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Articles 1 - 30 of 62
Full-Text Articles in Philosophy
Ua101/1 Society For Values In Higher Education Bylaws / Charter, Wku Archives
Ua101/1 Society For Values In Higher Education Bylaws / Charter, Wku Archives
WKU Archives Collection Inventories
Bylaws and charter documents created by The Society for Values in Higher Education
Ua101/5 Society For Values In Higher Education Publications, Wku Archives
Ua101/5 Society For Values In Higher Education Publications, Wku Archives
WKU Archives Collection Inventories
Publications of The Society for Values in Higher Education.
"Turn In Your Bible To...": Examining Rhetorical Agency In Sermonic Discourse, Marshall Thomas Covert
"Turn In Your Bible To...": Examining Rhetorical Agency In Sermonic Discourse, Marshall Thomas Covert
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Rhetorical agency is an ideologically contentious facet within communication and rhetorical research. While its importance in scholarship can be traced back to early works by Kenneth Burke and Pierre Bourdieu, debate continues regarding the source of agency, how it is enacted in rhetorical application and communication, and who/what can claim responsibility for the communication practices one may utilize in enacting their respective levels of agency. Thus, the ways in which the rhetoric of popular, influential individuals/antecedents affects the rhetorical agency and invention practices of those without significant levels of influence must be examined. American Christianity, in particular the culture created …
Ua68/11/2 Potter College Of Arts & Letters Philosophy & Religion Administration, Wku Archives
Ua68/11/2 Potter College Of Arts & Letters Philosophy & Religion Administration, Wku Archives
WKU Archives Collection Inventories
Administrative records created by and about the department of Philosophy & Religion.
Ua68/11/3 Potter College Of Arts & Letters Philosophy & Religion Student Organizations, Wku Archives
Ua68/11/3 Potter College Of Arts & Letters Philosophy & Religion Student Organizations, Wku Archives
WKU Archives Collection Inventories
Records created by and about student organizations in the Philosophy & Religion Department. This includes the Philosophy Club.
Ua68/11/1 Philosophy & Religion News, Vol. 7, No. 3, Wku Philosophy & Religion
Ua68/11/1 Philosophy & Religion News, Vol. 7, No. 3, Wku Philosophy & Religion
WKU Archives Records
WKU Philosophy & Religion newsletter regarding activities of faculty, staff, students and alumni.
The Creation Of Daoism, Paul Fischer
The Creation Of Daoism, Paul Fischer
Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications
This paper examines the creation of Daoism in its earliest, pre-Eastern Han period. After an examination of the critical terms "scholar/master" and "author/ school", I argue that, given the paucity of evidence, Sima Tan and Liu Xin should be credited with creating this tradition. The body of this article considers the definitions of Daoism given by these two scholars and all of the extant texts that Liu Xin classified as "Daoist." Based on these texts, I then suggest an amended definition of Daoism. In the conclusion, I address the recent claim that the daojia /daijiao dichotomy is false, speculating that …
Ua68/11/1 Potter College Of Arts & Letters Philosophy & Religion Publications, Wku Archives
Ua68/11/1 Potter College Of Arts & Letters Philosophy & Religion Publications, Wku Archives
WKU Archives Collection Inventories
Publications created by and about the department of Philosophy & Religion.
Tradition And Change: Two Buddhisms In The Bible Belt Sharing Common Ground Through Adaptation, Jonathan Spence
Tradition And Change: Two Buddhisms In The Bible Belt Sharing Common Ground Through Adaptation, Jonathan Spence
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
This thesis examines how some American and Burmese forms of Buddhism in the Bible Belt today share common ground through a process of adaptation. Exploring tradition and change, I reveal how change often requires adaptation. Utilizing ethnographic research conducted in south central Kentucky and middle Tennessee, I argue that some Burmese and American forms of Buddhism in the Bible Belt experience change through three aspects of adaptation. These consist of reduction, syncretism, and preservation. I explore these three aspects through interviews and observations of immigrant Burmese Buddhist monks and American Buddhist meditation leaders. In doing so, I also examine the …
Being Hindu In The American South: Hindu Nationalist Discourse In A Diaspora Community, Daniel J. Shouse
Being Hindu In The American South: Hindu Nationalist Discourse In A Diaspora Community, Daniel J. Shouse
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
According to a recent Pew poll approximately 97% of all Hindus live in the countries of India and Nepal. However, there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Hindus living in other parts of the world. Across the United States, Hindu temples are joining the religious landscape of the country. They are often greeted as signifiers of a “model minority” by the mainstream because of Asian American economic success. However, as religious and racial minorities, Indian immigrants and Indian Americans just as frequently face ignorance and discrimination. This rejection by mainstream society, combined with a desire to reconnect with …
Shinto: An Experience Of Being At Home In The World With Nature And With Others, Marcus Evans
Shinto: An Experience Of Being At Home In The World With Nature And With Others, Marcus Evans
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
This study discloses Shinto’s experiential and existential significance and aims to articulate Shinto’s sacred objective. It shows that Shinto, by way of experience, communicates being in the world with nature and with others as a sacred objective. This suggests that Shinto, in communicating its objective, appeals to the emotions more so than to the intellect; and that Shinto’s sacred objective does not transcend the natural world of both nature and everyday affairs. This study pursues this goal by showing the experiential and existential dimensions of the three primary features of Shinto: it shows how kami (or kami-ness) is thought of …
