Philosophy of Science Commons^™

Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 35. Natural Selection By Evolution., Charles H. Smith

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823?1913) is remembered, with Charles Darwin, as the co-originator of the concept of evolution by natural selection. But Wallace’s framing of the idea increasingly became one in which natural selection itself was regarded as a law of nature, not a theory per se.

The Metaphysics Of Time Within Physics, Mohamed Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

The starting point of this thesis is to shed some light on the metaphysical nature of time by reflecting on the physics of time. The aim of this approach is not to [dis]prove or defend a metaphysical position but rather to elucidate the metaphysical position that underlies [or is compatible with] our best scientific theories. This task will be demanding, not only because our best theories may carry different interpretations of their underlying temporal structure but also because there seems to be a conceptual conflict/incompatibility between the notion of time in relativity and quantum mechanics, which are the two major …

Quantified Lives: Data, Bias, And The Cost Of Categorization, Colin F. Geraghty

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This project critically examines how statistical methods and data visualization have historically been used to categorize, rank, and control human populations. By exploring the works of key figures like Francis Galton, Karl Pearson, and R.A. Fisher, it traces the evolution of categorization frameworks from their eugenic roots to modern applications in artificial intelligence and global metrics like the World Happiness Report. Through interactive visualizations and historical analysis, the project invites users to question the legitimacy of these frameworks and reflect on their impact on society. At its core, this work emphasizes the need to move beyond rigid classification systems, challenging …

Navigating Climate Action: The River As Teacher For Eco-Literacy, Educational Regeneration And Creative Participation, Bibi (Silvina) Calderaro

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Cultures' engagements with land and its more-than-human elements reveal their attitudes toward these dimensions, spanning a spectrum from reciprocal to transactional practices. In time, these engagements form a body of knowledges that nurtures the culture and its land, or arrests their vital and diverse qualities. This research project aims to bring to light how the different ways of engaging with and relating to land are embedded in knowledge production, distribution and communication—in short, in general educational endeavors and their philosophies—to promote a better understanding of the principles of eco-literacy. Additionally, a purpose of this project is to provide insights into …

Causality In Newtonian Mechanics And Its Role In Classical Physics, Suzan Al Dababsa

Journal of the Arab American University مجلة الجامعة العربية الامريكية للبحوث

This study aimed at studying the principle of causality and its problems theoretically in the modern physical theory, starting with Isaac Newton. It considered Newton’s theory of motion and gravity the launching pad for the whole of modern physical theory. This study averred that the principle of causality acquires its definite physical meaning from, and is operationally determined by, the physical theory itself. That is why this study embarked on studying the conceptual content of the modern physical theory in its various stages. It embarked on philosophically studying the conceptual content of Newtonian mechanics, classical physics. It detailed the genesis, …

The Danger Of Deepfakes: Information Pollution And Epistemic Insecurity, Camille Doherty

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the dangers of deepfakes to democratic stability, emphasizing their capacity to pollute our information ecosystem and undermine trust in media. Beyond the immediate political harms from deepfake incidents, deepfakes are troubling for their impact on our collective relationship to media, truth, and one another. As exposure to deepfakes becomes more common, discerning fact from fiction will become increasingly difficult. Over time, this could foster widespread skepticism of all media and, worse, apathy toward truth itself. With eroded trust and shared truths, democracies risk losing epistemic security – the foundation for informed deliberation, decision-making, and accountability in democratic …

The Cut Worm Forgives The Plow, August Neuscheler

Theses and Dissertations

The explorations in this thesis writing are centered on William Blake’s proverb “The cut worm forgives the plow.” It has been reinterpreted as an allegory of history and energy. A theory of their relation is proposed based on forgiveness, a theory that accepts the palimpsest of orders as evidence for the abundance of the present moment. The writing focuses on questions of proportionality, scale, archaeological screening methods, planar cutting, and a critique of entropy as grounds for this theory. Some of its subjects include the Statue of Liberty, Kate Raworth’s donut economic model, sashimi, triangulation, Joseph Beuys’ “7,000 Eichen,” semiconductors, …

The Forms Of Representation: How To Be A Kantian Realist, Willem A. Devries

Faculty Publications

Sellars argued that Kant did not make certain distinctions concerning space and time, and because of this adopted his transcendental idealism. Once these distinctions are made, the path to realism remains open. Sellars' argument is not entirely clear. This essay attempts to clarify the argument, showing why Sellars believed he could remain a scientific realist while also adopting a Kantian style epistemology.

