Philosophy Atlas
Things this atlas does not know. Each entry is a question that specialists
have posed and not settled, recorded with what would actually resolve it and which
expertise the answer needs.
These are kept deliberately, rather than quietly omitted. An atlas that shows
only what it is sure of implies a confidence it has not earned, and the gaps are often where
the interesting work is. Several sit exactly where two fields fail to meet: identifying the
hyssop of the Hebrew Bible needs a botanist and a philologist of Biblical Hebrew, and neither
one settles it alone.
Grouped by the kind of thing the question is about, so you can go straight to the entity type you work on.
Showing 21 to 23 of 23 open questions, page 2 of 2.
Philosophers 3
Leucippus
Did Leucippus exist as a historical individual distinct from Democritus?
Open Leucippus
Why It Is Open Ancient sources (Aristotle, Theophrastus) name Leucippus as the founder of atomism and Democritus's teacher, but almost nothing of his life survives independently of Democritus's much larger body of testimony, and some scholars, ancient and modern, have questioned whether he existed as a distinct person at all rather than being a name later attached to Democritus's own ideas.
What Would Settle It A securely dated, independently attested fragment or testimony naming Leucippus that cannot be explained as a later back-formation from Democritus's teaching would settle his existence as a distinct historical figure; no such text is agreed to exist.
Expertise Needed Classical philology / history of philosophy
Question posed in
Leucippus (Wikipedia), Body, third paragraph, first two sentences.
Concepts 2
The Categorical Imperative
Are Kant's Several Formulas of the Categorical Imperative Truly Equivalent?
Open The Categorical Imperative
Why It Is Open Kant claimed that his different formulas of the categorical imperative, including the Formula of Universal Law and the Formula of Humanity, were all equivalent, but never explained in what sense. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy's Kant's Moral Philosophy entry surveys competing readings of that equivalence claim, meaning equivalent, logically interderivable, or equivalent only in the duties each formula generates, without settling on one.
What Would Settle It A textual argument accepted across Kant scholarship showing precisely how one formula yields the others, or a demonstration that Kant's equivalence claim fails in every proposed sense, would resolve which reading is correct.
Expertise Needed Kant scholarship (moral philosophy)
Question posed in
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Kant's Moral Philosophy, section 9 The Unity of the Formulas.
The Problem of Induction
Has Any Proposed Solution to the Problem of Induction Succeeded?
Open The Problem of Induction
Why It Is Open Since Hume posed the problem, philosophers including Popper and Strawson have proposed various responses, from denying induction needs justifying to redefining what a justification could look like. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy notes that a significant number of philosophers have instead embraced Hume's own conclusion that the problem is insoluble, rather than accepting any proposed way out.
What Would Settle It A proposed solution gaining broad acceptance among philosophers of science and epistemologists, rather than remaining one live option among several, would resolve the question.
Expertise Needed epistemology and philosophy of science
Question posed in
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, The Problem of Induction, introduction.