Star Spangled Saints: Ritual Practices That Legitimate War And Violence In The American Church, Terry Dewayne Shoemaker
Star Spangled Saints: Ritual Practices That Legitimate War And Violence In The American Church, Terry Dewayne Shoemaker
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
The objective of this research is to analyze the ways in which the conservative,
American church has been ideologically and ritualistically shaped by an imperial culture enamored with war, the military, and violence; and how those positions and practices, in effect, legitimate war and the military. While many authors have surveyed historical Christian positions regarding war and the current nationalistic tendencies of conservative Christians, little research has been conducted to assess the effects of violence, nationalism, patriotism, and military enchantment on Christian rituals, practices, and ethos. Within this research, I argue that contemporary, conservative Christians have surpassed previously held nuanced …
When God Dies: Deconversion From Theism As Analogous To The Experience Of Death, William David Simpson
When God Dies: Deconversion From Theism As Analogous To The Experience Of Death, William David Simpson
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
In this thesis, I explore the psychological and experiential aspects of the shift from a supernatural theistic worldview (specifically born-again Christianity) to a
philosophically naturalistic and atheistic worldview in the context of the religious
landscape in the U.S. I posit that certain features of this transition, which is known as "deconversion,” can be thought of as potentially analogous, both psychologically and subjectively, to the experience of another's death as an objective environmental change. I provide anthropological and psychological evidence that believers often experience the God of born-again Christianity as an independently existing and active agent in the world. The similarities …
Ua35/11 Honors Program, Wku Archives
Ua35/11 Honors Program, Wku Archives
WKU Archives Collection Inventories
Records created by and about the Honors Program. Includes brochures, awards programs, student handbooks, newsletters and research publications.
Ua68/11 Philosophy & Religion News, Vol. 6, No. 2, Wku Philosophy & Religion
Ua68/11 Philosophy & Religion News, Vol. 6, No. 2, Wku Philosophy & Religion
WKU Archives Records
Newsletter regarding upcoming events and activities of the WKU Philosophy & Religion Department.
The Politics Of The Romanticization Of Popular Culture, Or, Going Ga-Ga Over Pop Culture: A Critical Theory Assessment, Eric Bain-Selbo
The Politics Of The Romanticization Of Popular Culture, Or, Going Ga-Ga Over Pop Culture: A Critical Theory Assessment, Eric Bain-Selbo
Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
The Politics Of The Romanticization Of Popular Culture, Or, Going Ga-Ga Over Pop Culture: A Critical Theory Assessment, Eric Bain-Selbo
The Politics Of The Romanticization Of Popular Culture, Or, Going Ga-Ga Over Pop Culture: A Critical Theory Assessment, Eric Bain-Selbo
Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Learning To Talk To An Other: Stories And Thoughts On Community Organizing In A Divided Nation, Greg James Capillo
Learning To Talk To An Other: Stories And Thoughts On Community Organizing In A Divided Nation, Greg James Capillo
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Unlike other fields of philosophy, we cannot simply agree to disagree about morality as practiced in politics. At some point, our moral values become policies that those who may not share those values must follow. The way we construct these disagreements and agreements then are vital to the continued functionality of our nation. In this essay, I will examine how John Rawls, Alasdair MacIntyre, and Jeffrey Stout construct the concept of justice and apply their thoughts to the dispute surrounding mountain top removal coal mining in Eastern Kentucky. John Rawls believes in a universally applicable, rationally generated form of justice. …
Roads To The Great Eucatastrophie: The Christian Mythology Of C.S. Lewis And J.R.R. Tolkien, Laura Ann Hess
Roads To The Great Eucatastrophie: The Christian Mythology Of C.S. Lewis And J.R.R. Tolkien, Laura Ann Hess
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
The purpose of this thesis is to analyze how C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien created mythology that is fundamentally Christian but in vastly different ways. This task will be accomplished by examining the childhood and early adult life of both Lewis and Tolkien, as well as the effect their close friendship had on their writing, and by performing a detailed literary analysis of some of their mythological works. After an introduction, the second and third chapters will scrutinize the elements of their childhood and adolescence that shaped their later mythology. The next chapter will look at the importance of their …
Sacrifice In A Post-Moral Society, Eric Bain-Selbo
Sacrifice In A Post-Moral Society, Eric Bain-Selbo
Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Popular Culture And The Denigration Of The Self, Eric Bain-Selbo
Popular Culture And The Denigration Of The Self, Eric Bain-Selbo
Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Intertextuality In Early Chinese Masters-Texts: Shared Narratives In Shi Zi, Paul Fischer
Intertextuality In Early Chinese Masters-Texts: Shared Narratives In Shi Zi, Paul Fischer
Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications
(Introduction) Prior to Chinese unification in 221 bc and the beginning of imperial history, there was a “golden age” of philosophical debate among various scholars about the best way to live life, construct a social contract, and act in harmony with heaven and earth. The most influential of these scholars, collectively called the “various masters,” or zhu zi 諸子, attracted disciples who recorded the teachings of their “masters” and passed these teachings on. These texts, collectively called “masters- texts” (zi shu 子書), became the bedrock of Chinese intellectual history.