Mathematics And Determinism: Chaos, Quantum Mechanics, And The Limits Of Predictive Structure, Jackson T. Salumbides

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between mathematics and determinism by analyzing how chaos theory, quantum mechanics, and formal mathematical limits challenge traditional conceptions of predictability and causal structure. Chaos theory shows that deterministic systems can exhibit practical unpredictability due to sensitivity to initial conditions. Quantum mechanics introduces probabilistic outcomes that complicate deterministic interpretation, though alternative frameworks such as Bohmian mechanics and superdeterminism attempt to restore determinism at conceptual cost. Additionally, results from mathematical logic, including Gödel’s incompleteness theorems and Turing’s undecidability, demonstrate intrinsic limitations on what can be deduced or computed, even in fully deterministic systems. By synthesizing these areas, …

The Integration Of Artificial Intelligence And Ontologies: Transformations In Knowledge Representation And Application, Grazia Serratore, Julaine Clunis

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the landscape of knowledge representation. There is an increasingly strong bidirectional relationship, between AI techniques and ontologies. AI techniques revolutionized traditional, manual ontology development and contribute to automated ontology construction, while ontologies enhance the performance of AI systems and their semantic accuracy. Through a comprehensive review of current literature, this paper aims to examine: i) how Machine Learning (ML) techniques contribute to the automated construction, refinement, and validation of ontologies; ii) the most widely used and effective ML approaches for ontology construction; iii) how domain-specific requirements influence the selection and adaptation of AI techniques for …

Rhythm Against Poethics, Jayvyn Dacas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis stages an auto-poetic ethnography that listens to, and moves with, the anterior spaces of Black life. Those murmurs, hums, musical hesitations, and infrastructural vibrations that refuse capture by dominant epistemic regimes. Drawing from Ramon Amaro’s reading of Sylvia Wynter, Katherine McKittrick and Alexander Weheliye’s reflections on sound, Fred Moten’s insights on displacement, and Tendayi Sithole’s attention to the phonographic, the project situates music production as method and unworlding. Through engagements with the 808, sampling, sound systems, and embodied listening across Florida. Spaces like the warehouse, the party, record stores, and community become the work of Black voices, and …

Griffin's Slow Burn Revolution In Philosophy And Comparative Cognition, Kristin Andrews

Animal Sentience

Ristau presents Griffin as launching a scientific revolution supported by philosophical insights. This commentary focuses on two points: Griffin as a scientific revolutionary, although the cognitive ethology revolution is not yet complete; and on the immense influence Griffin had, and continues to have, on philosophy.

Functionalism, Algorithms And The Pursuit Of A Theory Of Mind For Artificial Intelligence, Victor Mureithi

Critical Humanities

Abstract.

The advancement of computing technology has given rise to an interesting thesis: the human brain can be studied and understood as operating on the principles of a digital computer. The claim later became a more substantial thesis: the Mind is a computer since the Mind is actualized in the brain. The recent success of large language models (LLMs) such as Bard (produced by Google), GPT3, ChatGPT (also known as GPT3.5, produced by OpenAI-Microsoft), and LLaMA (produced byMeta) has brought greater attention and focus to the discussion of human versus machine intelligence. The result has been a pursuit of a …

Ethical Aspects Of Utilising Artificial Intelligence In Clinical Settings, Jeffrey Byrnes, Michael Robinson

Philosophy Faculty Articles and Research

In response to recent proposals to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to automate ethics consultations in healthcare, we raise two main problems for the prospect of having healthcare professionals rely on AI-driven programs to provide ethical guidance in clinical matters. The first cause for concern is that, because these programs would effectively function like black boxes, this approach seems to preclude the kind of transparency that would allow clinical staff to explain and justify treatment decisions to patients, fellow caregivers, and those tasked with providing oversight. The other main problem is that the kind of authority that would need to be …

