Arts and Humanities Commons^™

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 …

Changing The Negative Behavioral And Development Outcomes To A Toxic Prenatal Environment Through Maternal Education, Angela Eileen Laughlin Lebedev

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of current education materials on changing maternal smoking attitudes. Children are affected by prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke. Although there are educational efforts to discourage pregnant women from smoking, the practice continues in a significant number of pregnancies. New materials, based on current research, were also evaluated for effectiveness. The theoretical framework for this study was adult learning theory presented by Knowles which made the assumption that an individual is shaped by environmental systems, that adult learning is affected by previous knowledge they bring to the learning and that adults …

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.

論康德的道德主體觀, Laiwing Au

Lingnan Theses and Dissertations

康德的主體理論不但為西方的理性主義開出了一個新的領域，在近代中國儒學 的研究中更被視為一個重要的樞紐。康德的主體理論除了為日後相關的討論提 供了穩固的框架外，他對一些重要概念──諸如理性、道德的必然性等──的 反省和釐清，更為當世的相關討論帶來了突破性的發展和影響。當然，其道德 主體理論也有不少困難。本文分成四章，基於上述各點展開討論。

第一章為前言，旨在闡明康德對其它道德理論的抨擊，以顯康德對道德的看法 之獨特處。

第二章對康德的道德主體理論作系統性的闡釋。由康德的最高道德原則出發， 闡明當中的關鍵概念，例如：道德的無條件性與普遍性，從而帶出主體所具備 的實踐理性及自律性。康德於捍衛道德的普遍性及肯定人之主體性方面，成就 無容置疑。但另一方面，在其系統中，道德法則只能呈現為命令，亦不允許情 感的滲雜。康德的這種主體觀並非沒有困難。

本文的第三章則指出康德道德理論對主體的一些前設，並透過比較康德與王陽 明的道德理論，揭示康德的道德主體觀並非在所有文化下都為人接受。最後， 本章亦希望帶出道德主體觀與道德境界的密切關係，以點出不同道德主體觀的 意義。全文最後以第四章作結。

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 …

The Place Of Theology In A World Come Of Age: A Comparative Analysis Of The Writings Of Dietrich Bonhoeffer And Paul Ramsey., Dave Buckner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the twentieth century dawned in the western world, there were voices both inside and out of the Christian Church that began to question religion's central place in man's daily life. Had humanity finally progressed to the point where religion was no longer necessary? Had we at long last developed the characteristics and perspectives that religion had attempted to engrain within us? Or were the rules and regulations of religion still needed to ensure the continued advancement of civilization? This is a study of two opposing voices in that debate: theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and ethicist Paul Ramsey. What follows is …

American Daoism: A New Religious Movement In Global Contexts, Steven San-Hu Chan

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the phenomenon of American Daoism. It assumes that American Daoism is a New Religious Movement, and argues that it has roots in counterhegemonic religious movements of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. I will explore these roots and describe how they are counter-hegemonic. Furthermore, I will build upon Elijiah Siegler’s doctoral dissertation, “The Dao of America: The History and Practice of American Daoism,” by using post-modern theories of identity to discuss how American Daoist identity is formed. This thesis argues that American Daoist identity is a combination of Chinese and American cultural objects that form a hybrid religious …

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 …

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 …

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

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 …

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 …

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

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

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 …

Zen Buddhism And American Religious Culture: A Case Study Of Daistez Teitaro Suzuki (1870-1966), Christopher Robert Pinder

Masters Theses

This work explores the life, works, and role of Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1870-1966) in the reception of Zen Buddhism in the United States. Particular attention is paid to the major themes that informed Suzuki’s presentation of Zen to American audiences: Western mystical-universalist traditions, intellectualism, psychology and Japanese nationalism. These themes, as Suzuki used them, are not part of traditional Zen in Japan; instead they are responses to Western modernity, colonialism, and Orientalist discourses. Suzuki and many of his contemporaries rephrased Zen in order to assert Japanese cultural and religious superiority.

Suzuki was a prolific writer and his books became the …

A New Approach To The Devīmāhātmya: The Greatness Of The Goddess In Its Purāṇic Context, Elizabeth A. Cecil

Masters Theses

Although the text of the Devīmāhātmya is itself a section of the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, recent scholarship has taken a primarily extrinsic approach to the text and its use by emphasizing the life of the Devīmāhātmya (henceforth DM) well apart from the textual tradition of the purāṇas. A reading of the DM in the context of the MārkP is instructive, because it reveals some interesting thematic connections that are indicative of larger thematic trends within the purāṇa, which prior extrinsic studies have not explored. Broadly speaking, these themes glorify women and Goddesses as positive manifestations of some fundamental female …

A Qualitative Study Of The Epistemological Interplay Between Teachers And Students In A High Stakes Testing Environment, Donald Bruce Bierman

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

Employing grounded theory methodology informed by microethnographic discourse analysis, studies the classroom conversations, interviews with students and teachers, and students' written texts in a high stakes test preparation program for tenth graders to determine the effects students and teachers have upon one another's epistemological beliefs concerning the source of knowledge. Students were preparing for the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT).

