Our panel of 91 professional philosophers has responded to

208
 questions about 
Science
88
 questions about 
Physics
54
 questions about 
Medicine
34
 questions about 
Music
5
 questions about 
Euthanasia
77
 questions about 
Emotion
170
 questions about 
Freedom
32
 questions about 
Sport
43
 questions about 
Color
124
 questions about 
Profession
24
 questions about 
Suicide
282
 questions about 
Knowledge
154
 questions about 
Sex
221
 questions about 
Value
39
 questions about 
Race
287
 questions about 
Language
75
 questions about 
Perception
117
 questions about 
Children
31
 questions about 
Space
36
 questions about 
Literature
374
 questions about 
Logic
110
 questions about 
Biology
1280
 questions about 
Ethics
110
 questions about 
Animals
69
 questions about 
Business
70
 questions about 
Truth
27
 questions about 
Gender
392
 questions about 
Religion
67
 questions about 
Feminism
574
 questions about 
Philosophy
218
 questions about 
Education
2
 questions about 
Action
284
 questions about 
Mind
2
 questions about 
Culture
105
 questions about 
Art
4
 questions about 
Economics
68
 questions about 
Happiness
23
 questions about 
History
51
 questions about 
War
96
 questions about 
Time
134
 questions about 
Love
81
 questions about 
Identity
89
 questions about 
Law
58
 questions about 
Abortion
75
 questions about 
Beauty
80
 questions about 
Death
151
 questions about 
Existence
244
 questions about 
Justice
58
 questions about 
Punishment

Question of the Day

If I really believed that you really believed that these are the only two alternatives, then I'd probably believe that you're stupid. But I don't believe any such thing. I'd be willing to bet a tidy sum that if someone else asked you the very same question, you wouldn't have any trouble pointing out a whole bunch of alternatives that they're overlooking.

Since I don't know anything about your circumstances, I wouldn't presume to guess which alternative best fits your circumstances. But I do think the idea that there's a "real place" for each of us is something to be suspicious of, and I'm also pretty skeptical that even self-aware people are always reliable about what they're capable of.

Of course, if you've already grasped the second horn of your dilemma (false dilemma though it is), my reaction won't count. In spite of this, I'd suggest that one kind of reaction it's often wise to ignore is the one that tries to shame you into not trying things. The approval of people who react like that isn't worth having anyway.