Philosophical Debates

noun a formal meeting for discussion, especially in an academic setting

• The annual academic colloquium on quantum physics was well attended by scholars from around the world.
• I heard there's a colloquium happening next week about climate change, wanna go?
• I can't believe I have to sit through another colloquium on ancient history, it's so boring.
• Attending the colloquium on mindfulness felt like a journey into my own thoughts and emotions.

verb to consider or regard as having little value or importance

• It is unprofessional to hold cheap the efforts of your colleagues.
• Don't hold cheap the hard work your friends put into planning this party.
• Don't hold cheap the skills of that new player on the team.
• She holds cheap the value of friendship, always putting her own needs first.

noun a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is considered to be divine intervention

• The doctors described the patient's recovery as nothing short of a miracle.
• It's a miracle that we found parking right in front of the restaurant.
• I can't believe she aced that test, it's like a total miracle.
• The way she effortlessly juggles work, family, and hobbies is a miracle in itself.

verb to prevent something from happening; to make something impossible

• The strict regulations are precluding any unauthorized access to the sensitive data.
• The rules are precluding us from entering the restricted area.
• The new policy is totally precluding us from having any fun.
• Her fear of failure is precluding her from taking any risks in her career.

adjective relating to or characterized by retribution; serving to repay or punish

• The judge imposed a retributive sentence on the convicted criminal.
• He got what was coming to him with that retributive punishment.
• The retributive justice system really laid down the law on that one.
• Her retributive actions came back to haunt her in the end.

verb to clear someone of blame or suspicion; to show or prove to be right, reasonable, or justified

• The evidence presented in court helped to vindicate the defendant's innocence.
• I knew I was right all along, and the test results vindicated me.
• After all the rumors, the truth finally came out and vindicated him.
• His success in the competition vindicated all the hard work he had put in.

noun Named after Alan Turing, the British mathematician and computer scientist who proposed it in 1950.

• The Turing test is a method of inquiry in artificial intelligence for determining whether or not a computer is capable of thinking like a human.
• I heard they're using the Turing test to see if that new chatbot is actually a person or not.
• Yo, did you hear about that AI that totally aced the Turing test?
• Passing the Turing test in social situations can be challenging for introverts.

noun a person who seeks compromise with an opposing point of view, especially in religion or politics

• Accommodationists believe in finding common ground between science and religion.
• The accommodationists in the group always try to keep the peace between the science enthusiasts and the religious believers.
• Those accommodationists are always trying to play both sides.
• The accommodationists walk a tightrope between two opposing viewpoints.