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2013

Philosophy

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Full-Text Articles in Philosophy

Speaking The Language Of Destiny: Heidegger’S Conversation(S) With Hölderlin, James Magrini Dec 2013

Speaking The Language Of Destiny: Heidegger’S Conversation(S) With Hölderlin, James Magrini

James M Magrini

This essay offers the reader a unique interpretation of Heidegger’s notion of authentic destiny as it develops in the Hölderlin lectures and essays written in the 1930s through the 1950s. Ultimately, for Heidegger, the destiny of Germany, and perhaps beyond, that of humanity, is contingent on the receptivity of a people to the founding and grounding words of the “poet of poets” Hölderlin, who calls Dasein to participate in the awakening to a future that is as of yet indeterminate and historical in the highest degree, wherein, attuned by Hölderlin’s poetry, participants resolutely anticipate the potential “historical” arrival of Being …


State Of The Field: Why Novel Prediction Matters, P.D. Magnus, Heather Douglas Dec 2013

State Of The Field: Why Novel Prediction Matters, P.D. Magnus, Heather Douglas

Philosophy Faculty Scholarship

It has become commonplace to say that novel predictive success is not epistemically special. Its value over accommodation, if it has any, is taken to be superficial or derivative. We argue that the value of predictive success is indeed instrumental. Nevertheless, it is a powerful instrument that provides significant epistemic assurances at many different levels. Even though these assurances are in principle dispensable, real science is rarely (if ever) in the position to confidently obtain them in other ways. So we argue for a pluralist instrumental predictivism: novel predictive success is important for inferences from data to phenomena, from phenomena …


What Scientists Know Is Not A Function Of What Scientists Know, P.D. Magnus Dec 2013

What Scientists Know Is Not A Function Of What Scientists Know, P.D. Magnus

Philosophy Faculty Scholarship

There are two senses of ‘what scientists know’: An individual sense (the separate opinions of individual scientists) and a collective sense (the state of the discipline). The latter is what matters for policy and planning, but it is not something that can be directly observed or reported. A function can be defined to map individual judgments onto an aggregate judgment. I argue that such a function cannot effectively capture community opinion, especially in cases that matter to us.


Digital Disruptions: An Interview With D. E. Wittkower, D. E. Wittkower, The Editors Of Interstitial Journal Dec 2013

Digital Disruptions: An Interview With D. E. Wittkower, D. E. Wittkower, The Editors Of Interstitial Journal

Philosophy Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Love, Reason, And Romantic Relationships, Justin Leonard Clardy Dec 2013

Love, Reason, And Romantic Relationships, Justin Leonard Clardy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The capacity to love is without a doubt one of the most prized features of our existence. However, love offers us a wide range of complex questions with very few answers. Yet, it is important that we get an accurate view of love because knowing what to love and how to live aids us in trying to manage our lives sensibly. In this paper, I plan to present a reasons-responsive account of romantic love that involves the valuing of qualities that the beloved has as well as the valuing of the relationship shared with the beloved. I will also show …


An Awareness Of What Is Missing: Four Views On The Consequences Of Secularism, Rachel E. Hunt Steenblik, Heidi Zameni, Debbie Ostorga, Nathan Greeley Nov 2013

An Awareness Of What Is Missing: Four Views On The Consequences Of Secularism, Rachel E. Hunt Steenblik, Heidi Zameni, Debbie Ostorga, Nathan Greeley

LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University

While the issues regarding widespread secularization in contemporary Western culture are difficult to properly assess, it can be argued that certain prerequisites are necessary for the well-being of any society and, furthermore, that certain of these necessary conditions are only provided by a given civilization's major religious tradition. All societies need to perpetually engage in collective action and decision making, and as any given community faces the challenges of the future, its governing religious worldview is an indispensable source of guidance and time-honored wisdom. With this in mind, it will be argued that Western civilization is dependent upon a Judeo-Christian …


Teleology And Moral Action In Kant's Philosophy Of Culture., Jeffrey Wilson Nov 2013

Teleology And Moral Action In Kant's Philosophy Of Culture., Jeffrey Wilson

Jeffrey L. Wilson

No abstract provided.


Review Of The Connected Self: The Ethics And Governance Of The Genetic Individual By Heather Widdows, William Simkulet Nov 2013

Review Of The Connected Self: The Ethics And Governance Of The Genetic Individual By Heather Widdows, William Simkulet

Philosophy and Religious Studies Department Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


La Feminidad Como Objeto Artístico. Un Apunte Sobre Clayton Cubitt Y Su “Hysterical Literature”, Mariado Hinojosa Oct 2013

La Feminidad Como Objeto Artístico. Un Apunte Sobre Clayton Cubitt Y Su “Hysterical Literature”, Mariado Hinojosa

Mariado Hinojosa

No abstract provided.


“The Diffusion Of Light”: Jefferson’S Philosophy Of Education, M. Andrew Holowchak Oct 2013

“The Diffusion Of Light”: Jefferson’S Philosophy Of Education, M. Andrew Holowchak

Democracy and Education

Jefferson's republicanism—a people-first, mostly bottom-up political vision with a moral underpinning—was critically dependent on general education for the citizenry and higher education for those who would govern. This paper contains an analysis of Jefferson’s general philosophy of pedagogy by enumerating some of its most fundamental principles, applicable to both elementary and higher education.


Remembering Daya Krishna And G. C. Pande: Two Giants Of Post-Independence Indian Philosophy, Jay L. Garfield, Arindam Chakrabarti Oct 2013

Remembering Daya Krishna And G. C. Pande: Two Giants Of Post-Independence Indian Philosophy, Jay L. Garfield, Arindam Chakrabarti

Philosophy: Faculty Publications

Daya Krishna was the public face of Indian philosophy in the first half-century after Indian independence. Nobody on the Indian scene in that period came close to him in influence or in contribution to the profession. Nobody else in the world thought as hard or as fruitfully about the relation of Indian philosophy to that of the rest of the world, and nobody else dared to think as creatively and even as heretically about the history of Indian philosophy itself. This special issue of Philosophy East and West commemorates G. C. Pande and Daya Krishna as philosophers. But we would …


The Metaphysics Of Causation In The Creation Accounts Of Avicenna And Aquinas, Julie Ann Swanstrom Oct 2013

The Metaphysics Of Causation In The Creation Accounts Of Avicenna And Aquinas, Julie Ann Swanstrom

Open Access Dissertations

The medieval conception of monotheistic creation is this: God voluntarily creates the universe from nothing. Endorsed by medieval philosophers, this conception of creation is in tension with their understanding of causation more generally. Each theory of causation available--Aristotelian efficient causation in which an agent acts upon a patient, and Neoplatonic emanation in which beings are produced through a series of emanations--have attractive explanatory features, but neither theory aligns perfectly with divine creation. Since God acts to create, efficient causation seems to include creating; yet, efficient causation is not causation ex nihilo. Since emanation accounts for producing being ex nihilo, it …


Idea-Making And Crises: Contradictions Between The Presentation, Argumentation And Form Of Ideas In Selected Works Of Descartes And Voltaire, Lauren Clark Sep 2013

Idea-Making And Crises: Contradictions Between The Presentation, Argumentation And Form Of Ideas In Selected Works Of Descartes And Voltaire, Lauren Clark

Journal of Franco-Irish Studies

No abstract provided.


The 200,000 Cards Of Dimitri Yurasov: Further Reflections On Scholarship And Truth, Daniel A. Farber, Suzanna Sherry Sep 2013

The 200,000 Cards Of Dimitri Yurasov: Further Reflections On Scholarship And Truth, Daniel A. Farber, Suzanna Sherry

Daniel A Farber

No abstract provided.


Philosophy And Catholic Theology, Jack E. Mulder Jr. Aug 2013

Philosophy And Catholic Theology, Jack E. Mulder Jr.

Faculty Presentations

My current projects are all knit together by the overlap between philosophy and Catholic theology. I have recently published work on Mary’s Immaculate Conception, the abortion debate, and sexual ethics. I currently have a manuscript under review titled Conversational Catholicism: An Invitation to Dialogue.