Moderate Physical Perspectivalism, Emily Adlam

Philosophy Faculty Articles and Research

Recent developments in the foundations of physics have given rise to a class of views suggesting that physically meaningful descriptions must always be relativized to a physical perspective. In this article, I distinguish between strong physical perspectivalism, which maintains that all facts must be relativized to a perspective, and moderate physical perspectivalism, which maintains that all empirically meaningful descriptions must be relativized to a perspective. I argue that scientific evidence and philosophical considerations support moderate physical perspectivalism over strong physical perspectivalism. In particular, motivations connected to epistemic humility and the social nature of science are more compatible with the moderate …

Demystifying Research Paradigms: Navigating Ontology, Epistemology, And Axiology In Research, Lynette Pretorius

The Qualitative Report

A sound understanding of research paradigms is crucial for developing coherent and philosophically grounded research designs, particularly in the humanities and social sciences. This paper offers an accessible overview of the most common research paradigms: positivism, post-positivism, constructivism, social constructionism, interpretivism, pragmatism, and critical realism. These paradigms differ in their approaches to ontology (the nature of reality), epistemology (the nature of knowledge), and axiology (the role of values in research). The paper also discusses the methodological and ethical implications of these paradigms. Reflexivity and ethical responsibility are emphasised, where researchers must account for how their own biases and values influence …

The New Anthropocentrism: The Problem Of Water Conservation And Water Justice, Benjamin Stuart Milam

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

My objective with my thesis is to argue for and reinforce a type of anthropocentrism that is both environmentally conscious and consumable for an audience that is not necessarily well versed in philosophical literature. In the first chapter I go over philosophical frameworks, such as Anthropocentrism and Biocentrism, and why I believe they do not meet both of those criteria listed. After that I discuss New Anthropocentrism, coined by Clive Hamilton, and why I believe that a slightly modified version possesses qualities that I believe are needed for the crisis at hand. In chapter 2 I use that framework and …

Japanese-English Translation: Critical Consciousness In Crisis, By Miki Kiyoshi, December 1928 (Excerpt Of §1); Published In Kaizō, January 1929; Translated By Christopher Southward, November 2024: 「危機における理論的意識」、三木清著；1928年12月著作；『改造』1929年1月号発行； 2024年11月南方クリストファー訳, Christopher Southward

Comparative Literature Faculty and Student Scholarship

Critical Consciousness in Crisis, by Miki Kiyoshi, December 1928 (Excerpt of §1) Published in Kaizō, January 1929; Translated by Christopher Southward, November 2024

「危機における理論的意識」、三木清著；1928年12月著作；『改造』1929年1月号発行；2024年11月南方クリストファー訳

Monsters, Multiplicities, And Liminal Experiences In Doctoral Education: Fabulation As Research Methodology, Anna V. Gonzalez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to experiment with qualitative research methodologies while exploring the complexities of doctoral education, research practices, philosophies of inquiry, and other topics intersecting with(in) educational scholarship. My vision for this work was fueled by postmodernist critiques of humanist education, frustrations with the methodological status quo pervasive in educational research, and deep concerns about the unsustainability of performance-focused teaching and learning.

The logic I follow in this project is simple: if we—researchers and academics—are to contribute solutions for challenges and ongoing crises in our world, then we must start thinking relationally and in ways more complex …

The Universal And The Unique, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper explores the abstract dyad of universality and uniqueness. It notes that the two might be complementary and even synergistic, or that they might be alternatives that oppose one another. It also explores how the unique might be an emergent from a primal universality, as well as how the universal might be an emergent from a primal uniqueness. Finally, it offers an interpretation of this dyad in which the universal and the unique are equivalent transforms of one another and thus two sides of the same coin.

Keywords: Universality, uniqueness, general and particular, similarity and difference, fundamental dyad, dualism