Philosophy Commons^™

Wuwei Praxis, Zachary L. Gelnaw-Rubin

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The question of how to change the world is answered in the concept of praxis. For structural change to occur a “revolution in motivation or feeling,” - a paradigm shift - is needed. I argue that this requires the adoption of feminist liberation praxis, which involves a negativistic political stance, nonideal theorizing, and an openness to self-transformation. This entails a transformation of the concept of praxis itself within the Leftist idiom, a transformation which could be the linchpin of the needed paradigm shift in the larger culture.

The three parts of this thesis elaborate upon the different aspects of this …

Me And Mathematics: “Doing What You’Re Talking About”: In Dialogue With My Family, Eden Morris

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This paper is a philosophically oriented accompaniment to my audio project (accessible through the following link: https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/projects/me-and-mathematics). Working together, the paper and audio collages form a call to action and a resource. My primary finding is the importance of doing what you’re talking about or exploring and implementing your ideas experientially. Doing what you’re talking about is important for effective teaching/learning and feeling in line with oneself. This working concept came to my attention during my research conversation with my oldest living relative, and then, again, with my youngest (non-baby) relative. This doing what you’re talking about is a way …

Achille Mbembe, "Brutalism", Atreyee Majumder

Articles

Book Review: Achille Mbembe, Brutalism (Duke University Press 2024)

The Philosophical Thoughts Of Vajiravudh: A Dialogical Analysis From The Perspective Of Critical Filipino Philosophy, Fpa Demeterio Iii

Mabini Review

Vajiravudh (1881-1925), or King Rama VI of Siam, son of Chulalongkorn (King Rama V) and brother of Prajadhipok (King Rama VII), was a writer, nationalist, reformist, known as the Maha Thiraraja (philosopher king), and a creative genius among the Thai people. His context of a semi-colonial country that was pressured to embrace globalization and modernization still resonates with the conditions of some parts of Southeast Asia, such as the Philippines. This paper explored his philosophical ideas from the point of view of critical Filipino philosophy, a family of discourses that can be traced back to the musings of the late …

A Phenomenological Reflection On Ubos-Biyaya And Petsa De Peligro: Capitalism’S Impact On Filipino Attitude Of Spending And Church’S Proposition For An Inclusive Economy, Jonathan James O. Canete, Leslie Anne L. Liwanag

Mabini Review

This phenomenological study delves into the intertwined concepts of “ubos biyaya” and “petsa de peligro” in the socio- economic landscape of the Filipino society. Ubos-Biyaya, a Filipino term, encompasses the state of having depleted both tangible and intangible resources. Petsa de Peligro, translating to “day of danger,” signifies the period before payday when financial constraints intensify. This paper explores the correlation of ubos- biyaya and capitalism, which leads to the feeling and experience of petsa de peligro, elucidating how the latter emerges as a consequence of the former. It connects ubos-biyaya to planned obsolescence and the cathedrals of consumption, revealing …

Noam Chomsky On Ludwig Wittgenstein: A Contemporary Critique Of The Concept Of Language Privatization, Johanne Randolf Andrada, Brendan Carlos, Dominic Gonzales

Mabini Review

In contemporary sociological studies, Wittgenstein, in his Philosophical Investigations, contends that the concept of a private language is unattainable due to the inherent necessity of shared meanings and societal conventions within language. Wittgenstein posits that language is intrinsically tied to social norms and communal practices, asserting that the acquisition of language is inseparable from cultural immersion and participation in shared activities – what he terms “playing the game” of language. In contrast, Noam Chomsky challenges this perspective by proposing the existence of a universal grammar innate to humanity, irrespective of factors like race, ethnicity, or demographics. According to Chomsky, while …

Panimulang Pag-Aaral Sa Visual Framing: Sipat-Suri Sa Mga Piling Youtube Vlogs Ni Jt Ng Motouristas Sa Kaniyang Misyon Na Libot Pilipinas, Princess Gissel Dionela Servo, Lheris May Ople

Mabini Review

The nation has been dubbed the “Social Media Capital of the World” (2021) since it leads daily social media usage globally. YouTube is one of the most widely used platforms in the Philippines, and vlogging has contributed to the rise in fame of numerous personalities. Among them was a motorist whose peculiar driving style won him admiration from other drivers. The study will perform a preliminary analysis of the chosen MoTouristas YouTube clips to achieve this. This YouTube video has amassed thousands of followers because of its distinctive approach to helping the nation while on the road. JT, the driver-vlogger, …

Studies Of Identity In Modernity: Literary, Phenomenological, And Psychoanalytic Approaches, Roarke K. Mcdonald, Angelo Castagnino

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

This paper analyzes challenges to conventional notions of identity in Pirandello’s novel One, No One, and One Hundred Thousand, towards understanding new conceptions of meaning and identity in the early 20th century. The aim is to provide a multi-plural study in the Italian modernist tradition (1890-1945),with the goal of understanding how technological, industrial, and socio-geographical changes of the period were felt across a range of fields, and centered on new ideas of the self in society. A study of how Pirandello’s literary style addresses the complex socio-geographical climate of Italy and Europe in the early 20th century is put …

Knowing Others And Ourselves, Mark Phelan

Convocations

Lawrence University celebrated the accomplishments of students, faculty, and staff at the annual Honors Convocation Friday afternoon, May 24, 2024.

The Convocation followed a Thursday evening Honors Awards Ceremony and Reception, where 144 students, two student organizations, and five faculty and staff were celebrated with awards that spanned the entire university experience: from academic honors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Conservatory of Music to leadership in Student Life and Athletics.

The Honors Convocation, the third and final convocation of the academic year, highlighted those accomplishments and celebrated this year’s Faculty Convocation Award recipient, Mark Phelan, professor …

Beyond The Human: Crossovers For An Onto-Epistemological Bifurcation, Ester Toribio-Roura

Articles

Building upon recent studies in new materialisms and feminist critical posthumanism with a focus on human and more-than-human relationships, this paper examines how the posthuman paradigm, by postulating the queering of identit(ies) via entanglement with the more-than-human (including technology), and by offering a critical examination of diverse modes of existence within a broader ecological context, can foster more inclusive and ethically sound ways of being in the world. Although posthumanism encompasses a wide range of perspectives and theories, including transhumanism, at its core, it challenges traditional notions of humanism, blurring the boundaries between what is human and what is more-than-human, …

Pronomian Paradigm: A Pro-Torah, Christocentric Method Of Theology And Apologetics, Gregory Scott Mckenzie

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation sets out to demonstrate the continued validity of the Torah for all believers today. As such, this dissertation attempts to show that discontinuity of the Mosaic Covenant is scripturally, theologically, and philosophically untenable. The thesis of this dissertation is that Pronomianism is the paradigm that most cohesively melds theology and apologetics, through its interpretation of Paul’s words and deeds at the second Jerusalem council, which unveils the Torah’s centrality in New Testament theology, and that Pronomian moral apologetics reveal the Law of God as the only foundation for objective, biblical morality, and the guide to righteous living. This …

Stimming As A Form Of Autistic Aesthetic Experience, Neuroqueering Landscape, Sam Metz

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

Sam Metz is an artist based in Hull who creates work that engages with the concept of ‘neuroqueering’. They create sculptural installations that incorporate both film and animation while exploring body-based responses to ecology. As a neurodivergent artist and curator with sensory processing differences, Sam creates work in non-verbal ways that begin and end in movement and embodied interactions without recourse to traditionally privileged verbal and written forms of communication. Recently they created a series of work called ‘Porosity’ which looked at embodied sensory relationships to the Humber Estuary, with a focus on stimming and ecological perception.

Sam, through their …

Sculpting Aesthetic Experiences Through Autistic Indigenous Knowledge, Manuel A. Sánchez Peña

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

The intersection between the autistic mind and the experience of aesthetic elements sculpts a distinct lens through which individuals could explain and appreciate the human experience. Differences between neurotypicals and autistics in terms of sensory experience, cognition and communication, combined with knowledge produced by the Philosophy, Psychology, and Anthropology fields in Aesthetics permit the application of the Neurodiversity Paradigm as a source to explain the perception of aesthetics in the collective. The complexity of these experiences in autistic people not only expands deeper comprehension on aesthetic experiences and all its relativisms, but also illustrates neurodiversity as a form of cultural …

