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Articles 1 - 30 of 33
Full-Text Articles in History
The Swahili, Jesse Benjamin
Blood-Stained Linen And Shattered Skull: Ford's Theatre As A Reliquary To Abraham Lincoln, Erika Schneider
Blood-Stained Linen And Shattered Skull: Ford's Theatre As A Reliquary To Abraham Lincoln, Erika Schneider
Erika Schneider
No abstract provided.
John Goodricke, Edward Pigott, And Their Work On Variable Stars, Linda French
John Goodricke, Edward Pigott, And Their Work On Variable Stars, Linda French
Linda French
John Goodricke and Edward Pigott, working in York, England, between 1781 and 1786, determined the periods of variation of eclipsing binaries such as b Persei (Algol) and b Lyrae and speculated that the eclipses of Algol might be caused by a “dark body,” perhaps even a planet. They also determined the periods of variation of the first two known Cepheid variables, the stars whose period-luminosity relation today enables astronomers to determine distances to distant galaxies. Goodricke holds special interest because he was completely deaf and because he died at the age of 21. The lives and work of these two …
Affective Neuroscience And The Philosophy Of Self, Stephen Asma
Affective Neuroscience And The Philosophy Of Self, Stephen Asma
Stephen T Asma
The nature of self awareness and the origin and persistence of personal identity still loom large in contemporary philosophy of mind. Many philosophers have been wooed by the computational approach to consciousness, and they attempt to find the self amidst the phenomenon of neocortical information processing. Affective neuroscience offers another pathway to understanding the evolution and nature of self. This paper explores how affective neuroscience acts as a positive game-changer in the philosophical pursuit of self. In particular, we focus on connecting 'mammalian agency' to (a) subjective awareness, and (b) identity through time.
Big History: First Year Experience (Panel Presentation), Lynn Sondag
Big History: First Year Experience (Panel Presentation), Lynn Sondag
Lynn Sondag
No abstract provided.
The Role Of Optimality In Aristotle's Natural Science, Devin Henry
The Role Of Optimality In Aristotle's Natural Science, Devin Henry
Devin Henry
In this paper I examine the role of optimality reasoning in Aristotle’s natural science. By “optimality reasoning” I mean reasoning that appeals to some conception of “what is best” in order to explain why things are the way they are. We are first introduced to this pattern of reasoning in the famous passage at Phaedo 97b8-98a2, where (Plato’s) Socrates invokes “what is best” as a cause (aitia) of things in nature. This passage can be seen as the intellectual ancestor of Aristotle’s own principle, expressed by the famous dictum “nature does nothing in vain but always what is best for …
Gauging Gender: A Metaphysics, Stephen Asma
Gauging Gender: A Metaphysics, Stephen Asma
Stephen T Asma
In this article the author discusses sex and gender in human beings and examines how the study of science, particularly biology, has influenced the study of these subjects in higher education. It traces the evolution of sex and gender studies in academe, comments on the failure of many humanities scholars to dismiss biology in studying human behavior, and explores ways in which psychoanalysis, social constructionism, and metaphysics have informed the debate over the differences between sex and gender. Other topics include research conducted by Anne Fausto-Sterling regarding intersexed people, scientific tests focusing on sexual preference in rats, and thoughts by …
Risen Apes And Fallen Angels: The New Museology Of Human Origins, Stephen Asma
Risen Apes And Fallen Angels: The New Museology Of Human Origins, Stephen Asma
Stephen T Asma
There has been a little explosion of "origin" exhibitions in the past few years. The recent bicentennial of Darwin's birth, in 2009, ushered in a bevy of traveling exhibitions and events. Grandscale permanent exhibitions have recently opened at the American Museum of Natural History (the Spitzer Hall of Human Origins) in New York, and the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History (the David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins) in Washington, D.C. A new museology is afoot, and some of the recent changes are worth tracking. And let's not forget the recently opened Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky. Even in …
The New Atheists' Narrow World-View, Stephen Asma
The New Atheists' Narrow World-View, Stephen Asma
Stephen T Asma
The article discusses atheism, Buddhism, and the practice of animism in southeast Asia. Atheists such as Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris are discussed as is the argument regarding the "provincialism" of religion. It is noted that some atheists echo the statement by philosopher Karl Marx that religion is an opiate that should be done away with because it has little moral value. The use of spirit houses as a part of religious practice in southeast Asia is described. The opinion held by theists on animism is explored. Other topics include living conditions in Cambodia and the role of religion in …
A Sharp Eye For Kinds: Collection & Division In Plato's Late Dialogues, Devin Henry
A Sharp Eye For Kinds: Collection & Division In Plato's Late Dialogues, Devin Henry
Devin Henry
No abstract provided.
