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Articles 1 - 30 of 40
Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Is There Less Bullshit In For Marx Than In Reading Capital?, William S. Lewis
Is There Less Bullshit In For Marx Than In Reading Capital?, William S. Lewis
Philosophy
This paper explores G. A. Cohen’s claim that Althusser’s Marxist philosophy is bullshit. This exploration is important because, if we are persuaded by Cohen’s assertion that there are only three types of Marxism: analytic, pre-analytic, and bullshit and, further, that only analytic Marxism is concerned with truth and therefore “uniquely legitimate” then, as political philosophers interested in Marxism’s potential philosophical resources, we may wish to privilege its analytic form. However, if Cohen’s attribution is misplaced, then we may wish to explore why Cohen was so insistent in this ascription and what this insistence reveals about his own political philosophy. The …
Department Of Philosophy Colloquium Series, University Of Maine Department Of Philosophy
Department Of Philosophy Colloquium Series, University Of Maine Department Of Philosophy
Cultural Affairs Distinguished Lecture Series
The Department of Philosophy Colloquium Series exposes students and other attendees to discussions of different philosophical topics and viewpoints. Two of the speakers this year will address environmental themes.
Preserving The Autographic/Allographic Distinction, P.D. Magnus, Jason R. D'Cruz
Preserving The Autographic/Allographic Distinction, P.D. Magnus, Jason R. D'Cruz
Philosophy Faculty Scholarship
In his study of forms of representation, Nel- son Goodman sought to explain why some representations, like words or musical scores, are considered replicable while others, such as paintings, are not. He named the replicable rep- resentations allographic and the ones we consider nonreplicable autographic (Goodman 1976, 113). His explanation of what grounds this distinction is in his theory of notations (chaps. IV–V). That theory essentially seeks to secure the possibility of identity for representations, as well as the possibility of knowing such identity, by setting out a number of requirements. Unless a repre- sentational practice satisfies the requirements (is …
Politics After Macintyre, Philip E. Devine
Politics After Macintyre, Philip E. Devine
Philosophy Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
What Difference Does It Make? An Essay Review Of Beyond Versus: The Struggle To Understand The Interaction Of Nature And Nurture; James Tabery; Mit Press: Cambridge, Ma, 2014, Peter J. Taylor
Working Papers on Science in a Changing World
Beyond versus makes its contribution to the thriving industry of books that clarify or recast nature-nurture issues through seven conceptual moves. The first is to posit a divide between sociological and philosophical inquiry. As Tabery depicts them, commentators on the science invoked in nature-nurture debates often focus on the racist or other political views of disputants or on their flawed understanding of scientific concepts. Tabery, in contrast, as a philosopher of science, explains past and present disagreements as stemming from “a disagreement concerning how explanation works in science.” (The other moves include explanatory and terminological divides, connecting associations to mechanisms, …
Syllabus: Faith And Science, Nicanor Austriaco
Syllabus: Faith And Science, Nicanor Austriaco
Spring 2015, Faith and Science
No abstract provided.
Hegels Phänomenologie Des Geistes: Ein Dialogischer Kommentar. Volume 1: Gewißheit Und Vernunft. Volume 2: Geist Und Religion By Pirmin Stekeler (Review), Daniel Breazeale
Hegels Phänomenologie Des Geistes: Ein Dialogischer Kommentar. Volume 1: Gewißheit Und Vernunft. Volume 2: Geist Und Religion By Pirmin Stekeler (Review), Daniel Breazeale
Philosophy Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Promising To Try, Jason R. D'Cruz, Justin Kalef
Promising To Try, Jason R. D'Cruz, Justin Kalef
Philosophy Faculty Scholarship
We maintain that in many contexts promising to try is expressive of responsibility as a promiser. This morally significant application of promising to try speaks in favor of the view that responsible promisers favor evidentialism about promises. Contra Berislav Marusˇic´, we contend that responsible promisers typically withdraw from promising to act and instead promise to try, in circumstances in which they recognize that there is a significant chance that they will not succeed.
