Category Archives: Philosophy

Philosophy

Buridan’s ass

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Buridan’s donkey (or Buridan’s ass) is a philosophical thought experiment about a hypothetical donkey that is equally hungry and thirsty, placed exactly halfway between a pile of hay and a pail of water. Because the animal cannot rationally choose between the two equally good options, it starves and dies of thirst. Wikipedia

The dilemma illustrates the paralyzing effects of indecision and is used to critique theories of free will and moral determinism. If a purely rational agent requires a concrete, logical reason to make a choice, and all options are perfectly balanced, the agent is left paralyzed. Wikipedia +2

The Origins

Named after the 14th-century French philosopher Jean Buridan, the paradox was actually created by his critics to satirize his views on moral determinism. Buridan argued that a person faced with two equal choices should suspend judgment until circumstances change, as the will cannot break the deadlock

His critics pushed this idea to its extreme—arguing that, under this logic, a creature faced with identical choices would inevitably starve. Wikipedia +2

The roots of the concept go even further back:

  • Aristotle: Proposed an early version involving a man who is equally hungry and thirsty and stuck between food and drink.
  • Al-Ghazali: A 12th-century Persian philosopher used a similar story involving a man caught between two identical dates. Wikipedia +2

In Modern Context

Today, the concept is frequently applied to psychology, behavioral economics, and daily life to describe the phenomenon of “analysis paralysis.” When faced with too many equally attractive options (like identical breakfast cereals at the grocery store or multiple great job offers), people often become so overwhelmed trying to determine the absolute optimal choice that they make no decision at all. YouTube·In Search of Self +1

For a deeper dive into how this logical paradox translates to modern decision-making struggles and how it can be used to understand human psychology:

Philosophy

Hermeticism and the Philosophy of Hope with Mervat Nasser

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New Thinking Allowed with Jeffrey Mishlove Jun 29, 2026 Philosophy Mervat Nasser, MD, MPhil, FRCPsych, is a graduate of Cairo Medical School and fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, London. She holds a Master’s degree in Philosophy and a doctorate in psychiatry from London University. She took an early retirement from her job as a consultant psychiatrist and senior lecturer at King’s College London in 2007 and returned to Egypt to pursue her dream of establishing the project of New Hermopolis. She is author of The Path to the New Hermopolis: The History, Philosophy, and Future of the City of Hermes. Her website is https://www.newhermopolis.org/ Here she points to the Egyptian Blue Lotus as a metaphor embodying the philosophy of hope. It is a beautiful flower that grows out of stagnant and muddy water. She notes that some of the most hopeful philosophers, psychotherapists, and poets emerged from the first half of the twentieth century, which was one of the darkest periods in human history. She expresses her appreciation for the work of Ernst Bloch, Walter Benjamin, Victor Frankl, Rainer Maria Rilke, Gene Gebser, Rudolf Steiner, and others. She explains how their work relates to ancient Hermetic philosophy and how it impacts her work with the community of New Hermopolis. New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in “parapsychology” ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He is also the Grand Prize winner of the 2021 Bigelow Institute essay competition regarding the best evidence for survival of human consciousness after permanent bodily death. He is Co-Director of Parapsychology Education at the California Institute for Human Science. (Recorded on January 4, 2021)

Philosophy

Plato’s Warning Against Friends-with-Benefits | Democracy is Anarchy

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Johnathan Bi

Feb 8, 2025An Interview with Berkeley’s GRF Ferrari Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: johnathanbi.com Transcript: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcr… If you want a chance to attend my lectures and be kept up to date on all my content subscribe to my newsletter: greatbooks.io Companion lectures and interviews: