Vol 8 No 2 Editor's Words,
2017
San Jose State University
Vol 8 No 2 Contents Page,
2017
San Jose State University
Vol 8 No 2 Information Page,
2017
San Jose State University
Vol 8 No 2 Cover Page,
2017
San Jose State University
Public Artifacts, Empirical Vulnerability And Descriptive Metaphysics,
2017
University of Missouri, St. Louis
Public Artifacts, Empirical Vulnerability And Descriptive Metaphysics, Blake Davenport
Theses
Herein I argue that Amie Thomasson’s account of public artifacts is empirically vulnerable. I first identify the descriptive claims that feature in Thomasson’s argument and then outline an experimental framework in which the accuracy of those claims can be evaluated. I conclude with some brief remarks on the possible implications of my approach for Thomasson’s account, and some thoughts on whether an experimental approach to evaluating projects in descriptive metaphysics might be valuable more broadly.
Mediating The Theory And Practice Of Human Rights In Morality And Law,
2017
Loyola University Chicago
Mediating The Theory And Practice Of Human Rights In Morality And Law, David Ingram
Philosophy: Faculty Publications and Other Works
No abstract provided.
Leadership In Information Technology: Leadership Theories, Perspectives And Ethical Dilemmas,
2017
Kennesaw State University
Leadership In Information Technology: Leadership Theories, Perspectives And Ethical Dilemmas, Douglas B. Malcolm
The Siegel Institute Journal of Applied Ethics
This paper will describe various leadership theories and how they were formed, current leadership perspectives for information technology (IT) and the impact they can have on an IT workforce due to negative impressions and conditions. It will then relate current ethical issues faced by Information Technology to the key driving forces behind IT today along with detailing the current ethical issues faced by IT Leadership. Finally it will recommend some future research to help IT Leadership navigate the ethical and leadership issues faced today and to prepare for the future issues that will appear as technology advances.
Stewards Of God’S Mercy: Vocation And Priestly Ministry In Africa,
2017
Vienna University College
Stewards Of God’S Mercy: Vocation And Priestly Ministry In Africa, Jordan Nyenyembe
Journal of Global Catholicism
A reflection on the tasks of priestly ministry in Africa with specific reference to the example and exhortation of Pope Francis. Among the issues addressed and critiqued are Western “cultic” understandings of the priest and the, the “Igwe Syndrome" which likens the priest to a chief.
Inculturation Of Liturgical Music In The Roman Catholic Church Of Igbo Land: A Compositional Study,
2017
University of Nigeria, Nsukka
Inculturation Of Liturgical Music In The Roman Catholic Church Of Igbo Land: A Compositional Study, Benedict Nwabugwu Agbo
Journal of Global Catholicism
A study of inculturation, composition and music among Catholics in Igboland, Nigeria. The article insects with contemporary discussions of inculturation/enculturation after Vatican II and the recommendation of St. John Paul II in his Ecclesia in Africa.
Editor's Introduction,
2017
College of the Holy Cross, Worcester MA
Editor's Introduction, Marc Roscoe Loustau
Journal of Global Catholicism
Introduction to African Catholicism: Contemporary Issues: Volume: 1, Issue 2 of the Journal of Global Catholicism
Metaphors Of Objectivity,
2017
University of British Columbia
Metaphors Of Objectivity, Adam Westra
Episteme
This paper analyzes how Bacon and Popper both use metaphors in support of their respective theories of the objectivity of progressive science. The author tracks each thinker’s prevalent use and dependence on metaphors; including Bacon’s appeal to religion and the emerging science of optics, and Popper’s biological analogy and dismissal of Kuhn’s relativistic view of science and knowledge. The author argues that the objectivist theorists are plagued by the fact that metaphors are not objective. It seems we must accept only one of the two: their objectivity claims or their methodological approach of using metaphors. The author prefers the latter …
Hume: Causality And Subjectivity,
2017
Grand Valley State University
Hume: Causality And Subjectivity, David Mossburger
Episteme
In the Enquiry, Hume’s discussion of causality figures heavily in his critique of the rationalists. But what exactly do his two “definitions” of causality mean? The author addresses competing questions that arise from Hume’s ambiguity, but one thing is paramount here: both definitions imply a subject’s experience of causality. Following this, the author ponders the uniqueness of cumulative experience and personal belief, later connecting these to Simon Blackburn’s account of the organization of ideas that lead us to think in causal terms. In conclusion, since Hume’s empiricism is metaphysically subjective, Blackburn’s anti-realist interpretation is to be preferred over either positivist …
The Extended Room Or What Otto Didn't Know,
2017
University of Pennsylvania
The Extended Room Or What Otto Didn't Know, Ryan Victor
Episteme
The author provides succinct explications of the relevant literature pertaining to the debate resulting from Turing’s thesis on artificial intelligence. It is argued that Searle’s Chinese room example is refuted by neither the so-called systems reply nor the Extended Mind thesis. Such attempts to defend strong AI err because they rely on altered definitions of concepts that we should not accept. The author, in addition to pointing out the importance of factoring in consciousness, provides several illustrative examples, parallels, and original arguments (including a modified concept of “strong coupling”) in his defense of Searle’s position. The paper concludes with a …
On The Validity Of Spinoza's Proof For Monism: A Question Of Equivocation,
2017
Providence College
On The Validity Of Spinoza's Proof For Monism: A Question Of Equivocation, Jennifer Lynn Daigle
Episteme
Spinoza’s metaphysics fails to employ a consistent use of terms, such as “finite” and “infinite”. After clarifying Spinoza’s philosophical project and analyzing his proof for ontological monism, the author provides a discussion of Spinoza’s employ of concepts “finite” and “infinite,” given his distinction between attribute and absolute. It is found that Spinoza improperly jumps to the existence of God, but that he might be more successful in proving the existence of absolute Being.
