Philosophical Foundations

Philosophy can help us broaden our perspectives and think more critically about our actions and societies. Don’t expect it to give you the certainty that being a truly believing Mormon did. Philosophy is about asking big questions and interrogating your worldview, not necessarily finding answers. Philosophy is not out to comfort you, though it might at times.

Here are posts on a few topics that may be helpful to you.

• “Where Does Morality Come From?” This post provides an overview of moral psychology, especially Jonathan Haidt’s moral intuitionism. Read this if you want to know where morality comes from if there’s no God.
• My free will series
  • “Part 1: Should You Deconstruct Free Will?“
  • “Part 2: Contextualizing Agency in Mormonism“
  • “Part 3: Fatalism in a World Without Magic“
  • “Part 4: Moral Responsibility and Criminal Justice“
  • “Part 5: Self-Improvement and Mental Health“

For more general, introductory information about philosophy, here is my “Philosophical Foundations” YouTube playlist:

• “The Problem of Evil,” by Crash Course Philosophy (10-minute YouTube video)
• “Mother Forkin’ Morals with Dr. Todd May – Part 1 – Existentialism,” by The Good Place (>5-minute video about existentialism, finding purpose in life, etc., with a philosophy professor and clips from the TV show The Good Place.)
• “Existentialism,” by Crash Course Philosophy (<10-minute video about existentialism)
• “Moral Luck,” by Crash Course Philosophy (<10-minute video about morality and responsibility)
• “What Is Justice?” by Crash Course Philosophy (10-minute YouTube video)

For more resources about ethics and philosophy, check out the Ethics and Philosophy Deep Dives page.