Monaden Im Diskurs. Monas, Monaden, Monadologien (1600 Bis 1770) By Hanss-Peter Neumann (Review), Brandon C. Look
Monaden Im Diskurs. Monas, Monaden, Monadologien (1600 Bis 1770) By Hanss-Peter Neumann (Review), Brandon C. Look
Philosophy Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Mackenzie, Catriona; Rogers, Wendy; And Dodds, Susan, Eds. Vulnerability: New Essays In Ethics And Feminist Philosophy (Review), Anita Superson
Mackenzie, Catriona; Rogers, Wendy; And Dodds, Susan, Eds. Vulnerability: New Essays In Ethics And Feminist Philosophy (Review), Anita Superson
Philosophy Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Willful Understanding: Avicenna’S Philosophy Of Action And Theory Of The Will, Jon Mcginnis, Anthony Ruffus
Willful Understanding: Avicenna’S Philosophy Of Action And Theory Of The Will, Jon Mcginnis, Anthony Ruffus
Philosophy Faculty Works
In this study, we look at two interpretive puzzles associated with the thought of Avicenna that are still of intrinsic philosophical interest today. The first concerns to what extent, if at all, Avicenna’s deity can be said to act freely. The second concerns to what extent, if at all, humans within Avicenna’s philosophical system can be said to act freely. It is our contention that only through a careful analysis of Avicenna’s theory of action can one begin to assess his position concerning the status of the will and so provide a satisfactory response to these two interpretative issues. We …
A Teleological Exploration Of The Plausibility Of Moral Knowledge, Kevin Lebel King Jr.
A Teleological Exploration Of The Plausibility Of Moral Knowledge, Kevin Lebel King Jr.
Masters Theses
Natural selection seems to offer a compelling case for the development of evaluative judgments independent of evaluative facts. If such a case can be made, then how do moral judgments correlate to moral facts? It seems that there would be no tight connection from judgments to truth and moral judgments would be unwarranted. Gilbert Harman realized the implications of a probable non-moral genealogy. Richard Joyce goes on to provide a probable non-moral genealogy that would epistemically undermine moral judgments as Harman thought. Joyce argues that in a naturalistic world natural selection can account for moral judgments, but that the truth …
Wittgenstein And The Problem Of Abusive Language, Alexander S. Coppins
Wittgenstein And The Problem Of Abusive Language, Alexander S. Coppins
Philosophy Honors Projects
These days, more and more social movements are focusing on changing the ways we speak. As a result of these movements, words that were once commonplace until quite recently are being pushed out of our language because of their power to hurt people. This tells us that political groups recognize the power of words to greatly damage us. In this paper, I explore Wittgenstein’s philosophy of language in order to shed light on how we can use language to insult each other. Both the early and the later Wittgenstein are able to account, in some respects, for how we understand …
Examining The Role Of Consciousness And The Absurd In Suicide, Alexandra R. Azevedo
Examining The Role Of Consciousness And The Absurd In Suicide, Alexandra R. Azevedo
Senior Honors Projects
In order to emphasize the significance of suicide as a subjective experience, this research project explores suicide through a philosophical lens, primarily focusing on the absurdist school of thought that gained prominence with the twentieth century French philosopher and writer Albert Camus. Despite recent advances in the scientific study of suicide, I argue that many of the historically divisive questions surrounding suicide are rooted in philosophy. My original work attempts to rectify the current disconnect between suicidality and philosophy through the analysis and application of Camus’ chief work on the subjects, The Myth of Sisyphus. Recognizing the efficacy of …
Prudence And Executive Control: An Analysis Of The Decision-Making Processes Of The Christian And The Modern Man, Ryan Frazier
Prudence And Executive Control: An Analysis Of The Decision-Making Processes Of The Christian And The Modern Man, Ryan Frazier
Spring 2015, Faith and Science
Scientific research and Christian philosophy often appear to be at odds. These different perspectives sometimes offer different answers to the same question. In the light of these perspectives, however, we can gain a greater understanding of the human experience. Executive control, or how a person decides to do something, is unable to account for the greater question of why. St. Thomas Aquinas¹ explanation of prudence provides reasonable evidence in favor of this perspective. In order to understand the Christian intellectual virtue of prudence, a mastery of the classical, Thomistic account is required. Despite the gaps between science and religious thought, …