On The Permanence Of Heideggerian Authenticity, Seth Daves Aug 2013

On The Permanence Of Heideggerian Authenticity, Seth Daves

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this essay I pose the following question: is Heideggerian authenticity permanent? To investigate this question I begin with a thorough analysis of what Heidegger means by authenticity. Afterwards I look into the leading figures within the field, seeking guidance in answering the question of the permanence of Heideggerian authenticity. Ultimately I conclude that an amended version of John Haugeland's analysis of resoluteness gives rise to the affirmative response to my question. I conclude by investigating potential problems concluding that Heideggerian authenticity is permanent.


The Concept Of Tradition: A Problem Out Of Macintyre, Philip E. Devine Jul 2013

The Concept Of Tradition: A Problem Out Of Macintyre, Philip E. Devine

Philosophy Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Remembering And Misremembering Hypatia: The Lessons Of Agora, Donald W. Viney Jul 2013

Remembering And Misremembering Hypatia: The Lessons Of Agora, Donald W. Viney

Faculty Submissions

The film Agora tells a somewhat fictionalized version of the story of Hypatia of Alexandria (d. 415). I raise and attempt to answer the question whether it is good historical fiction. After summarizing what is known from the historical record about Hypatia, my answer to the question is a qualified affirmative. I note the various historical details that the film preserves. The liberties that the film takes with her story are, by turns, problematic (e.g. reinforcing the view of a fundamental conflict between reason and faith), enlightening (e.g. in the introduction of the fictional character of Davus), unfair (e.g. in …


An Exploration Of The Impact That Postmodernism Has On Competition In Sport, Shara Crow Jul 2013

An Exploration Of The Impact That Postmodernism Has On Competition In Sport, Shara Crow

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact that postmodernism has on competition in sport. Previous studies compartmentalized social thought and competition in sport. This study appreciates that the two are connected, and it is through this connectedness that the impact emerges. By describing, finding, and analyzing relationships through text as well as notating text iteratively, it was found through a postmodernist critical awareness to meta-narratives that sport is expressed in two main themes: (a) identity (b) and hierarchy/authority. Moreover, both of these themes are interrelated to social interaction. These findings indicate that social interpretation impacts the complex …


The Joycean Sublime, Anthony Moreno Jun 2013

The Joycean Sublime, Anthony Moreno

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of my thesis is to analyze notions of the sublime in James Joyce’s Ulysses and how the sublime is evoked and presented in Joyce’s work. The present work will examine concepts of the sublime from the Classical and Medieval period, through the Enlightenment, and into the Romantic era to develop my own definition. Placing the sublime in a historical perspective allows me to discover how the sublime is at work through Joyce’s creative use of complex narrative approaches. The beauty of aesthetic perfection was achieved by employing all of Joyce’s artistic faculties. My thesis investigates how Ulysses’ experimental …


Nietzsche’S Place In Nineteenth Century German Philosophy, Michael S. Green Jun 2013

Nietzsche’S Place In Nineteenth Century German Philosophy, Michael S. Green

Michael S. Green

No abstract provided.


The Real Legal Realism, Michael S. Green Jun 2013

The Real Legal Realism, Michael S. Green

Popular Media

No abstract provided.


Gabriel Marcel And American Philosophy, David W. Rodick Jun 2013

Gabriel Marcel And American Philosophy, David W. Rodick

Faculty Scholarship

Gabriel Marcel's thought is deeply informed by the American philosophical tradition. Marcel's earliest work focused upon the idealism of Josiah Royce. By the time Marcel completed his Royce writings, he had moved beyond idealism and adopted a form of metaphysical realism attributed to William Ernest Hocking. Marcel also developed a longstanding relationship with the American philosopher Henry Bugbee. These important philosophical relationships will be examined through the Marcellian themes of ontological exigence, intersubjective being, and secondary reflection. Marcel's relationships with these philosophers are not serendipitous. They are expressions of Marcel's deep Christian faith


Seeing Flight: Ancient Greek Theories Of Vision And Their Application To Winged Sculptures, Jessica John Jun 2013

Seeing Flight: Ancient Greek Theories Of Vision And Their Application To Winged Sculptures, Jessica John

