experience or a posteriori. Furthermore, both of these types of knowledge are derived from either sensation or reflection. Therefore, Hume’s revolutionary move was to say that all of our ideas are derived from these impressions. If you ...

Rethinking Postmodernism Postmodernism is characterized by a rejection of objective values, skepticism towards the idea of truth, and a distrust of grand narratives. Postmodernists argue that power is unevenly distributed in society which is embedded in our culture, politics, and society as whole. This power structure shapes people’s identities and worldviews. They question authority claims and attempt to expose ways in which power is used to oppress marginalized groups and make the powerful more powerful. However, their critiques are filled with obscure philosophy that alienates the marginalized groups they attempt to rescue through their radical stances. With such radical ideas one may question their sincerity. Are they motivated by their will to power, material reward, or the benefit of society? Each postmodernist has created a unique language, forming unconsciously cult-like communities where members could mimic presenting academic findings without truly understanding each other. M...