Arts and Humanities Commons^™

A Thomistic Metaphysics Of Participation Accounts For Embodied Rationality, Andrew Mullins

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

Rationality should not be seen as a ghostly process exclusive of the world of matter, but rather as a transcendent process within matter itself by virtue of a participated power. A Thomistic metaphysics of embodied participation in being effectively answers Robert Pasnau’s objection that the standard hylomorphic account confuses ontological and representational immateriality, and is more satisfying than nonreductive physicalist accounts of rationality, and the Anglo-American hylomorphic accounts reliant on formal causality. When the active intellect is understood as a participated power and not as a formal or constitutive principle of rationality, the transcendent basis of rationality is clarified; all …

The Incoherence Challenge For Subject Combination: An Analytic Assessment, Itay Shani, Heath Williams

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

Panpsychism is now a bona fide potential solution to the metaphysical quandary of consciousness. Much of the debate concerning the viability of panpsychism is centered on the combination problem (CP). Intriguingly, the literature analyzing this problem displays two competing interpretations which differ in their modal force. According to the first, which we call the ‘no-necessitation view', CP consists in the absence of a priori necessitation of macro-level phenomenal facts from micro-level phenomenal facts. In contrast, the second interpretation, which we label the ‘incoherence charge’ (IC), goes further by insisting that it can be positively demonstrated that micro-experiences cannot …

Catholic Education In An Age Of Unbelief, Optimism And Indifference: The Pastoral Vocation Of An Incarnational Educator, Glenn Morrison

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Is Capital Punishment Contrary To The Dignity Of The Human Person? Reflections About The Meaning Of The Revised Paragraph 2267 Of The Catechism Of The Catholic Church, Mariusz Biliniewicz

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

From Outside Of Ethics: Moss, Sarah. Probabilistic Knowledge, Timothy Smartt

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

Book Review published in the "From Outside of Ethics" section of Ethics: An International Journal of Social, Political, and Legal Philosophy.

Moss, Sarah. Probabilistic Knowledge. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018. Pp. 288. $54.00 (cloth).

The Aristotelian Context Of The Existence-Essence Distinction In De Ente Et Essentia, Angus Brook

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

This paper explores the Aristotelian context of the real distinction between existence and essence thought to be posited in Thomas Aquinas’ early work De Ente Et Essentia. In doing so, the paper situates its own position in the context of contemporary scholarship and in relation to the contemporary trend to downplay Aristotle’s influence in Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy. The paper argues that re-reading De Ente Et Essentia in this way sheds new light on some of the crucial debates in contemporary Thomist scholarship, particularly with respect to the analogous relation between potency and act: essence and existence, the distinction between …

God’S Stumbler: On Being A Martyr In The World, Glenn J. Morrison

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

The martyrs of the faith and charity reveal a dramatic narrative of Christian experience. Like Mary, the martyr’s soul magnifies God rejoicing in the glory of God’s salvation. Testifying to the Gospel, martyrs unearth the trauma of existence with the radiance and splendour of dying and rising with Christ. Equally, the Gospel calls the faithful to journey through the turbulence and stumbling of life towards the Kingdom of God. The Gospel life of the martyr provides an insight into the affectivity and otherness of Christian experience. For encountering people’s suffering, we stumble at the gravity of their pain and outrage, …

Disturbing Deacons: Upstanders Through Moral Resistance, Glenn Morrison

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

In this article, I wish to explore the history and vocation of the deacon to highlight the hope for a new Golden Age of possessing a “thinking heart” of a martyr to inspire trust, truth and the evidence of love for the Church. Accordingly, deacons are called to be upstanders in Christ even to the point of demonstrating the disturbing resistance and counterforce of disobedience that will in time be seen and understood as the ethical action and ministry of speaking frankly in the name of those who are most vulnerable within the Church.

A Website Supporting Sensitive Religious And Cultural Advance Care Planning (Acptalk): Formative And Summative Evaluation, Amanda Pereira-Salgado, Patrick Mader, Clare O'Callaghan, Leanne Boyd

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

Background: Advance care planning (ACP) promotes conversations about future health care needs, enacted if a person is incapable of making decisions at end-of-life that may be communicated through written documentation such as advance care directives. To meet the needs of multicultural and multifaith populations in Australia, an advance care planning website, ACPTalk, was funded to support health professionals in conducting conversations within diverse religious and cultural populations. ACPTalk aimed to provide religion-specific advance care planning content and complement existing resources.

Objective: The purpose of this paper was to utilize the context, input, process, and product (CIPP) framework to …

The Nature Of Nature: Concerning The Efficacy Of Natural Law Reasoning, Thomas V. Gourlay

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

Recourse to natural law reasoning has long been a part of how Catholics and Christians engage in debates about issues of public and private morality with people and communities of people who do not share the Catholic/Christian faith. But with the rise of modernity, the scientific revolution, and the relative success of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, many Catholics have begun to question traditional natural law reasoning. Some, including theorists like Germain Grisez, and John Finnis have sought to modify traditional natural law reasoning and continue to employ it within debates concerning public and private ethics, while others, acknowledging the …

Book Review: Dietrich Von Hildebrand, Liturgy And Personality, Thomas V. Gourlay

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

Book Review: Liturgy and Personality. By Dietrich von Hildebrand. Steubenville, OH: Hildebrand Press, 2016. Pp. 160. US$17.99. ISBN 9781939773005.

