Heidegger’s theory of existence is centred around the unique relationship we have with the world and other human beings. Heidegger argues that as humans, we are responsible for creating our own meaning through existence. In doing so we are able to live an authentic life. The alternative to this is a life in which we do not realise the endless possibilities bestowed upon us, and instead we become just another member of the mass, or ‘das Man’.

Welcome to the fourth issue of the University of Queensland’s student philosophy magazine, Exordium. It is with great pleasure that…

Hume’s problem of induction concerns the justification of inductive inferences which is to make predictions based on events. If I infer that some event B will follow from event A by causal necessity, I must suppose the future will resemble the past, which is to suppose that the laws of nature will not change. However, the only way I could justify a belief that the laws of nature will stay regular is by appealing to induction which is the very thing in question.

Using the arguments: relief from suffering, appeal to consistency (specifically between passive and active voluntary euthanasia), and an argument for patient autonomy, it will be suggested that laws in Queensland regarding active voluntary euthanasia be brought to the same standards as passive voluntary euthanasia.

After unearthing an ancient artefact buried deep below their subterranean facility, two scientists become obsessed by what had always been an ordinary door. When one of the men submits to its siren-song, and isn’t seen again, his colleague follows. What he finds beyond the door not only reveals the truth behind humanity’s hidden past, but also its ominous future.

The culture industry is the commercialised amalgamation of both the traditional high and low spheres of art. Low art is…

Can suicide be virtuous? In his Ethics, Benedict Spinoza claims that no thing contains within its essence, or contatus, the ability to destroy itself. But what about Graneledone boreopacifica, the deep water octopus who sacrifices her own life for the survival of her young?

Before internet streaming, music consumption was entirely unit-based. However, the rising prevalence of streaming sites is curbing this trend by altering the way in which we interact with our favourite songs and artists. We examine how music streaming has revolutionised the way that we relate to music consumption, and the effect these services have had on both consumers and producers within the music industry.

Monique Wittig‘s project may be described as attempting to universalise a lesbian perspective. But what is a lesbian perspective? And what does it mean to universalise it?

Reality is not the product of universal laws, but of perception.” (Woolley, 1993) Through a close reading of the novel More Than This by Patrick Ness, this paper seeks to analyse how the perception of reality influences the experience of it, that is, not to define what is ‘really real’, but to investigate how ideas about reality impact behaviour, as modelled by the characters.

Dear readers,   Welcome to our third issue and to our brand new website! As always, this issue features some…

This essay begins with a presentation of the mind renovation thought experiment. The essay goes on to present an argument based on constituent identity as a solution to the thought experiment. The essay then introduces and replies to counterarguments to the assertions put forth. The essay finishes with a summation of its argument and a final commentary on the nature of identity.

Fredric Schiller writes about the human subjectivity partially the unison of the sensible and the formal. This
paper explores play as a living form of experience that fully embodies our humanity. Play is shown to come from a cooperative dichotomy between the formal and the sensible. Once explored the idea of play the paper argues against Modernity, contrary to the idea that reason must triumph over sense in order to be moral.

Are tattoos in modern society just an individual act of consumption akin to any other styling or decorative choice? Not only are they artistically significant and important for our relationships with our bodies, they also perform an important role of making the past ever-present, both linking us with our past and forcing us to deal with it.

In Fresh Air – Does Feminism have anything to say about the Environment? Emily McVey draws upon the work of Luce Irigaray to argue that there exists a link between feminism, environmental and air pollution, and the exploitation of nature.

This paper delves into the highly controversial and widely debated issue of when, if ever, forgiveness is possible, and by whom. The paper begins by clarifying the concept of forgiveness as a relinquishment of feelings of revenge and a possible reconciliation of the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim. Then I critically analyse the arguments submitted by Valdimir Jankelevitch against the possibility of forgiving some crimes, and compare this to Jacques Derrida’s paradox of forgiveness, where he states “forgiveness forgives only the unforgivable.” Finally, I submit my own formulation of what it is to forgive, in particular prioritising the moral autonomy of both the perpetrator and the victim.

Critically discusses the relationship between eros and immortality in the Symposium using a modern context with our contemporary fonts of wisdom.

This paper focuses on the appearance of art. Arguing that the term beautiful can only be used with something that has the appearance of nature. Pushing off from Kant’s structures laid out in Analytic of the Beautiful, the paper shows the moves to demonstrate appearances found in art and nature cannot be conceived as representational appearance. Instead art has an appearance of nature fundamentally as it originates from natural beauty.