Smith College
University of Pennsylvania
Amherst College
The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Seattle University School of Law
Georgia State University
US Army War College
Lynchburg College
Trinity College, Hartford Connecticut
University of Calabar
On Virtue Ethics Theory And Elementary Music Education,
2023
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
On Virtue Ethics Theory And Elementary Music Education, Joshua Burgos
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
This dissertation uses virtue ethics theory, teacher research method, and self-study to examine how I perceive myself as contributing to cultivating virtuous persons. Virtue ethics theory, teacher research method, and self-study are empirical, using concrete methods of data generation and analysis, and conceptual, relating to studying philosophical research, ideas, and interpretations (Annas, 2007; Check & Schutt, 2012; Kemmis & McTaggart, 1988). The study aimed to discover how virtue is cultivated through music education and improve teaching practice using virtue ethics theory and empirical research to offer insight into how virtue is cultivated. The study was conducted in an elementary school …
Self-Inflicted Frankfurt-Style Cases And Flickers Of Freedom,
2023
Chapman University
Self-Inflicted Frankfurt-Style Cases And Flickers Of Freedom, Michael Robinson
Philosophy Faculty Articles and Research
According to the most popular versions of the flicker defense, Frankfurt-style cases fail to undermine the Principle of Alternative Possibilities (PAP) because agents in these cases are (directly) morally responsible not for making the decisions they make but for making these decisions on their own, which is something they could have avoided doing. Frankfurt defenders have primarily focused on trying to show that the alternative possibility of refraining from making the relevant decisions on their own is not a robust alternative, while generally granting that this alternative cannot easily be eliminated from successful cases of this sort. In a …
Is There Really Anything Wrong With That? An Aristotelian Analysis Of Duty,
2023
Georgia Southern University
Is There Really Anything Wrong With That? An Aristotelian Analysis Of Duty, Luke J. Mcgrath
Honors College Theses
In the iconic Seinfeld series finale, Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer find themselves in a peculiar legal predicament when they mock a crime rather than intervene to help the victim. The show’s commitment to portraying reality, even in its finale, vividly demonstrates the potential consequences of a society lacking the legal obligation to aid others. This comical incident raises a thought-provoking question about the legitimacy of duty-to-act laws in the United States. This thesis examines the application of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics to the concept of duty-to-act laws and argues for the necessity and benefits of such laws in promoting a …
The Profits Of (The Critique Of) Patriarchy: On Toxic Masculinity, Feminism, & Corporate Capitalism In The Barbie Movie,
2023
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
The Profits Of (The Critique Of) Patriarchy: On Toxic Masculinity, Feminism, & Corporate Capitalism In The Barbie Movie, Bryant W. Sculos
Class, Race and Corporate Power
This article explicates the political, social, economic, and cultural contribution of Barbie (2023). Through a critical and normative analysis of four different prominent reviews of the film, this essay explores the quality of discourse surrounding Barbie, with particular emphasis on its feminist critique of toxic masculinity and lack of a coherent criticism of capitalism.
Educating With Empathy: Empowering Students To Build Bridges Across Difference,
2023
Bethel University
Educating With Empathy: Empowering Students To Build Bridges Across Difference, Sara Shady
Day of Scholarship
This project explores the powerful role empathy can play in helping us constructively navigate the significant differences that often divide us in the 21st century (politics, race/ethnicity, religion, etc.). I define empathy as an intellectual and moral virtue, and defend its importance within the larger context of virtue ethics. I also explore practical ways to help students develop empathy in curricular and co-curricular settings.