An Analysis Of Freedom And Rational Egoism In Notes From Underground,
2017
York University
An Analysis Of Freedom And Rational Egoism In Notes From Underground, Michael Hannon
Episteme
In trying to decide between Nikolay Chernyshevsky’s rational egoism and Fyodor Dostoevsky’s expressivism, the author confronts a huge overarching question: What does it mean to be human? The discussion looks at Dostoevsky’s Underground Man, who believes that a rational utopia leaves humans without their most prized advantage: free will. The author determines that Dostoevsky’s notion of freedom is designed to negate Chernyshevsky’s, but to what extent must the Underground Man exist in a society organized so rationally? If the Underground Man need not be a product of society, then what can be the value of the unpleasant experience the Underground …
A Logical Absurdity: Jeremy Bentham And The Auto-Icon,
2017
Denison University
A Logical Absurdity: Jeremy Bentham And The Auto-Icon, Anna Brenton Brawley
Episteme
Ever wonder what might be the most absurd idea to come out of the Age of Reason? This paper in the history of philosophy supplies one possibility: Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-Icon. This study places Bentham’s decision to preserve his physical body in the context of his full body of philosophical and social work, itself contextualized within the revolutionary ideas and advances of the Enlightenment. The author touches on Bentham’s philosophy, his fondness for invention and science, as well as his vehement religious and political critiques. It is argued that the Auto-Icon embodies Bentham’s desire to promote universal happiness and to set …
Hilary Putnam's Semantic Scientism: A Critique,
2017
Wilfrid Laurier University
Hilary Putnam's Semantic Scientism: A Critique, Gregory R. Warner
Episteme
This author is puzzled by and disagrees with Putnam’s theory of meaning. In particular, the author argues that there can be a gap between scientific meaning and acceptable normal use, thereby showing the tension between Putnam’s scientism and his attention to linguistic communities. Part of the problem is Putnam’s imprecision, given that he neither argues for why we should privilege scientific classification, nor helps us draw the boundary surrounding our linguistic community. The author cites commentator Gregory McCulloch a great deal to help summarize and grasp Putnam’s project, thereby necessitating a discussion of McCulloch’s own “the understanding tracks real essence” …
Bratman On Intending,
2017
Rice University
Bratman On Intending, Joseph Alberts
Episteme
This article is a response to Michael E. Bratman’s novel thought experiments in “Toxin, Temptation, and the Stability of Intention” and so concerns instrumental rational planning agency. The basic question is: When should an agent alter her intentions? Bratman criticizes two planning strategies, Sophistication and Resolution, which rely on too narrow planning logics: the linking principle and/or the standard view. As an alternative, Bratman introduces the No-Regret principle to meet the demands of rational planning in his more complicated examples. The author notes a problem, though: Bratman is operating under a misleading understanding of intention that violates the condition of …
The Ethical Ramifications Of Recent Advances In Ovarian Transplantation,
2017
Stanford University
The Ethical Ramifications Of Recent Advances In Ovarian Transplantation, Govind Persad
Episteme
The author examines the ethical questions and issues that come with the new advances in autologous transplantation and heterologous transplantation, specifically regarding ovaries. He argues in strong favor of each’s continued advancement and thinks that jewish concerns align more in-line with non-IVF advancements and the procedure of allografting. Throughout, his paper includes comparisons with embryo freezing, oocyte freezing, sperm banking, organ transplantation, and gamete donation. The author is frequently in dialogue with John A. Robertson’s views on many of the matters, and comments on Alison McCarty’s analysis of the double effect when considering how to classify ovarian donation. Finally, genetics …
Acquitting Nietzsche: An Alternative View Of His Infamous Misogyny,
2017
Skidmore College
Acquitting Nietzsche: An Alternative View Of His Infamous Misogyny, Susan Parillo
Episteme
Nietzsche has an appreciation for women’s naturalness and instinctual femininity; he desires to help emancipate them. A closer look at Beyond Good and Evil exonerates Nietzsche of the charge that finds him to be a supreme misogynist. The author begins her paper by rectifying the misunderstandings concerning his style, which makes wide use of confusion-causing linguistic tools. She then supports Maudemarie Clark’s attention to the distinction between “women as such” and “women.” The author argues that Nietzsche attacks the socio-psychological construction of womanness and the typically unhelpful role women play in perpetuating it. In the late 19th century, the women’s …