“In Pursuit Of Purified Persuasions”: Making (Some) Sense Of The Modern Mind, John Emmet Clarke
“In Pursuit Of Purified Persuasions”: Making (Some) Sense Of The Modern Mind, John Emmet Clarke
Spring 2015, Faith and Science
What is more essential to the philosophical act, what we study or how we study? Taking its cue from a line by Thomas Aquinas on the corruptibility of the natural law, this essay seeks to make some sense of the ways in which our way of knowing and, consequently, of being, is affected by the sins of our philosophical forefathers. The essay advises against putting faith in any particular school of thought, be it the pensee d'jour or philosophia perennis, since our ability to comprehend and converse in their varying tenets is compromised by the very state of the post-modern …
Just Desert, Onur Sahin
Just Desert, Onur Sahin
Featured Research
In this paper I examine the relevance of moral desert with regards to compatibilist accounts of moral responsibility. I look at two types of moral desert: (1) desert with relation to an agent and a moral community and (2) desert with relation to the moral worth of an agent or action. I begin by discussing Pereboom’s four cases and the problem that might arise for compatibilists given which view of moral desert they affirm. From there I explicate these two opposing conceptions of desert relevant to moral responsibility. I look at one example of the latter kind of desert: desert-as-merit. …
A Necessity Of Morals, Austin Mcelrath
A Necessity Of Morals, Austin Mcelrath
Featured Research
John Martin Fischer has stated that his initial motivation for his work The Metaphysics of Free Will was “to defend moral culpability from the threats of causal determinism and divine omniscience” while also asserting semi-compatibilism. Taking that a step further, the goal for my own work is to defend our need for moral culpability from a metaphysical standpoint. In this essay I will argue that ultimately there are only two possibilities when it comes to a moral-metaphysical framework, only one of which involves human culpability: either human existence has intrinsic meaning and worth, therefore giving weight to our moral decision …
The Curse Of Fortune; Responding To Luck Objections In An Uncooperative World, Kyle Morgan
The Curse Of Fortune; Responding To Luck Objections In An Uncooperative World, Kyle Morgan
Featured Research
The consensus scientific view holds that our world is indeterministic at the micro level, but practically deterministic at all other levels. In an indeterministic world, live alternative possibilities at the moment of decision render it impossible for agents to guarantee what they will choose; regardless of their personality and deliberative processes. Critics of indeterminist free will argue that this lack of a necessary connection between mental state and choice makes the ultimate decision fundamentally a matter of luck. As such, indeterminism opens free will up to potential problems of present luck. Additionally, large-scale determinism opens up free will to a …
A Framework Of Responsibility And Absolution, Tobin Wilson
A Framework Of Responsibility And Absolution, Tobin Wilson
Featured Research
Suppose we have a choice between A and B, and that both options are morally reprehensible. If we were forced or tricked into making a decision, would we still be responsible? The answer is usually quite easy to find, but the question of why we are responsible seems much harder to discern. In any discussion about moral responsibility, is seems there needs to be a system of necessary and sufficient conditions. However such requirements tend to exist in a hazy philosophical space, so it is not surprising that we often confuse them. Thus, my paper will attempt to create …
A Morally Consistent Character Or Absolute Free Will: Which Should We Choose?, Sarah Woods
A Morally Consistent Character Or Absolute Free Will: Which Should We Choose?, Sarah Woods
Featured Research
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” This Aristotelian notion of how to lead a virtuous life is one that philosophers and scholars alike have respected and praised for centuries. Consistency in choosing the right path is the key to leading a fulfilling life, which is a notion many agree upon. While one person may hold Aristotelian notions of consistent excellence in character on a pedestal, this same person may also believe that in order for one to have free will and moral responsibility, one must have the ability at all times …