Just War Theory: Foundation From Philosophical Underpinnings To Theological Integration And Its Application To The Ukrainian Conflict,
2023
Liberty University
Just War Theory: Foundation From Philosophical Underpinnings To Theological Integration And Its Application To The Ukrainian Conflict, Sarah G. Beddingfield
Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy
On February 24th, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine with the intent to annex the neighboring country into the Russian fold. This unprovoked action took the world by surprise bringing about a whirl of questions surrounding why and how this could occur. The concept of just war theory resurfaced as the global debate ensued over whether Russia was justified in its violent actions. This research aims to analyze the origins, Biblical integration, and modern form of just war theory. Following a foundational understanding of the theory itself, the research is then applied to the case study of the Russian invasion of Ukraine …
Ways In Which Indigenous People’S History In Canada Evince Epistemic Injustice And Resistance,
2023
University of Windsor
Ways In Which Indigenous People’S History In Canada Evince Epistemic Injustice And Resistance, Alisha Jacobs
Major Papers
When it comes to Western academia, Indigenous Peoples around the world have been and continue to be marginalized, especially in terms of representation within the literature. Therefore, this research paper will help remedy this issue by exploring epistemic injustice and the way in which epistemic injustice has and continues to harm Canada’s Indigenous Peoples. It will highlight four different lenses brought forward by Gaile Pohlhaus, Jr. as her framework allows for the representation of many different forms of epistemic injustice, while also acknowledging that no one approach is absolute. Resistance to epistemic injustice by the Indigenous Peoples will be addressed …
Darkness Leaping Out Of Light: Anti-Metaphysics And The Paradoxical Negative Affix In Moby-Dick,
2023
University of California, Berkeley
Darkness Leaping Out Of Light: Anti-Metaphysics And The Paradoxical Negative Affix In Moby-Dick, Bryce N. Wallace
International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities
This paper argues that the varied philosophical beliefs that are present in the discourse of Moby-Dick’s characters are met with discursive resistance at the level of the novel’s form. Though a range of metaphysical arguments are posited by the characters as they explore the unknown, Melville’s use of negative linguistic constructions refutes the entire range of metaphysical beliefs by displaying the paradoxical and impossible nature of the primary subject that metaphysicians ponder—the unknown. I propose that in trying to comprehend “the unknown” humans unavoidably create something out of nothing then deem it unknowable and therefore fail to grant it …
Kierkegaard And The Assumptions Of Philosophy,
2023
Western University
Kierkegaard And The Assumptions Of Philosophy, Ryan K. Shea
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
This thesis explores the philosophy of early existentialist Søren Kierkegaard as implicitly critiquing the assumed essence of objectivity both directly understood as Absolute Truth in a classically Hegelian sense, but also in a more oblique meta-textual fashion in the presence of his varied pseudonymity. The first chapter takes on classical readings of Kierkegaard as a philosophy of stages—sometimes as aesthetic-ethical-religious, or otherwise despairing-anxious-faithful—and offers the alternative comprehension of a philosophy of moods which encompasses all these same “stages” as existing in and through each other in subjective existence. In the second chapter, I take the traditional reading of stages and …
Cover, Title Page, Table Of Contents, Introduction,
2023
University of Dayton
Cover, Title Page, Table Of Contents, Introduction, Messay Kebede
Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments
This book examines and theoretically articulates the various facets and crucial phases of Ethiopia’s encounter with the modern world and the challenges its efforts to modernize faced during the course of three consecutive yet highly divergent political regimes. These phases roughly correspond to Haile Selassie’s and post-Haile Selassie’s Ethiopia, with the post-period spreading over two milestones, namely, the revolutionary shift of the Provisional Military Administrative Council (the Derg) and the no less critical reshaping of the Ethiopian political system by an ethnonationalist agenda subsequent to the Tigray People's Liberation Front’s (TPLF) seizure of state power. Despite their drastic differences, a …
Chapter I — On Theories Of Modernization,
2023
University of Dayton
Chapter I — On Theories Of Modernization, Messay Kebede
Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments
The vast literature pertaining to development and modernity discloses philosophical questions that instigate the controversies dividing the various theories of modernization. Of these philosophical issues, the most crucial and recurrent is the question of the prime factor or mover of modernization. The reason for the philosophical issue of primacy derives from the fact that modernization involves cultural as well as socioeconomic changes. Following the philosophical distinction between the spiritual and the material, the clash between the two basic schools of idealism and materialism frames the philosophical approach around the question of knowing whether the prime cause of modernization is cultural …
Chapter Ii — Survey Of Ethiopia’S Survival: Definition And Controversies,
2023
University of Dayton
Chapter Ii — Survey Of Ethiopia’S Survival: Definition And Controversies, Messay Kebede
Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments
The last chapter has unraveled the close link between modernization and the emergence of a survival ethos among ruling elites of traditional societies in transition. To approach the case of Ethiopia’s modernization from the same angle of explanation, it is necessary first to make sure that some groups among Ethiopian ruling elites had shown a propensity that could be defined as a salvational will. Sure enough, any ruling elite wants to protect the social order that benefits it. However, the salvational will, as defined in the previous chapter, is less the desire to perpetuate the status quo than the will …
Chapter Iii — The Ethiopian Forces Of Survival,
2023
University of Dayton
Chapter Iii — The Ethiopian Forces Of Survival, Messay Kebede
Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments
To account for the protracted endurance of Ethiopia, the last chapter hinted at two requisites, namely, a system of power suited for defense and the sense of shouldering a mandate. Such a successful record, in addition to presupposing a robust and effective ability for self-defense, necessitates a leadership that feels entrusted with a mission. From a cursory examination of Ethiopian history, one can confidently surmise that, at least until the overthrow of the last emperor, Ethiopia survived for so long thanks to a system of power that was protective of survival and bearer of a mission. The system rested on …
Chapter Iv — Eurocentric Versus Ethio-Centric Approaches To Ethiopia’S Modernization Lag: The Concept Of Derailment,
2023
University of Dayton
Chapter Iv — Eurocentric Versus Ethio-Centric Approaches To Ethiopia’S Modernization Lag: The Concept Of Derailment, Messay Kebede
Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments
After studying the link between survival and modernization, the next logical step is to provide concrete answers to the question of why Ethiopia’s impressive record of survival failed to initiate a successful process of modernization. In fact, the greater the resolution to survive, the more determined should have been the drive toward modernization. Yet, not only is Ethiopia still ranked among the poorest countries, but it is also entangled in numerous internal conflicts, the primary consequence of which is an unending political instability threatening its very existence. However, before delving into the reasons for the Ethiopian failure to modernize, we …
Chapter V — Derailed Modernization: The Imperial Phase,
2023
University of Dayton
Chapter V — Derailed Modernization: The Imperial Phase, Messay Kebede
Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments
The critical review of the explanation of the failure of Ethiopian modernization from the perspective of modernization theory, that is, from the alleged contrast between tradition and modernity, has revealed that the concept of derailed modernization is more appropriate than the argument stating that inherent defects prevented Ethiopia’s modernization. The expression “derailed” puts the blame not so much on inner obstacles as on the spoiling of assets and opportunities. The change of approach speaks of engagement into a wandering path, the outcome of which was and still is the multiplication of difficulties. Indeed, obstacles hinder, but they can also be …
Chapter Vi —The Radicalization Of Ethiopian Students,
2023
University of Dayton
Chapter Vi —The Radicalization Of Ethiopian Students, Messay Kebede
Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments
When one analyzes the Ethiopian Revolution of 1974, the aspect that needs to be primarily explained is not so much the uprising against the imperial regime as its precipitous shift toward socialist demands and slogans. Many unsolved problems liable to provoke widespread discontents saddled the regime. None of them, however, required or invited a socialist revolution per se. The decisive impulse toward a socialist revolution came undoubtedly from the Ethiopian student movement. Accordingly, any inquiry about the revolution must begin by unraveling the reasons that brought about the radicalization of a great majority of Ethiopian students and intellectuals. A compelling …
Chapter Vii — The Overthrow Of The Imperial Regime,
2023
University of Dayton
Chapter Vii — The Overthrow Of The Imperial Regime, Messay Kebede
Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments
In distinction to the tendency of imputing the delay of Ethiopian modernization to the lack of social peace, which was used as a pretext to institute and justify imperial absolutism, the radicalization of students, in line with the unadulterated principle “modernity versus tradition, blamed the presence of traditional features, notably the impeding role of the “feudal” class, the anachronism of the imperial state, and the obscurantist influence of the church, for the general failure of Ethiopian modernization. The students’ standpoint assumed the ideological leadership of the social protests and spread the conviction that Marxist-Leninist socialism is the only remedy to …
Chapter Viii — Derailed Modernization: The Derg’S Phase,
2023
University of Dayton
Chapter Viii — Derailed Modernization: The Derg’S Phase, Messay Kebede
Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments
The cultural trait making higher social positions into contested temporary occupations (see Chapter III on idil) should have found, in the modernization process of evicting outdated, anti-modern occupants, an even better opportunity to vent itself. In the traditional system, power struggles opposed ambitious individuals who shared common values and a mutual understanding of social life. The struggle did not go beyond the act of changing places in a fixed social framework. However, as a result of the impact of exogenous modern ideas, the struggle shifted to a confrontation between elites with different ideologies and social programs. These elites want to …
Chapter Ix — Derailed Modernization: The Ethnonationalist Phase,
2023
University of Dayton
Chapter Ix — Derailed Modernization: The Ethnonationalist Phase, Messay Kebede
Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments
The last chapter concluded with the generalized expectation that the fall of the Derg would set in motion some form of democratization dismantling the wide-ranging restrictions of the existing socialist system, even if there was uncertainty about the real political program of the victorious Tigrean insurgents. Despite promises of democratization, it did not take long for people to realize that Ethiopia was heading for yet another version of hegemonic rule, this one replacing the class ideology of the previous regime with ethnonationalism. As though a curse were on it, Ethiopia’s modernization will once more stumble over an ideology and a …
Chapter X — Where To, Ethiopia?,
2023
University of Dayton
Chapter X — Where To, Ethiopia?, Messay Kebede
Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments
In the wake of the dethronement of the TPLF, Ethiopia was presented with four options arising from the implementation of ethnonationalist ideology and policies for 27 years. The options have generated politico-ideological movements that compete for the seizure of power in Ethiopia. Broadly speaking, these movements can be viewed as different stands in relation to Article 39 of the constitution granting ethnic groups an unconditional right to self-determination, including secession (see previous chapter). Let us briefly examine the four positions with the view of clearly demarcating the lines separating them.
