'In' Or 'As' Space?: A Model Of Complexity, With Philosophical, Simulatory, And Empirical Ramifications,
2015
Western Kentucky University
'In' Or 'As' Space?: A Model Of Complexity, With Philosophical, Simulatory, And Empirical Ramifications, Charles H. Smith
DLPS Faculty Publications
A General Systems model based on ideas originating with the writings of Benedict de Spinoza is described, starting with its philosophical underpinnings, and proceeding on to its relation to modern systems concepts, including attempts to simulate the relationships posed, and measure real world structures. Central to the idea is the notion that spatial extension may not have a prior existence, but emerges only through an entropy maximization process in which information and energy exchange is balanced among some limited number of subsystems that in sum comprise any given functioning complex system. Related published empiricism concerning geographical/geological systems – the hypsometry …
The Philosophical Differences Between Heisenberg And Bohr,
2015
Georgetown University
The Philosophical Differences Between Heisenberg And Bohr, Patrick Heelan
Research Resources
Chapter from: Patrick Aidan Heelan, The Observable: Heisenberg’s Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics. With a foreword by Michel Bitbol. Edited and with a foreword by Babette Babich. Oxford: Peter Lang, 2015.
Naturalism, Causality, And Nietzsche's Conception Of Science,
2015
Old Dominion University
Naturalism, Causality, And Nietzsche's Conception Of Science, Justin Remhof
Philosophy Faculty Publications
There is a disagreement over how to understand Nietzsche’s view of science. According to what I call the Negative View, Nietzsche thinks science should be reconceived or superseded by another discourse, such as art, because it is nihilistic. By contrast, what I call the Positive View holds that Nietzsche does not think science is nihilistic, so he denies that it should be reinterpreted or overcome. Interestingly, defenders of each position can appeal to Nietzsche’s understanding of naturalism to support their interpretation. I argue that Nietzsche embraces a social constructivist conception of causality that renders his naturalism incompatible with the views …
The Uncertainty Relations,
2015
Georgetown University
The Uncertainty Relations, Patrick Heelan
Research Resources
Patrick Aidan Heelan, The Observable: Heisenberg’s Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics. With a foreword by Michel Bitbol. Edited and with a foreword by Babette Babich. Oxford: Peter Lang, 2015.
A 'Paradox Of Expression': Bertolt Brecht's Verfremdungseffekt In Performance,
2015
University of Montana - Missoula
A 'Paradox Of Expression': Bertolt Brecht's Verfremdungseffekt In Performance, Cohen L. Ambrose Mr.
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
No abstract provided.
Military Genomic Testing: Proportionality, Expected Benefits, And The Connection Between Genotypes And Phenotypes,
2015
Louisiana State University
Military Genomic Testing: Proportionality, Expected Benefits, And The Connection Between Genotypes And Phenotypes, Charles H. Pence
Faculty Publications
Mehlman and Li offer a framework for approaching the bioethical issues raised by the military use of genomics that is compellingly grounded in both the contemporary civilian and military ethics of medical research, arguing that military commanders must be bound by the two principles of paternalism and proportionality. I agree fully. But I argue here that this is a much higher bar than we may fully realize. Just as the principle of proportionality relies upon a thorough assessment of harms caused and military advantage gained, the use of genomic research, on Mehlman and Li's view, will require an accurate understanding …
The Many Chances Of Charles Darwin,
2015
Louisiana State University
The Many Chances Of Charles Darwin, Charles H. Pence
Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Is Organismic Fitness At The Basis Of Evolutionary Theory?,
2015
Louisiana State University
Is Organismic Fitness At The Basis Of Evolutionary Theory?, Charles H. Pence, Grant Ramsey
Faculty Publications
Fitness is a central theoretical concept in evolutionary theory. Despite its importance, much debate has occurred over how to conceptualize and formalize fitness. One point of debate concerns the roles of organismic and trait fitness. In a recent addition to this debate, Elliott Sober argues that trait fitness is the central fitness concept, and that organismic fitness is of little value. In this paper, by contrast, we argue that it is organismic fitness that lies at the bases of both the conceptual role of fitness and its role as a measure of evolutionary dynamics.
