Ideas

The big questions behind the choices in the walk, explained in plain words: what each side says, an example, and why people still disagree.

Not sure where you stand? Take the walk and see which philosophies your own answers sit closest to.

Act on a fix or let things settle When something goes wrong, is the wise move to work out a fix and act on it, or to stop forcing and let things settle? Pragmatism treats thinking as a way of solving problems. Daoism asks for effortless action that does not force.
Acts or character in ethics Is ethics mostly about which acts are right, or about what kind of person you become? Virtue ethics puts character first. Duty-based and results-based ethics put acts first.
Are there moral facts Are there real facts about right and wrong, or are moral words only feelings, habits and commands? This is a different question from whether morals vary between cultures.
Basic parts or dependence on everything When you break things down, do you reach basic parts that exist in their own right, or does everything, down to the smallest part, depend on other things? Ancient atomists said there are indivisible atoms. The Madhyamaka tradition said nothing exists on its own.
Can anyone know whether there is a God Can people reach a firm answer about whether there is a God, or is the question beyond what anyone can know? Some say reason or experience can show it, agnostics say we cannot tell, and others say faith is the way.
Certainty and doubt Can we be sure of anything, or can almost everything be doubted? Skeptics say we cannot rule out that we are wrong. Their opponents say we do know ordinary things, and philosophers still disagree about where the skeptic goes wrong.
Close people first, or everyone equally Does ethics start with yourself and the people close to you, or with equal care for everyone? Impartial views say everyone's interests count the same. Defenders of partiality say close relationships and personal projects carry special weight.
Does anything divine exist Does anything divine exist at all, such as a god or gods, even one that takes no interest in us, or is there nothing above nature? The answers include a caring God, gods who do not care, a divine universe, and nothing divine at all.
Does meaning need something beyond this world Is everything that matters found inside this world, or does it point to something beyond it? Some say meaning needs God or a life after death. Others say a meaningful life is possible in this world alone.
Does the meaning we make still count If life has no built-in purpose, does the meaning we make for ourselves still count? Some say yes. Nihilists say nothing matters in the end.
Faith and evidence Can faith, or trust in a teaching, show us truths that evidence cannot? Or should we believe only what evidence supports? Evidentialists demand evidence. Others defend faith that goes beyond it.
Free markets or strong limits Should trade and work be left mostly to free markets, or should the state set strong limits and run some things itself? Free-market defenders point to prices and incentives. Critics point to inequality, exploitation and goods that markets supply poorly.
Free will and determinism Free will is the power to choose your own actions. Determinism says that earlier causes and the laws of nature fix everything that happens. The question is whether both can be true.
Is death the end When a person dies, is that the end, or does something go on, such as another life? Some hold that a soul survives or that the body is raised again. Others hold that a person ceases to exist.
Is everything one Is the highest reality one thing and the world another, with you separate from both? Or is everything, including you, one? Monists say reality is one. Pluralists say many things are real. Dualists say two.
Is goodness enough for a good life Can a good person live well even after losing health, friends and money, or does a good life need some luck as well? The Stoics held that goodness is enough. Aristotle held that flourishing also needs good friends and some outside goods.
Is pleasure the highest good Is the best life the one with the most calm pleasure and the least pain, or is there something higher, such as duty, honour or virtue? Hedonists say pleasure is the only thing good in itself. Critics say other things matter too.
Is there a God who cares Is there a God who knows us and cares what we do, or is there no such being? Theists say yes, atheists say no, and agnostics say we cannot tell. The problem of evil is the best-known argument against such a God.
Liberty or equality first When freedom and equality pull apart, which should win? For example, may people keep all they earn, even if others have much less? Libertarians put liberty first. Egalitarians say justice asks for more equal shares.
Meaning given or made Does life have a purpose before you choose anything, or do people make their own meaning, or never find any? Some say a purpose is given from outside. Others say meaning is made by what people care about and choose.
Mind and matter Is everything made of physical stuff, or is the mind something more than the brain and body? Physicalists say everything is physical. Dualists say the mind is a different kind of thing, or has features that physics leaves out.
Moral relativism and universal morality Are some moral rules true for everyone, everywhere, or do right and wrong depend on people, cultures and situations? Relativists say moral judgments are true only relative to a group. Universalists say some hold for everyone.
Permanence and change Do things have a fixed nature that lasts, or is the world better seen as constant change? The ancient Greeks Heraclitus and Parmenides are the classic opposites, and the question is still open.
Reason or experience Where does the most reliable knowledge come from, careful thinking or what we see, hear and test? Rationalists give reason a role of its own. Empiricists say all our ideas begin in experience.
Results or rules in ethics Is an act right because of what it leads to, or are some acts always required or forbidden, whatever happens? The two best-known answers are consequentialism and deontology.
Self-interest and self-sacrifice Is the best life lived for your own happiness, or is it noble to give up some of your own good for others? Egoists say self-interest is the proper aim. Others say real concern for others, even at a cost to yourself, is part of a good life.
Shared decisions or ranked roles Is a good society held together by ranked roles, where each person has a place and a duty, or by shared decisions in which everyone is heard? Democracy gives everyone an equal say. The Confucian tradition stresses roles and the example of those above.
Strong feelings, a mistake or a right response Are strong feelings such as anger and fear a sign of a wrong idea of what matters, or can they be the right response? The Stoics traced such passions to false judgments. Virtue ethics treats feelings as part of good character.
The absurd, a clash that does not close When the world gives no meaning, is that a freedom, so we make our own and move on, or a lasting clash with what we need, to be faced and never solved? Albert Camus called that clash the absurd.
The person or the community first When a person's wishes and the community's needs pull apart, which should come first? Liberal individualists put free individual choice first. Communitarians say that who we are is shaped by the communities we belong to.
The self and personal identity Is there a real, lasting you under your thoughts and feelings, or is the feeling of a fixed self something the mind builds? Philosophers ask what makes you the same person over time.
Tradition or change Should we trust old customs and institutions, or question and change them? Conservatives prefer slow reform and distrust sweeping redesign. Supporters of radical change say deep injustices need deep change.
What has lasted or a planned society Is the better guide to a good society what has lasted for generations, or careful thinking about what a good society needs? Conservatives trust accumulated custom and doubt large plans. Aristotle starts from a picture of the good life and judges real cities by it.
What makes something true Is a belief true because it matches how things really are, or because it fits with our other beliefs or works for us? The main answers are the correspondence, coherence and pragmatic theories.

Looking for a way of thinking instead? See all philosophies.