Honors Theses

Ancient Greek philosophers attempted to understand and describe the way by which humans see. Each of the greatest philosophers of the time, including Plato, Leucippus, and Aristotle, had an innovative theory of vision. The number of theories demonstrates the importance the Greeks placed on comprehending how the image of the world was imprinted on the mind. With an understanding of how the body physically sees, the theories can be expanded to determine how the Greeks interpreted their surroundings, specifically sculptures. This thesis will examine the leading theories of the visual process and subsequently apply them to how the Greeks saw …


The Failure Of Certainty: Why Economics Needs Rhetoric, Jerry Petersen May 2013

The Failure Of Certainty: Why Economics Needs Rhetoric, Jerry Petersen

OSSA Conference Archive

Privileging deductive first principles over inductive contingencies, I argue, contributed to the economic meltdown of late and will continue to limit the range of reasonable solutions available to solve entrenched economic problems. I cite Toulmin’s critique of scientific certainty and the rancor over the demise of the ninth planet Pluto to posit a role for rhetoric in making valid claims across all fields of study, calling for more productive uncertainty subject to vigorous argumentation.


What Argumentation (Theory) Can Do For Philosophy In The 21st Century, Henrique Jales Ribeiro May 2013

What Argumentation (Theory) Can Do For Philosophy In The 21st Century, Henrique Jales Ribeiro

OSSA Conference Archive

The author holds that the old theory according to which philosophy is the matrix of argumentation studies must be entirely reviewed currently. He argues that argumentation theory, as an interdisciplinary domain, may start playing, in new terms, the role which ― in the Cartesian tree ― was that of philosophy as the trunk of the different branches of human knowledge, as long as a set of requirements, which he lists, were met.


Robot Ethics: Mapping The Issues For A Mechanized World, Patrick Lin, Keith Abney, George Bekey May 2013

Robot Ethics: Mapping The Issues For A Mechanized World, Patrick Lin, Keith Abney, George Bekey

Keith Abney

As with other emerging technologies, advanced robotics brings with it new ethical and policy challenges. This paper will describe the flourishing role of robots in society—from security to sex—and survey the numerous ethical and social issues, which we locate in three broad categories: safety & errors, law & ethics, and social impact. We discuss many of these issues in greater detail in our forthcoming edited volume on robot ethics from MIT Press.


Ralph Waldo Emerson: From Buddhism To Transcendentalism, The Beginning Of An American Literary Tradition, Irene Jue May 2013

Ralph Waldo Emerson: From Buddhism To Transcendentalism, The Beginning Of An American Literary Tradition, Irene Jue

English

No abstract provided.


Hume, Skepticism, And Induction, Jason Thomas Collins May 2013

Hume, Skepticism, And Induction, Jason Thomas Collins

Theses and Dissertations

This paper concerns the following interpretative problem: Hume's most explicit arguments in both the Treatise and the Enquiry strongly suggest that he is a skeptic about inductive reasoning. This, indeed, has been the traditional interpretation. And yet, Hume engages in and explicitly endorses inductive reasoning throughout his works. I examine two prominent attempts to reconcile these features of Hume's position. One group of commentators, the descriptivists, argues that Hume is not concerned with whether we ought to accept inductive beliefs; he is only concerned with the psychological causes of such beliefs. Because Hume is not concerned with the normative epistemic …


Democracy And Scientific Expertise: Illusions Of Political And Epistemic Inclusion, J.D. Trout May 2013

Democracy And Scientific Expertise: Illusions Of Political And Epistemic Inclusion, J.D. Trout

Philosophy: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Realizing the ideal of democracy requires political inclusion for citizens. A legitimate democracy must give citizens the opportunity to express their attitudes about the relative attractions of different policies, and access to political mechanisms through which they can be counted and heard. Actual governance often aims not at accurate belief, but at nonepistemic factors like achieving and maintaining institutional stability, creating the feeling of government legitimacy among citizens, or managing access to influence on policy decision-making. I examine the traditional relationship between inclusiveness and accuracy, and illustrate this connection by discussing empirical work on how group decision-making can improve accuracy. …