Identical Particles In Quantum Mechanics : Operational And Topological Considerations,
2015
University at Albany, State University of New York
Identical Particles In Quantum Mechanics : Operational And Topological Considerations, Klil H. Neori
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
This dissertation reports our investigation into the existence of anyons, which interpolate between bosons and fermions, in light of the Symmetrization Postulate, which states that only the two extremes exist. The Symmetrization Postulate can be understood as asserting that there are only two consistent ways of combining the behavior of distinguishable particles to obtain the behavior of identical ones. We showed that anyonic behavior then arises because of the way in which the probability amplitudes of distinguishable particles in two dimensions are affected by the topology of the space. These can then be combined in one of the ways arising …
Expecting The Unexpected : A Precautionary Principle Addressing Unconsidered Dangers,
2015
University at Albany, State University of New York
Expecting The Unexpected : A Precautionary Principle Addressing Unconsidered Dangers, John Raymond Milanese
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Most precautionary principles discussed in the regulatory literature argue that one ought to be more risk averse when one is uncertain about the probability of some sig- nificant danger. I explore a new kind of precautionary principle, one that addresses avoiding dangers we did not explicitly consider at all. Since it is unclear how uncon- sidered dangers could be avoided, I sketch a methodology for identifying situations where unconsidered dangers seem especially likely, by drawing from the literature in psychology on heuristics and biases and evaluating our cognitive “blind spots.”
Nietzsche On Objects,
2015
Old Dominion University
Nietzsche On Objects, Justin Remhof
Philosophy Faculty Publications
Nietzsche was persistently concerned with what an object is and how different views of objects lead to different views of facts, causality, personhood, substance, truth, mathematics and logic, and even nihilism. Yet his treatment of objects is incredibly puzzling. In many passages, he assumes that objects such as trees and leaves, tables and chairs, and dogs and cats are just ordinary entities of experience. In other places, he reports that objects do not exist. Elsewhere he claims that objects exist, but as mere bundles of forces. And sometimes he proposes that we bring all objects into existence. Nietzsche’s writings, then, …
Dividing Nature By The Joints,
2015
Old Dominion University
Dividing Nature By The Joints, Chad Wiener
Philosophy Faculty Publications
Most scholars of Aristotle’s biology have accepted the view of D. M. Balme and Pierre Pellegrin that the History of Animals is devoid of any systematic classification of animals. I challenge this reading. I show that Aristotle can produce a taxonomy of animals kinds that are found in the essences of atomic species, or, to borrow from Plato, divide nature by the joints. I start from Aristotle’s positive views of division stated in APo. II.13–14 and how they imply a taxonomic order of a genus. I then develop my interpretation of how Aristotle can divide nature by the joints in …
Ang Konsepto Ng Planetisasyon Ni Teilhard De Chardin: Isang Pagsusumubok Bigkasin Ang Meron,
2015
Ateneo de Manila University
Ang Konsepto Ng Planetisasyon Ni Teilhard De Chardin: Isang Pagsusumubok Bigkasin Ang Meron, Wilhelm Patrick Joseph S. Strebel
Philosophy Department Faculty Publications
In his book Pambungad sa Metapisika, Roque J. Ferriols, SJ, stresses that metaphysics is a practicum. Metaphysics makes one aware of reality, and this awareness drives the person to affirm, respect, and work and move in accord to and within it. This response to reality is what Ferriols calls “pagbigkas sa meron.” Ferriols also devotes a chapter of his book to the thought of the French paleontologist, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ. The paper explores how this understanding of Teilhard’s thought leads to the practicum identified above as “pagbigkas sa meron.” The paper begins with an exposition of the key …
Natural Kindness,
2015
Bucknell University
Natural Kindness, Matthew H. Slater
Faculty Journal Articles
Philosophers have long been interested in a series of interrelated questions about natural kinds. What are they? What role do they play in science and metaphysics? How do they contribute to our epistemic projects? What categories count as natural kinds? And so on. Owing, perhaps, to different starting points and emphases, we now have at hand a variety of conceptions of natural kinds—some apparently better suited than others to accom- modate a particular sort of inquiry. Even if coherent, this situation isn’t ideal. My goal in this article is to begin to articulate a more general account of ‘natural kind …
Experimental Reporting And Networks Of Political Information: Lorenzo Magalotti's Framing Of Courts And Nature,
