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Philosophical Shadow Journal

January 5, 2025Filed in:Thought Experiments

Announcing the Philosophy Publics chat discussion questions for the month of January.

Hi Frens,

We have been having a lot of fun with the philosophy discussion questions in the subscriber Chat. I thought it would be useful to normalize this practice. I am going to post these questions, one by one, on Sundays in January. That way you will have all week to think, use them as warm-up writing prompts (as I do), and respond in chat if so moved.

In case you haven’t heard the term before, a “shadow journal” is a reflective tool used to record and explore one's inner thoughts, beliefs, and experiences, often revealing underlying patterns and insights that influence what and how you think. I have created a philosophical shadow journal and would love your help to make it even more awesome. Let me know if this interests you! I’ll send the first 10 people to message me a free copy in exchange for your feedback!

All My Best,

Mona Mona


PHILOSOPHY SHADOW JOURNAL QUESTIONS FOR JANUARY

January 5 (Epistemology)

If you could definitively know the answer to one unsolved mystery or unanswered question, what would you choose to know? Would knowing this answer change your life, the life of others, and your shared understanding of the world? How so?

January 12 (Aesthetics)

You are an artist charged with designing a sensory experience that evokes a particular emotion or idea, such as tranquility, nostalgia, joy, wonder, melancholy, confidence, mystery, courage, etc. What would your immersive experience be like? What elements would you include and how would they work together to create the desired effect?

January 19 (Metaphysics and Ethics)

If you could relive one day of your life fully aware of its importance, which day would you choose and why? How might understanding its significance in advance change your actions or feelings during that day, even though nothing you do will change the actual happenings of the day?

January 26 (Logic/Critical Thought and Politics)

Imagine a world where language is perfectly precise and unambiguous, with no room for interpretation or metaphor. Would this be desirable? Second, would this eliminate or increase conflict? What new challenges might arise for communication and creative expression in such a world?

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