Aristotle And The Unity And Diversity Of Life (Project Description), Devin Henry
Aristotle And The Unity And Diversity Of Life (Project Description), Devin Henry
Devin Henry
No abstract provided.
Aristotle’S Pluralistic Realism, Devin Henry
Aristotle’S Pluralistic Realism, Devin Henry
Devin Henry
In this paper I explore Aristotle’s views on natural kinds and the compatibility of pluralism and realism, a topic that has generated considerable interest among contemporary philosophers. I argue that, when it came to zoology, Aristotle denied that there is only one way of organizing the diversity of the living world into natural kinds that will yield a single, unified system of classification. Instead, living things can be grouped and regrouped into various cross-cutting kinds on the basis of objective similarities and differences in ways that subserve the explanatory context. Since the explanatory aims of zoology are diverse and variegated, …
Closing Remarks, Richard Clement
What We Talk About When We Talk About The Soul, Stephen Asma
What We Talk About When We Talk About The Soul, Stephen Asma
Stephen T Asma
The author discusses the popularity among college students of the concept of the soul, and attempts to place it in its proper context. He dispenses with orthodox theological arguments and New Age arguments as scientifically untenable. He takes a so-called Wittgensteinian approach, noting soul's linguistic significance. He analyzes expressions which use the concept of soul and concludes that they are qualitatively different from testable factual expressions. He notes that soul talk is about hopes and aspirations, inspiration, or feelings deeper than friendship. He assigns it meaning outside of scientific concepts. He likens expressions of soul to creative and ethical acts, …
Green Guilt, Stephen Asma
Green Guilt, Stephen Asma
Stephen T Asma
The essay discusses the more neurotic aspects of environmentalism, involving guilt over failure to recycle or turn off the lights. It notes that those most prone to these sensibilities are those who have left traditional religion. It quotes philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche who states that religious emotions such as guilt and indignation are still present in a post-Christian world. The essay argues that we should certainly save the planet but avoid the neurosis that often accompanies it.
Monsters And The Moral Imagination, Stephen Asma
Monsters And The Moral Imagination, Stephen Asma
Stephen T Asma
The article discusses the cultural interest in monsters in the 21st century. The author speculates on the reasons for the interest, citing anxiety after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the war in Iraq, or the global financial crisis of 2008-2009. He notes a conference in September 2009 at the University of Oxford entitled "Monsters and the Monstrous." Cultural uses of monsters, he notes, include scolding ourselves for failure to be inclusive, the medievals' punishment for the sin of pride, or the ancient Greeks' warnings of impending calamity. He notes that monster stories can promote the individual's thought about what …
Ancient Antidotes To Timeless Troubles: Stoicism And The Recession, Stephen Asma
Ancient Antidotes To Timeless Troubles: Stoicism And The Recession, Stephen Asma
Stephen T Asma
The article reviews the books "The Present Alone is Our Happiness," by Arnold I. Davidson and Jeannie Carlier and "A Life Worthy of the Gods: The Materialist Psychology of Epicurus" by David Konstan.
Trapped In The Creation Museum, Stephen Asma
Trapped In The Creation Museum, Stephen Asma
Stephen T Asma
Into the swampy debate over evolution has waded the new Creation Museum, in Petersburg, Ky. In an America divided between those who accept Darwin's theories and those who believe God created the world in six days, it seeks to win moderates and compromisers over to its side. Shortly after the museum opened last spring, I made a pilgrimage to witness this quirky new spectacle of Americana...
Visualising The Unseen, Imagining The Unknown, Perfecting The Natural: Art And Science In The 18th And 19th Centuries, Andrew Graciano
Visualising The Unseen, Imagining The Unknown, Perfecting The Natural: Art And Science In The 18th And 19th Centuries, Andrew Graciano
Andrew Graciano
No abstract provided.
