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The Ethics Of Occupation; A New Way To Consider Israeli Occupation, Michelle Goldberg

Honors Theses

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most complex political issues of our time. It involves two groups of people with a strong claim to a tiny piece of land, both historically and religiously. In the aftermath of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Israel occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Many people claim that the occupation is unethical because the occupier holds restrictions on those who are occupied. This paper does not address the question of who is to blame for the conflict or whether Israel has maintained an ethical occupation; it addresses instead the ethics of occupation of …

The Tragedy Of Punishment: An Insight Into Why Doing Something Good Feels Bad, Trevor Martin

Honors Theses

My motivation for writing on what I have come to call “the tragedy of punishment” is the seemingly paradoxical state of affairs associated with punishment. The first state of affairs is the general understanding that punishment is not just a necessary practice but also a morally good one that serves not only to give criminals their just deserts but also generally benefit society and those in it. The second state of affairs is the realization that, despite the understanding that punishment is painted as a moral good, when thinking about all the harm caused by punishment one cannot help but …

La Vie De Blaise Pascal Et Son Heritage Mathématique Et Philosophique, Katherine Weeks

Honors Theses

This paper will discuss the life of Blaise Pascal, his philosophy and mathematics. We will first study the life of Pascal, by looking at his family, the success of his family, and how he was educated. We will then move onto study the history of the arithmetic triangle, which eventually becomes known as Pascal’s Triangle. Finally we will look at Pascal’s Pensées. Finally we will conclude that Pascal is not only known for Pascal’s Triangle but also his legacy in the Philosophic world. It becomes clear that Pascal would not have been the mathematician he was without the philosophy, and …

A Study Of The Twin Problems Of Psychological And Practical Compatibilism In The Writings Of Augustine Of Hippo, Thomas Dale Holsteen

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Natural Law And Mosaic Law In Philo: His On Rewards And Punishments As A Case Study, Clark Whitney

Honors Theses

Living from around 20 B.C. to A.D. 50, Philo of Alexandria, Egypt contributed to the fields of philosophy and religion. In fact, Philo is one of the most significant contributors to our understanding of Hellenistic Judaism and Middle Platonism.. By extension, our understanding of the New Testament (especially the Pauline epistles) is indebted to Philo, because a plethora of the New Testament writings were composed by Jews into Greek language. According to C.D. Yonge, very little is known about Philo's personal life except that he lived in Alexandria, Egypt and came from a family who was wealthy and prominent among …

Beyond Our Conscience: A Proposal For An Improved Model Of Self-Forgiveness, Kelsey M. Park

Honors Theses

The common saying forgive and forget does not do justice to the deep understanding we can gain of ourselves and of others by pursing genuine forgiveness. Philosophers Charles Griswold and Margaret Holmgren propose two models of forgiveness that differ in terms of how we should view our humanity. Griswold suggests that the foundation of genuine forgiveness is recognizing that we are all fallible human beings while Holmgren suggests that our being human makes us all worthy of respect. Both Griswold and Holmgren focus primarily on cases of interpersonal forgiveness and give significantly less attention to cases of self-forgiveness. The lack …

Intuition And Its Proper Uses, Chris Boss

Honors Theses

What is intuition? Is it nothing but a nagging conviction in certain beliefs? Is it the same thing as common sense? When, if ever, is intuition a legitimate epistemological tool? Is the use of intuition in philosophical inquiry not just legitimate, but also inevitable? The aim of the present research project is to answer these and related questions. This research project will prove important due to the regularity with which intuitions are evoked in philosophical discourse, and the judgment errors that can result from a misunderstanding of the proper scope of these intuitions.

In section (1), I define and explain …