Metaphysics Archives - PLATO Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization Fri, 27 Feb 2026 17:14:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://plato-philosophy.org/wp-content/uploads/cropped-plato-new-logo-sq-32x32.png Metaphysics Archives - PLATO 32 32 I Am Henry Finch https://plato-philosophy.org/questionslibrary/i-am-henry-finch/ Fri, 27 Feb 2026 17:14:03 +0000 https://www.plato-philosophy.org/?post_type=questionslibrary&p=26554 Ethics Epistemology Metaphysics

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  • What is courage?
  • Is it wrong to eat other living creatures?
  • What do we owe to our communities?
  • How do we balance the importance of individual choice and the need to conform to community norms?
  • What does it mean to belong?

Epistemology

  • How do we gain knowledge?
  • What do we need in order to think for ourselves?
  • Is there a connection between solitude and independent thinking?
  • What can we know about the world?

Metaphysics

  • What is the relationship between identity and thought?
  • What is the purpose of existence?
  • What does it mean to be authentic?
  • How do we define freedom?

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]]> They All Saw A Cat https://plato-philosophy.org/questionslibrary/they-all-saw-a-cat/ Thu, 19 Feb 2026 21:47:11 +0000 https://www.plato-philosophy.org/?post_type=questionslibrary&p=26505 The post They All Saw A Cat appeared first on PLATO.

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  • If every creature sees the cat differently, is there anything that is objectively true of the cat?
  • What is a cat?
  • Is the way the cat sees themself more authoritative than how they are perceived by others?
  • Is it possible to see the world as others do?
  • Can we really know how others perceive us?
  • Does how we feel about someone influence how we see them?
  • Is there one right way to perceive someone or something?

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]]> We Are in a Book! https://plato-philosophy.org/questionslibrary/we-are-in-a-book/ Tue, 13 Jan 2026 17:35:52 +0000 https://www.plato-philosophy.org/?post_type=questionslibrary&p=26240 Epistemology Death Mind and Body Appearance and Reality

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  • Could we be characters in a book or videogame?
  • How can we know that we are or are not book or videogame characters?
  • Would it be possible to be book or videogame characters and experience consciousness?
  • Could we be in a dream?
  • If life were a dream, would that matter? What would be different from the way life feels to us now?

Death

  • Why does life end and people die?
  • If you could live your life over again, would you? If so, how many times?
  • Would you choose to live forever if you could?
  • What does death mean for how we live our lives?
  • What do you think happens when people die?
  • Could we continue to exist in some form after death?

Mind and Body

  • Are we our bodies, our minds, or our brains?
  • What is the difference, if any, between the brain and the mind?
  • Do our bodies control our minds, or do our minds control our bodies?
  • Could our minds exist without our bodies?

Appearance and Reality

  • Do we experience the real world or just our perceptions of it?
  • Are our perceptions an accurate depiction of reality?
  • What is the role of reason in understanding reality?
  • Can we have knowledge of a reality independent of our perceptions?
  • Are appearances illusions or are they a way to access reality?
  • What does reality mean?
  • What does it mean to be real?
  • If we were book characters, would that make us less “real” than we believe ourselves to be now?

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]]> Death Is Stupid https://plato-philosophy.org/questionslibrary/death-is-stupid/ Sun, 16 Nov 2025 19:10:07 +0000 https://www.plato-philosophy.org/?post_type=questionslibrary&p=25800 The post Death Is Stupid appeared first on PLATO.

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  • What happens when we die?
  • Why do we have to die?
  • What does it mean to die?
  • Can you love someone who no longer exists?
  • Does death make life mean more?
  • Why are we afraid of death?
  • Is it okay to be angry at death?

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]]> Infinity and Me https://plato-philosophy.org/questionslibrary/infinity-and-me/ Thu, 13 Jul 2023 21:27:37 +0000 https://www.plato-philosophy.org/?post_type=questionslibrary&p=19883 You might also check out the curriculum for the book created by the author: https://khosford.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Infinity-and-Me-guide.pdf

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  • Is it possible to conceive of infinity?
  • How do you imagine infinity?
  • Is there anything you would like to do forever?
  • Would recess still be recess if it never ended?
  • Is infinity important?
  • Could there be different sizes of infinity? Could there be infinite definitions?
  • Is there more than one definition of infinity? Could there be infinite definitions?
  • Why do some experiences feel one way when alone and differently when shared with another person?

    • You might also check out the curriculum for the book created by the author: https://khosford.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Infinity-and-Me-guide.pdf

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    ]]>         The Year We Learned to Fly https://plato-philosophy.org/questionslibrary/year-we-learned-to-fly/ Tue, 18 Oct 2022 13:59:40 +0000 https://www.plato-philosophy.org/?post_type=questionslibrary&p=18368 What does it mean to fly? What is the relationship between our thoughts and our actions? What is the role of imagination in facing difficulties and envisioning change? What is the nature of time? What relationships do we have to our ancestors and to future generations? How are values adopted across generations? Read Aloud by ... The Year We Learned to Fly

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  • What does it mean to fly?
  • What is the relationship between our thoughts and our actions?
  • What is the role of imagination in facing difficulties and envisioning change?
  • What is the nature of time?
  • What relationships do we have to our ancestors and to future generations?
  • How are values adopted across generations?