2015
University of South Florida
Experimental Reporting And Networks Of Political Information: Lorenzo Magalotti's Framing Of Courts And Nature, Bradley L'Herrou
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
This thesis explores changes in experimental reporting during the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century. In particular, I examine and compare some of the works of Count Lorenzo Magalotti, namely the Saggi di Naturali Esperienza or Essays on Natural Experiments and the Relazione d'Inghilterra. In 1667, as secretary of the Accademia del Cimento – the Tuscan experimental academy founded in 1657 – Magalotti (1637-1712) authored the Saggi, a collection of experimental reports. These reports included extensive written descriptions of experiments along with dozens of engravings depicting the instruments custom-made for the experiments. Magalotti also served as ambassador and agent of …
Quasi-Subjectivity And Ethics In Non-Modernity,
2015
University of North Florida
Quasi-Subjectivity And Ethics In Non-Modernity, Justin T. Simpson
UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations
The inspiration behind this philosophical endeavor is an ethical one: interested in what it means to flourish as a human being – how to live well and authentically. Similar to medicine and how the ability to prescribe the appropriate treatment depends on first making a diagnosis, the focus of this work will to be understand the human condition and the ways in which subjectivity, one’s sense of self, is constituted. Given the general dissatisfaction with the modern metaphysical picture of the world, which analyzes the world in terms of the mutually exclusive and completely separate categories of nature/objects and society/subjects, …
Failure Of Science, Death Of Nature,
2015
Edith Cowan University, Australia
Failure Of Science, Death Of Nature, H.F. Recher
Research outputs 2014 to 2021
As a people, Australians have lost contact with the world of nature, Risking the collapse of civilization. One factor in the alienation of nature in Australia is the failure of the scientific community to take responsibility for the technology created by the knowledge generated from scientific research. Science has failed to protect Australia's flora and fauna. Scientists must communicate more widely with society, but need to be educated on how to communicate and on their ethical responsibilities to others and other species. Government needs to show leadership in environmental management and nature conservation, while conservationists need to 'invert the paradigm', …
The Ubiquity Of Hermeneutics,
2014
Fordham University
The Ubiquity Of Hermeneutics, Babette Babich
Articles and Chapters in Academic Book Collections
To understand Nietzsche in the context of hermeneutics is to understand not only Nietzsche’s philosophy of interpretation (Figl 1982a, 1984) but his perspective on perspective (Cox 1997) or “perspectivalism” (Babich 1994: 116f). In turn, given his background familiarity with hermeneutic methodology, this also corresponds to Nietzsche’s own approach as an interpreter of texts and antiquity as of the life, the culture, the history of ancient Greece (see the range of contributions to Jensen and Heit 2014 as well as Ugolini 2003; Figl 1984; and Pöschl 1979). And to do this, just to the extent that Nietzsche specifically reflects on interpretation …
Epistemological Realism And Onto-Relations,
2014
University of Edinburgh
Epistemological Realism And Onto-Relations, Max Lewis Edward Andrews
Liberty Theological Review
The traditional concept of knowledge is a justified true belief. The bulk of contemporary epistemology has focused primarily on that task of justification. Truth seems to be a quite obvious criterion—does the belief in question correspond to reality? My contention is that the aspect of ontology is far too separated from epistemology. This onto-relationship of between reality and beliefs require the epistemic method of epistemological realism. This is not to diminish the task of justification. I will then discuss the role of inference from the onto-relationships of free invention and discovery and whether it is best suited for a foundationalist …
Science And Rationality For One And All,
2014
University at Albany, State University of New York
Science And Rationality For One And All, P.D. Magnus
Philosophy Faculty Scholarship
A successful scientific community might require different scientists to form different beliefs even when faced with the same evidence. The standard line is that this would create a conflict between the demands of collective rationality which scientists face as members of the community and the demands of individual rationality which they face as epistemic agents. This is expressed both by philosophers of science (working on the distribution of cognitive labor) and by epistemologists (working on the epistemology of disagreement). The standard line fails to take into account the relation between rational belief and various epistemic risks, values of which are …
