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A chair and its parts: the material and the object

Saw a wooden plank into four legs, a seat, and a backrest, and you have a pile of lumber; glue them together, and you have a chair. Something changes when those pieces are assembled, raising a classic philosophical puzzle about material constitution: is an object identical to the matter it is made of, or is it defined by its arrangement and function?

3–7 min

Questions you could explore

  • Is a broken chair still a chair?
  • How much could you replace before it became a different object?

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Ethics and philosophy

Deduction and induction make different kinds of claim

Deduction asks what must follow from stated premises, while induction uses observations to suggest what may happen next. A valid deduction still needs true premises for a true conclusion; further observations can overturn an inductive generalization.

3–5 min

Deduction and induction make different kinds of claim

Ethics and philosophy3–5 minDeduction asks what must follow from stated premises, while induction uses observations to suggest what may happen next. A valid deduction still needs true premises for a true conclusion; further observations can overturn an inductive generalization.

Ethics and philosophy

Why does the trolley problem change when you change how someone is saved?

A runaway trolley threatens five people. Redirecting it onto a track with one person and pushing someone into its path can produce different moral reactions, even when the numbers match. Explore how intention, duties, and using a person as a means influence the judgment.

3–7 min

Why does the trolley problem change when you change how someone is saved?

Ethics and philosophy3–7 minA runaway trolley threatens five people. Redirecting it onto a track with one person and pushing someone into its path can produce different moral reactions, even when the numbers match. Explore how intention, duties, and using a person as a means influence the judgment.

Ethics and philosophy

Is the red you see the same red that I see?

We can agree that a tomato is red and choose the same matching paint. Does that agreement show that red feels the same to each of us? The puzzle separates what we can compare publicly from what another person’s experience is like.

4–6 min

Is the red you see the same red that I see?

Ethics and philosophy4–6 minWe can agree that a tomato is red and choose the same matching paint. Does that agreement show that red feels the same to each of us? The puzzle separates what we can compare publicly from what another person’s experience is like.

A chair and its parts: the material and the object | Speech Topic | speaking.app