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Articles 1 - 14 of 14
Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Against Pyrrhonian Equipollence, John Everett Button
Against Pyrrhonian Equipollence, John Everett Button
Philosophy Theses
The production of equipollence is the most important part of the Pyrrhonian skeptic’s method for bringing about the suspension of judgment. The skeptic produces equipollence methodically, by opposing arguments, propositions, or appearances, in anyway whatsoever, until he produces an equality of “weightiness” on both sides of the conflicting views. Having no appropriate criterion to break the deadlock of equipollence, the skeptic (or his interlocutor) is left with no reason to accept either view. I have two main aims in this paper. My first aim is to distinguish between two different types of equipollence; that produced in the Pyrrhonist, called Psychological …
Child Abuse, Racism And The State, Chase Parker Turner
Child Abuse, Racism And The State, Chase Parker Turner
Philosophy Theses
Using a Millian framework, this thesis examines whether or not children are victims of child abuse when they are inculcated with racist belief systems. The conclusion is that children are not harmed and so not the victims of child abuse, but instead are badly parented.
Freedom And Forfeiture: Responding To Galen Strawson's Basic Argument, Eli Benjamin Kelsey
Freedom And Forfeiture: Responding To Galen Strawson's Basic Argument, Eli Benjamin Kelsey
Philosophy Theses
Galen Strawson’s Basic Argument is an attempt to prove that no agent can meet the demands for true moral responsibility. The Basic Argument proceeds on the assumption that, in order for an agent to be truly morally responsible for her actions, she must be truly responsible for her reasons for performing those actions, which Strawson contends is impossible since it requires an infinite regress of truly responsible decisions to have the reasons one has. In my thesis, I take issue with the Basic Argument. I argue that, contrary to Strawson’s claims, the Basic Argument is not persuasive to those who …
Is Core Affect A Natural Kind?, Brandie Martinez Bedard
Is Core Affect A Natural Kind?, Brandie Martinez Bedard
Philosophy Theses
In the scientific study of the emotions the goal is to find natural kinds. That is, to find categories about which interesting scientific generalizations and predictions can be formed. Core affect is dimensional approach to the emotions which claims that emotions emerge from the more basic psychological processes of valence (pleasant/unpleasant) and arousal (activation/deactivation). Lisa Feldman Barrett (2006b) has recently argued that the discrete emotion approach has failed to find natural kinds and thus should be dismissed as a failed paradigm. She offers core affect as an alternative theory that will better capture natural kinds in emotionally salient phenomena. In …
Kim's Pairing Problem And The Viability Of Substance Dualism, Jimmy Ray Vaught
Kim's Pairing Problem And The Viability Of Substance Dualism, Jimmy Ray Vaught
Philosophy Theses
Mental causation between the material and the immaterial has been problematic for interactionist substance dualism ever since its first major proponent René Descartes. The contemporary philosopher Jaegwon Kim believes he has found an argument that shows exactly why an immaterial event cannot be said to cause a material event; he calls this the pairing problem argument. This thesis will argue that there is actually sufficient empirical evidence to suggest that Kim’s argument is unsuccessful due to one of its premises being false. Furthermore, this thesis will also argue that interactionist substance dualism is actually a philosophically viable alternative, and lastly …
The Non-Moral Basis Of Cognitive Biases Of Moral Intuitions, Bradley Charles Thomas
The Non-Moral Basis Of Cognitive Biases Of Moral Intuitions, Bradley Charles Thomas
Philosophy Theses
Against moral intuitionism, which holds that moral intuitions can be non-inferentially justified, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong argues that moral intuitions are unreliable and must be confirmed to be justified (i.e. must be justified inferentially) because they are subject to cognitive biases. However, I suggest this is merely a renewed version of the argument from disagreement against intuitionism. As such, I attempt to show that the renewed argument is subject to an analogous objection as the old one; many cognitive biases of moral intuitions result from biases of non-moral judgments. Thus, the unreliability of moral intuitions due to biases (and the reason inferential …
A Comparative Study Of The Ethics Of Christine M. Korsgaard And Jean-Paul Sartre, Michael Christopher Zander
A Comparative Study Of The Ethics Of Christine M. Korsgaard And Jean-Paul Sartre, Michael Christopher Zander
Philosophy Theses
Christine M. Korsgaard and Jean-Paul Sartre both locate the source of ethical normativity in human reflective consciousness. Korsgaard’s claims that human beings are essentially rational, and that our rational nature is an adequate source of ethical content. Sartre argues that a conception of human nature this minimal is insufficient to provide ethical content, and that we must look to our particular projects and identities to provide moral content. I will argue that Sartre is correct that a view of human nature this minimal is inadequate to generate moral content, but that because Sartre is unable to demonstrate how norms based …