Audre Lorde, Feminism, And Love, Emee Port

The Corinthian

This paper attempts to connect the topics of feminism and intersectionality in Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider to love. Feminists should look at race and class as well as gender in order to create a more accepting and inclusive movement. Lorde reasons that many women of color are wary of feminist movements because it pushes racial differences to the side only to focus on gendered oppression. It is important for feminists to recognize racial and class differences on top of gender so that more people feel welcomed to get involved. Love for one another is a driving force for inclusivity and …

An Existentialist Love, Garrett T. Harrison

The Corinthian

This paper seeks to establish an existentialist concept of virtuous Love by discussing the works of famous modern Existentialist thinkers such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus within the realm of Love as discussed by Bell Hooks and Skye Cleary. It also seeks to express the significance of this Love within modern society. Our notion of Existentialist Love is built upon Sartre’s concept of authenticity, and branches into the inter-personal through Beauvoir’s notion of reciprocal, virtuous love. It is then expounded into the greater collective through a discussion of fear as the breeder of inauthenticity and is …

Marvelous Ordinariness: Re-Engaging With Realism’S Social Function, Miranda Ochoa Natera

Comparative Literature M.A. Essays

Against Romanticism, European literary realism of the 19th century aimed to provide an objective representation of reality through mimesis that could capture the truth in an objective way. Yet, its positivist approach severely narrowed down the complexity of truth, reality, and the mundane by wrongfully drawing the universal from the particular. A new way of engaging with realist literature from any time period, called Marvelous Ordinariness, rearranges this triad in ways that expand our understanding of our own and other realities portrayed. Using Alejo Carpentier’s description of “lo real maravilloso,” Marvelous Ordinariness unfolds in three layers that resemble Carl Jung’s …

Understanding Ethical Leadership In Intelligence: Themes In Accountability, Self-Development, And Communication Among Cia Leaders, Caroline Walsh

Dissertations

This dissertation elucidates the concept of ethical leadership within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Based on interviews with ten former senior-level officers from across different departments, the study analyzes how these leaders understand issues of accountability, self-development, and communication. The research also provides insights into their processes of sense-making and their methodologies for fostering ethical conduct amidst the complexities of intelligence operations.

Against the backdrop of the CIA's mission, structure, and norms, the study sheds light on the challenges and tensions inherent in the organization's operations. Through a thematic analysis of participant narratives, themes of moral cognition, personal values, and …

Knowledge Production And The Unthinkable: Weaving Stories Of Art, Gender, And Land, Christin Huntsman

Master's Theses

Colonialism is deeply and violently embedded in Western knowledge formation—dominant power structures produce epistemes that uphold and perpetuate colonial narratives. This kind of knowledge production forecloses other possibilities. Western discourse of truth becomes universalized to the point that other worldviews, other knowledges that do not conform to hegemonic norms, are suppressed or silenced. This thesis examines three areas of hegemony and erasure: art, gender, and land. First, the history of art clearly marks a delineation between Western elitist artistic masterpieces and non-Western ethnographic artifacts. Eurocentrism of art in the academy determines what counts as art and how art is categorized. …

Vrouwenwerk | Beyondtheglassceiling: Educate, Empower, Reimagine, Malou Lena Julia Desplenter

Master's Theses

In contemporary society, social media platforms have emerged as powerful tools for advocacy and activism. This thesis explores the potential of Instagram in raising awareness and fostering dialogue around workplace equity for women in Belgium. Inspired by influential women's advocacy accounts, I embarked on a journey to fill a noticeable gap in the digital landscape – the absence of Belgian-centric content addressing workplace empowerment for women. Grounded in the unique intersections of Belgian national policies, European Union directives, and global socio-economic dynamics, this capstone delves into the multifaceted challenges faced by Belgian women in the workplace.

Through critical historical analysis …

Politics, Authorship, And Philosophy: Teaching Margaret Cavendish’S The Blazing World In The Diverse Graduate Classroom, Martine Van Elk

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

This essay explores how Margaret Cavendish’s The Blazing World works differently when taught and read on its own and in combination with Cavendish’s other works. Focusing specifically on the graduate classroom, I examine and present strategies for teaching the book alongside works by other early modern women and for teaching it in a single-author course. While in isolation, The Blazing World allows for discussions that focus primarily on questions of gender, genre, class, and politics, read in tandem with Cavendish’s other works, in particular her philosophical writings, The Blazing World becomes a source for reflections on questions of creaturely identity, …