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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

Humanity Amid Innovation: Exploring Our Relationship To Technology, Sarah Durkee May 2024

Humanity Amid Innovation: Exploring Our Relationship To Technology, Sarah Durkee

Senior Theses and Projects

This thesis examines the impacts of technology on fundamental aspects of human nature and experience. Drawing on the works from Kant, Turing, Arendt, Benjamin, and Freud, it explores how rapid technological change is redefining human reason, intelligence, and creativity in the digital age. The first chapter analyzes whether modern online communication platforms realize or undermine Kant's vision of an enlightened public sphere fostering free discourse and critique. It argues that prioritizing engagement over substantive debate, these digital realms corrode the depth of interaction essential for cultivating human reason. The second chapter explores the pursuit of artificial intelligence as a reproduction …


Reading Kierkegaard In Terms Of Faith, Christopher Chiasera May 2024

Reading Kierkegaard In Terms Of Faith, Christopher Chiasera

Senior Theses and Projects

Søren Kierkegaard's unique conceptualization of faith has historically been most valued for its interpretive potential in clarifying the relationship between Kierkegaardian philosophy and ethics. In this thesis, I argue that such a narrow, strictly ethical focus on the implications of Kierkegaardian faith has occluded the vast hermeneutical utility of this concept. By appropriating the movement of faith as a tool for reconsidering certain key themes in Kierkegaard's authorship, I posit a deep homology between the proper Christian orientation towards faith on the one hand and Christ, selfhood, and divine forgiveness on the other. Incidentally, moreover, I suggest that this study's …


Legacies Of Freedom: Tracing Theories Of Freedom Into The Contemporary Conversation On International Intervention, Sarah Bello Apr 2024

Legacies Of Freedom: Tracing Theories Of Freedom Into The Contemporary Conversation On International Intervention, Sarah Bello

Senior Theses and Projects

This paper presents an exploration into the lineage of freedom, investigating the historic structures configured in an attempt to distribute freedom in an equalizing fashion. This text will outline the intricate relationship between freedoms and liberties, by surveying the prominent political philosophies, and forms of governance within their respective temporalities. By taking up the ideas of enlightenment thinkers such as Kant, decolonial voices like Fanon, and comparing them to the current neo-liberal framework we find ourselves in, we are faced with the incompatible realities of liberalism and capitalism. This text will consequently call for a revolution of our current structures …


A Case For Abolition: Analyzing The Death Penalty In The United States, Abigail E. Nick Apr 2024

A Case For Abolition: Analyzing The Death Penalty In The United States, Abigail E. Nick

Senior Theses and Projects

This thesis delves into the multifaceted debate surrounding the death penalty in the United States, exploring its constitutionality, morality, and implications for the justice system. Drawing from legal, philosophical, and empirical analyses, it argues against the continued practice of capital punishment, contending that it violates fundamental human rights, inhibits rehabilitation efforts, and fails to align with evolving societal norms. The discussion navigates through historical contexts, international perspectives, and philosophical theories of punishment, examining the right to life, methods of punishment, and evolving standards of decency. It underscores the tension between retributive justice and the protection of human rights, highlighting the …