The Aesthetic Idea And The Unity Of Cognitive Faculties In Kant's Aesthetics, Maria Andreevna Gourova
The Aesthetic Idea And The Unity Of Cognitive Faculties In Kant's Aesthetics, Maria Andreevna Gourova
Philosophy Theses
In this paper, I will try to answer the question how the aesthetic idea in Kant’s aesthetic theory accounts for the universal validity of the subjective judgment of taste, and what the nature of the aesthetic idea is that makes such account possible. This claim about universal validity of the subjective judgment of taste in Kant’s philosophy is regarded to be problematic because of the seeming contradiction between the subjectivity of a judgment and its universality. What can solve this contradiction, from my point of view, is the role of the aesthetic idea that it plays in the judgment of …
Sextus Was No Eudaimonist, Joseph B. Bullock
Sextus Was No Eudaimonist, Joseph B. Bullock
Philosophy Theses
Ancient Greek philosophical schools are said to share a common structure in their ethical theories which is characterized by a eudaimonistic teleology based in an understanding of human nature. At first glance, the skepticism of Sextus Empiricus as described in the Outlines of Pyrrhonism seems to fit into this model insofar as he describes the end of the skeptic as ataraxia, a common account of the expression of human happiness. I argue that this is a misunderstanding of Sextus’s philosophy for several reasons. “The end of skepticism” cannot be eudaimonistic or teleological in the way that other ancient ethical theories …
Freedom And The Ideal Republican State: Kant, Jefferson, And The Place Of Individual Freedom In The Republican Constitutional State, Theresa A. Creighton
Freedom And The Ideal Republican State: Kant, Jefferson, And The Place Of Individual Freedom In The Republican Constitutional State, Theresa A. Creighton
Philosophy Theses
Of the questions concerning the many great minds of the European Enlightenment, the question of what constitutes right and proper government perhaps had the most enduring influence on the world stage. Both Thomas Jefferson and Immanuel Kant attempted to answer the question of what constitutes right government, in particular by basing the system upon the idea of human freedom as an inalienable right. This project is an attempt to compare the systems proposed by these two authors, as well as to critique each on its ability to protect and foster individual freedom. It is my opinion that neither manages to …
Facing The Problems Of Feminism: Working Toward Resolution, Joy Alicia Salvatore
Facing The Problems Of Feminism: Working Toward Resolution, Joy Alicia Salvatore
Philosophy Theses
In this thesis, I demonstrate how the numerous forms of oppression are grounded in a hierarchical and binary thinking that permeates racism and sexism and that is present throughout the feminist movement. It is this biased thinking that creates further divide among diverse social groups resulting in a foundation for justifying oppressive practices. I argue that the human rights framework is the best by which to defeat this problematic thinking, fostering a collectivity among disparate people and establishing a more appropriate footing upon which to face the problems of feminism. In the end, I claim that there must be a …
A Description Of The Natural Place Of Magic In Philosophy And Religious Studies, Damien P. Williams
A Description Of The Natural Place Of Magic In Philosophy And Religious Studies, Damien P. Williams
Philosophy Theses
The concept of magic is most often considered as a foil by scholars in the fields of philosophy and religious studies, or it is discussed as part of the investigation of “primitive” systems of belief and ritual. In this essay, magic is investigated as a system of inquiry and explanation unto itself, connected to but distinct from both philosophy and religious studies, and an argument is presented for understanding systems of magic as both natural and rational outgrowths of a particular perspective on reality.
Retribution Requires Rehabilitation, Joseph Q. Adams
Retribution Requires Rehabilitation, Joseph Q. Adams
Philosophy Theses
Herbert Morris argues in his influential retributivist paper, "Persons and Punishment," that criminals deserve punishment because their actions represent an unfair distribution of benefits and burdens in society. The proper distribution of benefits and burdens is important, in part, to restore law abiding citizens’ confidence that others will follow the law. In this paper I show that Morris's argument for why criminals deserve punishment morally requires us to set up an institution of rehabilitation in addition to the institution of punishment. Such an institution is morally required because neither pure punishment systems nor punishment systems that incorporate quasi-rehabilitative aspects have …
Aristotelian Liberal Virtues, Joseph W. Slade, Iv
Aristotelian Liberal Virtues, Joseph W. Slade, Iv
Philosophy Theses
I analyze the potentially self-destructive tension inherent in liberalism between conceptions of negative liberty and positive liberty. In doing so, I utilize Aristotle’s theory of virtue to show that virtue is the best method of resolving this tension. In addition, I demonstrate that liberal virtues are best construed as virtues of intellect to be exercised in the public sphere. In particular, I show the importance of not construing liberal virtues as virtues of character (often referred to as moral virtues), because advocating such virtues is, in fact, contrary to the central tenets of liberalism. That is, I argue that it …