Philosophy for CAT RC, in 10 essays

Philosophy passages in CAT and GMAT rarely ask you to know a philosopher. They ask you to follow a chain of argument, spot the hidden assumption and tell a claim from its justification. These essays train exactly that, from knowledge and ethics to mind, language and the good life.

Read them in order: they go from easiest to hardest. Answer the questions under each before moving on.

1. 1Abraham Wald and the Missing Bullet HolesThe statistician Abraham Wald is credited with telling the military to armour the parts of its bombers that showed no bullet holes. The advice sounds backwards until a reader asks which planes were never seen.Medium · 1 min
2. 2The Eight Years Darwin Spent on BarnaclesA man holding the idea of the century spent eight years describing barnacles. Whether that was patience, fear or bad luck depends on which motive a historian prefers.Medium · 2 min
3. 3The Cells That Outlived Their Donor and the Rights That Did NotCells taken without consent in 1951 still divide in laboratories around the world. The law has been slower than the cells to say what their source is owed.Medium · 2 min
4. 4Infinite Loops: From Zeno's Paradox to Modern Sci-FiAn exploration of infinite loops from Zeno's paradox to modern science fiction, arguing that repetition is not a trap but a structure.Medium · 3 min
5. 5The Child Is The Father Of ManA lyrical exploration of how childhood quietly architects adulthood, arguing that our earliest habits of thought and feeling do not fade but govern who we become, even when we believe we have outgrown them.Medium · 3 min
6. 6The Measured Face and the Unmeasured SoulBeauty feels instinctive yet follows patterns of symmetry and proportion shaped by biology and culture. Its deepest impact lies beyond what numbers can capture.Medium · 3 min
7. 7What Kevin Carter Really CapturedA haunting reflection on Kevin Carter’s photograph, moral distance and the unsettling transformation of human suffering into spectacle.Medium · 3 min
8. 8The World's Most Famous TeapotDiscover how Bertrand Russell's famous celestial teapot transformed our understanding of evidence, belief and the burden of proof.Medium · 3 min
9. 9The Age of MirrorsHow mirrors evolved from mystical objects into digital prisons of identity, vanity, validation, and algorithmic self-surveillance.Medium · 5 min
10. 10Why Krishna Is the Most Philosophically Dangerous Character in Indian LiteratureKrishna lies, cheats and engineers deaths. The Mahabharata calls him the fullest embodiment of dharma. This is not a contradiction. It is the most demanding position in Indian moral philosophy.Medium · 5 min

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