The Ethics Of Narrative Art: Philosophy In Schools, Compassion And Learning From Stories, Laura D'Olimpio, Andrew Peterson

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

Following neo-Aristotelians Alasdair MacIntyre and Martha Nussbaum, we claim that humans are story-telling animals who learn from the stories of diverse others. Moral agents use rational emotions, such as compassion, which is our focus here, to imaginatively reconstruct others’ thoughts, feelings and goals. In turn, this imaginative reconstruction plays a crucial role in deliberating and discerning how to act. A body of literature has developed in support of the role narrative artworks (i.e. novels and films) can play in allowing us the opportunity to engage imaginatively and sympathetically with diverse characters and scenarios in a safe protected space that is …

Nature-Based Supportive Care Opportunities: A Conceptual Framework, Sarah Blaschke, Clare O'Callaghan, Penelope Schofield

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

Objective: Given preliminary evidence for positive health outcomes related to contact with nature for cancer populations, research is warranted to ascertain possible strategies for incorporating nature-based care opportunities into oncology contexts as additional strategies for addressing multidimensional aspects of cancer patients’ health and recovery needs. The objective of this study was to consolidate existing research related to nature-based supportive care opportunities and generate a conceptual framework for discerning relevant applications in the supportive care setting.

Methods: Drawing on research investigating nature-based engagement in oncology contexts, a two-step analytic process was used to construct a conceptual framework for guiding nature-based supportive …

Thomas Aquinas On The Effects Of Original Sin: A Philosophical Analysis, Angus Brook

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

No abstract is available for this article.

"There Is Another Kingdom": On The Politics Of Virtue, Tracey Rowland

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

No abstract available for this article.

Book Reviews: 'God And The Art Of Happiness' And 'Earthly Paradise: Myths And Philosophies', G Morrison

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

Book Reviews:

God and the Art of Happiness. By Ellen T. Charry. Pp. xii, 299. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010, $24.92.

Earthly Paradise: Myths and Philosophies. By Milad Doueihi; translated by Jane Marie Todd. Pp. xiii, 171, Harvard University Press, 2009, $45.44.

Can Neuroscientific Studies Be Of Personal Value?, Andrew Mullins

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

This essay reflects on the ability of neuroscientific data to be of personal value and to enrich our lives by offering insight into our capacities for self management and choice. The theory of cognitive dualism proposed by Roger Scruton seeks to preserve rationality and allow for freedom of will, but he appears reluctant to engage with the data accruing in neural studies. I contrast this approach with a Thomistic hylomorphic approach to the philosophy of mind that is founded on participation in being. It offers the potential to draw on neurobiological knowledge for insights into rationality, motivation, and eudaimonia. …

Book Reviews: Practicing Medicine And Ethics: Integrating Wisdom, Conscience, And Goals Of Care, Megan Best

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

Book review: -

Practicing Medicine and Ethics: Integrating Wisom, Conscience, and Goals of Care, Lauris Christopher Kaldjian. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2014. ISBN 978-1107012165

Locating Experience In Time And Place: A Look At Young Adult Fiction And Spiritual Intelligence, L Westenberg

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

Spiritual intelligence describes self-awareness and intuition, with the development of creative thinking, compassion, and connectedness with others. Many researchers point to an awakening and development of spiritual intelligence that is enhanced through exploration of existential questions within the genre of young adult fiction. Such literature absorbs the adolescent reader so that they become transported into the narrative, exploring a sense of self and of others This article discusses the ways in which young adult fiction, including comparison of a novel of older context (An Episode of Sparrows) with contemporary dystopian fiction (The Maze Runner), can foster …

Patrick Mcnamara: The Neuroscience Of Religious Experience, R Younis

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

Book Review

Patrick McNamara: The Neuroscience of Religious Experience. Cambridge University Press 2009.

Soldier Enhancement: Ethical Risks And Opportunities, Matthew Beard, Jai Galliott, Sandra Lynch

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

Over the past decade, interest in human enhancement has waxed and waned. The initial surge of interest and funding, driven by the US Army’s desire for a ‘Future Force Warrior’ has partly given way to the challenges of meeting operational demands abroad. However the ethical opportunities provided by soldier enhancement demand that investigation of its possibilities continue. Benefits include enhanced decision-making, improved force capability, reduced force size and lower casualty rates.