Popular Culture And The Denigration Of The Self, Eric Bain-Selbo
Popular Culture And The Denigration Of The Self, Eric Bain-Selbo
Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Sacrifice In A Post-Moral Society, Eric Bain-Selbo
Sacrifice In A Post-Moral Society, Eric Bain-Selbo
Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Moral Communities In A Pluralistic Nation, Eric Bain-Selbo
Moral Communities In A Pluralistic Nation, Eric Bain-Selbo
Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Moral Communities In A Pluralistic Nation, Eric Bain-Selbo
Moral Communities In A Pluralistic Nation, Eric Bain-Selbo
Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Sport As The “Opiate Of The Masses”: College Football In The American South, Eric Bain-Selbo
Sport As The “Opiate Of The Masses”: College Football In The American South, Eric Bain-Selbo
Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications
Karl Marx famously describes religion as the “opiate of the masses.” Marx argues that religion is an ideological tool that legitimates and defends the interests of the dominant, wealthy classes in the population. It does so in part by placating the poor and exploited classes. Faced with an arduous and seemingly unjust life in this world, the poor and exploited at least can look forward to a more perfect existence in the afterlife. To reach that afterlife, however, one must peacefully and quietly persevere through life’s tribulation—respecting the life, liberty, and (especially) private property of others. In this way, religion …
“Texts Memorized, Texts Performed: A Reconsideration Of The Role Of Paritta In Sri Lankan Monastic Education.”, Jeffrey Samuels
“Texts Memorized, Texts Performed: A Reconsideration Of The Role Of Paritta In Sri Lankan Monastic Education.”, Jeffrey Samuels
Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications
During the past twenty years there has been a growing interest in monastic education within the larger field of Buddhist studies. Within the last ten years in particular, a number of monographs and articles examining the training and education of monks in Korea (Buswell [1992]), Tibet/India (Dreyfus [2003]), Thailand/Laos (Collins [1990], McDaniel [2002, 2003]), and Sri Lanka (Blackburn [1999a, 1999b, 2001] Samuels [2002]), have been published. Many of those works have paid particular attention to the texts used in monastic training, as well as to how the information contained in those very texts is imparted to and embodied by monks …
Attitudes Concerning Euthanasia Among Protestant Denominations, Greg Morgan
Attitudes Concerning Euthanasia Among Protestant Denominations, Greg Morgan
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
The purpose of this research was to uncover differences in attitudes among Protestant denominations concerning euthanasia. Variations in attitudes were viewed using social theories of religion by Emile Dukheim, Max Weber, Charles Glock, and Rodney Stark. These theories were used to establish a basis for variation among the Protestant denominations on social issues. A questionnaire was given to four Protestant Churches in a mid-sized city in Kentucky during the Spring of 1999. The sample of 134 respondents represented six different Protestant denominations. Logistic regression and factor analysis were used to analyze the data. Results suggest that pro-euthanasia attitudes are positively …
The Bodhisattva Ideal In Theravāda Buddhist Theory And Practice: A Reevaluation Of The Bodhisattva-Śrāvaka Opposition, Jeffrey Samuels
The Bodhisattva Ideal In Theravāda Buddhist Theory And Practice: A Reevaluation Of The Bodhisattva-Śrāvaka Opposition, Jeffrey Samuels
Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications
In the academic study of Buddhism the terms" Mahayana" and "Hinayana" are often set in contradiction to each other, and the two vehicles are described as having different aspirations, teachings, and practices. The distinctions made between the Mahayana and the Hinayana, how-ever, force the schools into neat, isolated, and independent categories that often undermine the complexities that exist concerning their beliefs, ideologies, and practices.