Never Mind Grendel! Can Beowulf Conquer The 21st-Century Guilt Trip?, Stephen Asma
Never Mind Grendel! Can Beowulf Conquer The 21st-Century Guilt Trip?, Stephen Asma
Stephen T Asma
The writer casts doubt on whether the emasculated Beowulf put forward by J. R. R. Tolkien and in the recent movie version of the story transcends and nullifies the heroic original. He suggests that both Beowulfs may be necessary.
How To Survive The Apocalypse, Stephen Asma
How To Survive The Apocalypse, Stephen Asma
Stephen T Asma
The article presents a guide on how people with skepticism and critical thinking can survive the Rapture and Armageddon. According to the Book of Revelations, the Lord will return to the earth to separate the good and the bad. When the Great Tribulation comes, people have no more time for repentance. The impostor strategy is one way to avoid the Tribulation.
Dinosaurs On The Ark: Natural History And The New Evangelical Museum, Stephen Asma
Dinosaurs On The Ark: Natural History And The New Evangelical Museum, Stephen Asma
Stephen T Asma
This article examines the Creation Museum in Kentucky. Featured at the museum is a replica of Noah's Ark. The author notes that there is some fudging going on to fit all the supposedly transported animals in such a small vessel. According to the museum, the Grand Canyon was not millions of years in the making but appeared after the flood. The evangelical museum is an offshoot of the Answers in Genesis ministry. Ken A. Ham is the director of the museum as well as the head of the ministry. He says that the notion of evolution has done more harm …
Working On The Railroad (Book Review), Linda Niemann
Working On The Railroad (Book Review), Linda Niemann
Linda G. Niemann
Review of the book "Working on the Railroad", by Brian Solomon. Osceola, WI: Voyageur Press, 2006.
Women In Railroading, Linda Niemann, Shirley Burman
Women In Railroading, Linda Niemann, Shirley Burman
Linda G. Niemann
No abstract provided.
Solomon's House, Stephen Asma
Solomon's House, Stephen Asma
Stephen T Asma
The article discusses the author's experience of touring the Creation Museum in Kentucky, which was opened in May 2007. He met the museum's director Ken A. Ham, and asked him various questions about the art exhibits. He inquired about the capacity of Noah's ark to carry all pairs of animals in it, and notes that the museum is scaling back the universe. He also shared that the biggest challenge facing the museum is making people see the difference in using the present method and one's belief.
Against Transcendentalism: The Meaning Of Life And Buddhism, Stephen Asma
Against Transcendentalism: The Meaning Of Life And Buddhism, Stephen Asma
Stephen T Asma
From the 1970s cult TV show, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, to the current hit musical Spamalot, the Monty Python comedy troupe has been at the center of popular culture and entertainment. The Pythons John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam are increasingly recognized and honored for their creativity and enduring influence in the worlds of comedy and film. Monty Python and Philosophy extends that recognition into the world of philosophy. Fifteen experts in topics like mythology, Buddhism, feminism, logic, ethics, and the philosophy of science bring their expertise to bear on Python movies such …
My Teaching Experience In Cambodia, Stephen Asma
A Source Of Our Wealth, Yet Adverse To Our Health? Butter And The Diet-Heart Link In New Zealand To C. 1990, Frances Steel
A Source Of Our Wealth, Yet Adverse To Our Health? Butter And The Diet-Heart Link In New Zealand To C. 1990, Frances Steel
Frances Steel
No abstract provided.
'Mass Delusion' Or 'True Myth'? Pbs Considers The Question Of God, Stephen Asma
'Mass Delusion' Or 'True Myth'? Pbs Considers The Question Of God, Stephen Asma
Stephen T Asma
The Question of God is a new 4-hour miniseries from PBS. It is based on a long-running course taught by Harvard University psychiatry professor Armand Nicholi that compares the biographies and theories of Sigmund Freud, skeptic, and C. S. Lewis, believer. On balance, the miniseries succeeds as an introduction to complex issues.
Is 'The Blues' Black Enough?, Stephen Asma
Is 'The Blues' Black Enough?, Stephen Asma
Stephen T Asma
Reviews the television program "The Blues."