These benefits — and enhancement itself — carry concomitant risks, including morale issues due to tension between enhanced and unenhanced soldiers, the issues of enhanced veterans and ownership of …

Cultural Decoding: A Humanities Program For Gifted And Talented High School Students Seeking University Entrance, Laura D'Olimpio, Angela Mccarthy, Annette Pedersen

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

This article details Cultural DeCoding, a humanities based high school extension program for gifted and talented Year 11 and 12 students in Western Australia. The brainchild of Dr Annette Pedersen (UWA & John XXIII College) and Dr Angela McCarthy (UNDA), the program runs for four days across the summer holidays before the start of the school term. The program fills a gap that exists in the education of gifted and talented secondary students who are interested in the humanities. It is comprised of sessions run by academics who facilitate discussion and activities based on their area of research and teaching …

Book Review - Philosophy In Schools: An Introduction For Philosophers And Teachers, Laura D'Olimpio

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

Book Review - Philosophy in Schools: An introduction for philosophers and teachers edited by Sara Goering, Nicholas J Shudak and Thomas E Wartenberg (2013). (Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy) Taylor & Francis, New York, NY. ISBN: 9780415640633.

Philosophy For Children Meets The Art Of Living: A Holistic Approach To An Education For Life, L D'Olimpio, C Teschers

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

This article explores the meeting of two approaches towards philosophy and education: the philosophy for children (P4C) approach advocated by Lipman and others, and Schmid’s (2000a) philosophical concept of Lebenskunst (the art of living). Schmid explores the concept of the beautiful or good life by asking what is necessary for each individual to be able to develop their own art of living and which aspects of life are significant when shaping a good and beautiful life. One element of Schmid’s theory is the practical application of philosophy through the notions of Bildung, (self) reflection, prudence and practical wisdom, as well …

Trust As A Virtue In Education, L D'Olimpio

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

As social and political beings, we are able to flourish only if we collaborate with others. Trust, understood as a virtue, incorporates appropriate rational emotional dispositions such as compassion as well as action that is contextual, situated in a time and place. We judge responses as appropriate and characters as trustworthy or untrustworthy based on these factors (namely context, intention, action as well as consequence). To be considered worthy of trust, as an individual or an institution, one must do the right thing at the right time for the right reasons, and the action should have its intended effect. By …

Trust, Well-Being And The Community Of Philosophical Inquiry, Laura D'Olimpio

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

Trust is vital for individuals to flourish and have a sense of well-being in their community. A trusting society allows people to feel safe, communicate with each other and engage with those who are different to themselves without feeling fearful. In this article, I employ an Aristotelian framework in order to identify trust as a virtue and I defend the need to cultivate trust in children. I discuss the case study of Buranda State School in Queensland, Australia, as an instance of successful school reform that reinstates trust in an educational setting. Buranda makes use of the community of inquiry …

We Make Ourselves Real By Telling The Truth: Merton And Aging, Glenn J. Morrison

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

In No Man is an Island, Thomas Merton asserts that, “We make ourselves real by telling the truth”. Where such transcendent truth uncovers the reality of the self, there is something about the “telling” of a narrative that gives life to the psyche in both the body and soul together. When the process of ageing anchors itself in a formative journey of reminiscence and storytelling, it seeks to be grounded in the reality of spirituality, the very desire to become real. Reality then takes on a transcendent perspective in terms of awakening (to the risen Christ’s narrative of truth, love, …

The Dictionaries In Which We Learn To Think, Timothy Flanagan Dr.

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

Taking its title from the discussion of a ‘new Meno’ to be found in Difference and Repetition, through an examination of the link between learning and thinking set out across Deleuze's work this paper charts the important sense in which philosophical thought is characterised by an apprenticeship. The claim is that just as certain aesthetic and biological processes involve inscrutable and non-resembling elements that cannot be known in advance, the experience of learning is one oriented by unforseen encounters. With a view to a peculiarly heuristic use of dictionaries in the case of language learning, the paper shows how …

European Identity And Other Mysteries - Seeking Out The Hidden Source Of Unity For A Troubled Polity, P Jimenez

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

The economic crisis in Europe exposes the European Union’s (EU) political fragility. How a polity made of very different states can live up to the motto “Europe united in diversity” is difficult to envisage in practice. In this paper I attempt an “exegesis”—a critical explanation or interpretation of a series of published pieces (“the Series”) which explores, first of all, if European unity (and what kind) is desirable at all. Second, it presents a methodology running throughout the Series —analogical hermeneutics—to approach the problem of unity. Third, it conceptualises the source of unity as political identity (and solidarity). Fourth, it …

Thoughts On Film: Critically Engaging With Both Adorno And Benjamin, Laura D'Olimpio

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

There is a traditional debate in analytic aesthetics that surrounds the classification of film as Art. While much philosophy devoted to considering film has now moved beyond this debate and accepts film as a mass art, a sub-category of Art proper, it is worth re-considering the criticism of film pre-Deleuze. Much of the criticism of film as pseudo-art is expressed in moral terms. T. W. Adorno, for example, critiques film as ‘mass-cult’; mass produced culture which presents a ‘flattened’ version of reality. Adorno worries about the passivity encouraged in viewers. Films are narrative artworks, received by an audience in a …