    • Read Aloud by Jacqueline Woodson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDs5d_qFbEs

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    ]]>         I Am the Dog https://plato-philosophy.org/questionslibrary/i-am-the-dog/ Thu, 10 Feb 2022 19:22:03 +0000 https://development.plato-philosophy.org/?post_type=questionslibrary&p=14877 What are the benefits and downsides to being a human? What are the benefits and downsides to being a dog? Max and Jacob decide that being a dog is better than being a human. Does that seem right to you? Are all dogs’ lives the same? Are all humans’ lives the same? If you could ... I Am the Dog

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  • What are the benefits and downsides to being a human?
  • What are the benefits and downsides to being a dog?
  • Max and Jacob decide that being a dog is better than being a human. Does that seem right to you?
  • Are all dogs’ lives the same? Are all humans’ lives the same?
  • If you could live someone else’s life for a day, whose would you pick? Why?

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    ]]>         Worm Loves Worm https://plato-philosophy.org/questionslibrary/worm-loves-worm/ Fri, 21 Jun 2019 02:27:15 +0000 https://www.philosophyforchildren.org/?post_type=questionslibrary&p=3291 Draw what you imagine you might wear on your wedding day. Why did you draw what you did? Are you a girl? A boy? Neither? How do you know? Can you be both the bride and the groom in a wedding? How about neither? Why? What is love? How do you know you love someone? ... Worm Loves Worm

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  • Draw what you imagine you might wear on your wedding day. Why did you draw what you did?
  • Are you a girl? A boy? Neither? How do you know?
  • Can you be both the bride and the groom in a wedding? How about neither? Why?
  • What is love? How do you know you love someone? How do you know someone else loves you?
  • Could Worm and Worm still have a wedding without all the things Cricket, Beetle, and the Bees say they need?
  • How much does tradition or “how it’s always been done” matter?

    • Contributed by Nic Jones

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    ]]>         Little Match Girl https://plato-philosophy.org/questionslibrary/the-little-match-girl/ Wed, 25 Apr 2018 21:22:00 +0000 https://depts.washington.edu/nwcenter/?post_type=questionslibrary&p=2996 What makes someone poor? Why is the little girl so poor? Is it the girl’s responsibility to provide money for her family? Whose responsibility is it? Did the little girl choose to dream about the large iron stove? Do we choose what we dream about? Is she dreaming of the stove and dinner or is ... Little Match Girl

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  • What makes someone poor? Why is the little girl so poor?
  • Is it the girl’s responsibility to provide money for her family? Whose responsibility is it?
  • Did the little girl choose to dream about the large iron stove? Do we choose what we dream about?
  • Is she dreaming of the stove and dinner or is she imagining? Are dreaming and imagining different?
  • The little girl says someone is dying because the star is falling. Do we know when someone is dying?
  • Why do you think her grandmother was the only person who had been good to her?
  • If the images kept disappearing, why did the little girl keep striking the matches?
  • Why didn’t anyone help her? Should someone have helped her?
  • Is someone responsible for the little girl’s death? If so, who?

    • Contributed by Natalie Janson

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    ]]>         Adventures of Beekle The Unimaginary Friend https://plato-philosophy.org/questionslibrary/adventures-beekle-unimaginary-friend/ Fri, 08 Sep 2017 18:11:29 +0000 https://depts.washington.edu/nwcenter/?post_type=questionslibrary&p=2708 Is an imaginary friend real? What is good about an imaginary friend? Are imaginary friends better than real world friends? What is the difference between a real friend and an imaginary friend? Can a real person be an imaginary friend (i.e., could someone who is real but who you don’t actually know be your imaginary ... Adventures of Beekle The Unimaginary Friend

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  • Is an imaginary friend real?
  • What is good about an imaginary friend?
  • Are imaginary friends better than real world friends?
  • What is the difference between a real friend and an imaginary friend?
  • Can a real person be an imaginary friend (i.e., could someone who is real but who you don’t actually know be your imaginary friend)?
  • Do imaginary friends do whatever we want them to do or do they have minds of their own?
  • Can adults have imaginary friends or just children?
  • Beekle travels to the real world. If he wasn’t in the real world to begin with, where was he? Do imaginary places really exist?
  • Is the interaction between Beekle and Alice real or imagined?

    • Suggested Activity (recommended for grades K-3):

    1. Read the story
    2. While the kids are all together on the carpet, ask them to think about what their imaginary friend would be like.
    3. Do a quick turn and talk so the kids can share their ideas
    4. Send the kids back to their desks to draw an imaginary friend and think about
    5. What their imaginary friend would look like (that’s the drawing part)
    6. What their imaginary friend is like (what characteristics, traits, or ways of being)
    7. Whether they think their imaginary friend is better than an actual friend and why.

    Recommendation: To do multiple sessions on imagination and imaginary friends, pair Beekle with We Forgot Brock.

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