A Critical Exegesis And Interpretation Of The Work Of Austin Farrer, Wesley Dalton

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Neuroticism, Marital Violence, And The Moderating Role Of Stress And Behavioral Skills, Julianne C. Hellmuth

Masters Theses

Do high levels of neuroticism predict intimate partner violence (IPV)? Although neuroticism may predispose partners to increased risks of IPV perpetration, the extent to which it predicts such perpetration is likely to depend on the broader context of the relationship. Consistent with this prediction, the current longitudinal study of 169 community couples revealed that the effects of neuroticism on IPV perpetration over the first four years of marriage were moderated by observations of problem-solving behavior and objective ratings of chronic stress. Specifically, although husbands and wives who scored higher on a measure of neuroticism at the outset of marriage engaged …

Burning For Allah: (Mis)Understanding Ties Between Islam And Violence, Allen B. Johnson

Masters Theses

The goal of this thesis is to address what I believe to be an all too frequent misunderstanding. This is the idea that religion generally and Islamic extremism specifically is the primary foundation for suicide terrorism in Iraq. Because of the social and historical demographics of Iraq, I argue that it is necessary to understand Iraqi suicide bombings as a variety of dfferent concurrent movements as opposed to one monolithic phenomenon. Furthermore, it is my assertion that the connection between suicide attacks and Islam has been exaggerated within American public discourse. This discourse has lead to a large and varied …

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

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

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 …

Projecting Or Perceiving Values? The Blackburn-Mcdowell Debate, David Judd

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Concepts Of The Natural And Their Application To American Bellydance, Ashley Eldringhoff

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Cheating With Honor, Christian A. Pfeiffer

Business and Economics Honors Papers

The intent of this paper is to understand what leads a student to cheat within the context of a small (enrollment below 2,000 students) liberal arts college. The development of a model will examine cheating from three categories highlighted in the literature: demographics, college culture, and the perception of cheating. Demographics capture relevant personal attributes of a student such as gender, GPA, and major. Cultural variables include variables for the presence of an honor code and participation in a sport or social organization, which provide that student with a unique cultural experience. Perception variables deal with the perceptions the students …

Interpersonal Relationships And Community In Kierkegaard's Thought, J. Michael Tilley

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Kierkegaard is generally regarded as a quintessential individualist who leaves no room for social or political engagement. This interpretation is the dominant lens through which many scholars view Kierkegaard, and it also shapes the way Kierkegaard’s thought has been received by his followers and critics. Many recent works have significantly challenged the traditional interpretation of Kierkegaard, but they have not examined the topic systematically. In order to remedy this deficit, this study provides a holistic account of Kierkegaard’s social thought. First, it challenges the dominant view that society as represented by the crowd is simply a foil for Kierkegaard’s individual …

A Defense Of Frank Jackson's Two-Dimensional Analysis Of The Necessary A Posteriori From Scott Soames' Anti-Two-Dimensionalist Attacks, Brendan Scott Morris

Honors Papers

In his "Reference and Description," Scott Soames raises a number of objections against the two-dimensionalists and their analysis of the necessary a posteriori. Frank Jackson is just one of several two-dimensionalists whose analysis of the necessary a posteriori comes under attack from Scott Soames. This paper is meant as a defense of Frank Jackson from the objections of Scott Soames. It begins with a summary of traditional descriptivism and Saul Kripke's anti-descriptivist objections to that view, followed by a summary of Jackson's two-dimensional analysis of the necessary a posteriori. The paper then provides a summary of Scott Soames' objections to …

Shakespeare And The Interhuman: The Mimetic Chrysalis Of Buber's Between, Elizabeth Burford Lang

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Shakespeare's plays survive and thrive from age to age in large part due to the incomparably mimetic "rightness" of his characters. However, the various schools of post-modern literary criticism - New Historicist, Cultural Materialist, most variations of cultural theory as applied to literature - definitively deny the possibility of an essential humanity, the very concept on which discussions of character and mimesis must stand.

The work of Martin Buber contributes a means of moderating that conversation. Buber, a self-described "believing" humanist, sought and achieved a semantic framework capable of describing the intersection of man, fellow man, and spirit while obviating …