Auctor In Fabula: Umberto Eco And The Intentio Of Foucault's Pendulum, Douglas Stephens Iv
Auctor In Fabula: Umberto Eco And The Intentio Of Foucault's Pendulum, Douglas Stephens Iv
Senior Honors Theses
Umberto Eco’s 1988 novel Foucault’s Pendulum weaves together a wide range of philosophical and literary threads. Many of these threads find their other ends in Eco’s nonfiction works, which focus primarily on the question of interpretation and the source of meaning. The novel, which follows three distinctly overinterpretive characters as they descend into ruin, has been read by some as a retraction or parody of Eco’s own position. However, if Foucault’s Pendulum is indeed polemical, it must be taken as an argument against the mindset which Eco has termed the “hermetic”. Through an examination of his larger theoretical body, including …
A Small Discovery: Avicenna's Theory Of Minima Naturalia, Jon Mcginnis
A Small Discovery: Avicenna's Theory Of Minima Naturalia, Jon Mcginnis
Philosophy Faculty Works
There has been a long-held misconception among historians of philosophy and science that apart from brief comments in Aristotle and Averroes, the theory of minima naturalia had to await Latin Schoolmen for its full articulation. Recently scholars have shown that far from sporadic comments on minima naturalia, Averroes in fact had a fully developed and well-integrated theory of them. In this study, I complement these scholars’ important work by considering Avicenna’s place in the history and development of the doctrine of the minima naturalia. There is no study to date that mentions Avicenna in connection with this doctrine despite the …
Thinkings 5: Collected Evocations, Interventions, And Readings, Jeff Noonan
Thinkings 5: Collected Evocations, Interventions, And Readings, Jeff Noonan
Philosophy Publications
No abstract provided.
Trust, Trustworthiness, And The Moral Consequence Of Consistency, Jason R. D'Cruz
Trust, Trustworthiness, And The Moral Consequence Of Consistency, Jason R. D'Cruz
Philosophy Faculty Scholarship
Situationists such as John Doris, Gilbert Harman, and Maria Merritt suppose that appeal to reliable behavioral dispositions can be dispensed with without radical revision to morality as we know it. This paper challenges this supposition, arguing that abandoning hope in reliable dispositions rules out genuine trust and forces us to suspend core reactive attitudes of gratitude and resentment, esteem and indignation. By examining situationism through the lens of trust we learn something about situationism (in particular, the radically revisionary moral implications of its adoption) as well as something about trust (in particular, that the conditions necessary for genuine trust include …
Review Of Simone Weil: Late Philosophical Writings Edited By Eric O. Springsted, William Simkulet
Review Of Simone Weil: Late Philosophical Writings Edited By Eric O. Springsted, William Simkulet
Philosophy and Religious Studies Department Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Review Of Bioethics And The Human Goods: An Introduction To Natrual Law By Alfonso Gómez-Lobo And John Keown, William Simkulet
Review Of Bioethics And The Human Goods: An Introduction To Natrual Law By Alfonso Gómez-Lobo And John Keown, William Simkulet
Philosophy and Religious Studies Department Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Review Of Freedom And The Self: Essays On The Philosophy Of David Foster Wallace, Edited By Stephan M. Cahn And Maureen Eckert, William Simkulet
Review Of Freedom And The Self: Essays On The Philosophy Of David Foster Wallace, Edited By Stephan M. Cahn And Maureen Eckert, William Simkulet
Philosophy and Religious Studies Department Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Review Of Happiness And Goodness By Steven M. Cahn And Christine Vitrano, William Simkulet
Review Of Happiness And Goodness By Steven M. Cahn And Christine Vitrano, William Simkulet
Philosophy and Religious Studies Department Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Review Of Radio Benjamin By Walter Benjamin And Edited By Lecia Rosenthal, William Simkulet
Review Of Radio Benjamin By Walter Benjamin And Edited By Lecia Rosenthal, William Simkulet
Philosophy and Religious Studies Department Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.