Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Combinatorial-State Automata And Models Of Computation, Curtis Brown

Philosophy Faculty Research

David Chalmers has defended an account of what it is for a physical system to implement a computation. The account appeals to the idea of a “combinatorial-state automaton” or CSA. It is not entirely clear whether Chalmers intends the CSA to be a full-blown computational model, or merely a convenient formalism into which instances of other models can be translated. I argue that the CSA is not a computational model in the usual sense because CSAs do not perspicuously represent algorithms, and because they are too powerful both in that they can perform any computation in a single step and …

Practical Objectivity: Keeping Natural Science Natural, Alan G. Padgett

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Catholic Core Curriculum, Richard Liddy

Department of Religion Publications

No abstract provided.

On The Violence Of Systemic Violence: A Critique Of Slavoj Žižek, Harry Van Der Linden

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

This paper questions the extension of the common notion of violence, i.e., “subjective violence,” involving the intentional use of force to inflict injury or damage, towards social injustice as “systemic violence.” Systemic violence is altogether unlike subjective violence and the work of Slavoj Žižek illustrates that conceptual obfuscation in this regard may lead to an overly broad and facile justification of revolutionary violence as counter-violence to systemic violence, appealing to the ethics of self-defense. I argue that revolutionary violence is only justified to counter subjective violence inflicted or organized by the state. Thus I reject in conclusion Žižek’s further defense …

Geworfenheit Und Prometheische Scham Im Zeitalter Der Transhumanen Kybernetik Technik Und Machenschaft Bei Martin Heidegger, Fritz Lang Und Günther Anders, Babette Babich

Articles and Chapters in Academic Book Collections

Untersucht werden soll hier die Wirkung Heideggers auf Günther Anders. Dabei spiegelt Anders eine ganze Etappe Wirkungsgeschichte, denn er war Schüler von Husserl sowie von Paul Tillich – und zudem, vielleicht am wichtigsten, weil diese Beziehung die schwierigste ist, auch von Theodor W. Adorno.2 Günther Anders, der damals noch Günther Stern hieß, könnte eigentlich als eine Art Verkörperung der Phänomenologie gelten, war doch gerade er sowohl hermeneutisch geschult als auch ein früher Anhänger der Frankfurter Schule – als beide noch in anfänglichem Glanz und Fülle strahlten. Eigentlich aber reden wir gar nicht über Heidegger und seine Schüler, außer in der …

Martin Heidegger On Günther Anders And Technology: On Ray Kurzweil, Fritz Lang, And Transhumanism, Babette Babich

Articles and Chapters in Academic Book Collections

No abstract provided.

Kant's Argument From The Applicability Of Geometry, Waldemar Rohloff

Philosophy Faculty Works

In this paper I develop a reading of Kant's argument from geometry based on distinguishing the roles of pure versus applied geometry. Once these roles are properly distinguished, I argue that the argument from geometry is not susceptible to the problems concerning the development and applications of non-Euclidean geometry, which are often thought to undermine the argument.

Review: Intelligent Virtue, Audrey L. Anton

Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications

Julia Annas' book, Intelligent Virtue, provides the reader a novel account of the nature of virtue, practical reasoning, and flourishing. Throughout the book, Annas presents her account in a gradual manner with each chapter building on the next. Annas periodically presents and argues against potential objections to her view. Suitable for the interested undergraduate non-philosophy major, this book could also serve the curiosities of the most elite professors. While none of the chapters of the book stands well alone, the fluid writing style and helpful examples make the 176-page work an easy read. At the end of each chapter, the …

Phenomenological Theories Of Crime, Peter K. Manning, Michael W. Raphael

Graduate Student Publications and Research

The distinctive aspect of phenomenological theories of crime is that they are based upon a stated epistemology: how things are known and a specific ontology—the nature of social reality. This specificity aligns itself with neo-Kantian concern with forms of knowing, interpretation, and meaning, as well as with 20th-century concern with perception, cognition, and the framing of events. While there are influences of phenomenological thinking on varieties of theorizing, such as symbolic interactionism, critical theory, queer theory, and gender-based theories of crime, these ideas are refractions and are inconsistent in their reference to and understanding of the foundational phenomenological works. A …

Values And Beliefs: A Pragmatist Critique Of Moral Nihilism, J.P. Weismuller

Philosophy Honors Projects

Moral nihilism maintains that value judgments cannot be justified. In this paper I argue against two prominent nihilistic theories: error theory and expressivism. First I present a meta-valuation thesis, which holds that it would be more valuable if at least some value judgments were justified. Second I argue for a value-justification thesis, which holds that the greater value of value-justifying theories warrants a rejection of nihilistic theories. This latter thesis requires a pragmatist premise: justified beliefs are the most valuable of possible beliefs. With this premise and a critique of meta-ethical theory choice, I argue that meta-ethical justification proceeds …

The Problem Of Debt-For-Nature Swaps From A Human Rights Perspective, Nicole Hassoun

Philosophy Faculty Scholarship

At first blush, debt-for-nature swaps seem to provide win-win solutions to the looming problems of environmental degradation and extreme poverty. So, one might naturally assume that they are morally permissible, if not obligatory. This article will argue, however, that debt-for-nature swaps are sometimes morally questionable, if not morally impermissible. It suggests that some criticisms of traditional (economic) conditions placed on loans to poor countries also apply to the (environmental) conditionality implicit in such swaps. The article's main theoretical contribution is to suggest a general argumentative strategy for posing a challenge to the moral acceptability of many seemingly innocuous, or even …

Global Health Impact: A Basis For Labeling And Licensing Campaigns?, Nicole Hassoun

Philosophy Faculty Scholarship

Most of the world's health problems afflict poor countries and their poorest inhabitants. There are many reasons why so many people die of poverty-related causes. One reason is that the poor cannot access many of the existing drugs and technologies they need. Another, is that little of the research and development (R&D) done on new drugs and technologies benefits the poor. There are several proposals on the table that might incentivize pharmaceutical companies to extend access to essential drugs and technologies to the global poor.1 Still, the problem remains – the poor are suffering and dying from lack of …

Taking The “Pest” Out Of Pest Control: Humaneness And Wildlife Damage Management, John Hadidian

Attitudes Towards Animals Collection

Humans have been in the pest control business for a long time. At least 3 major foci of pest control activity currently can be found in governmental and private sectors, with private services focused on both traditional commensal rodent work as well as the more recent control of “nuisance” wildlife in cities and towns. Beyond the traditional approaches and techniques historically employed, animal damage managers are increasingly faced with the challenge of addressing the social context within which their work occurs. An ever-increasing variety of stakeholders have brought new concerns, new thinking, and new approaches to the table in a …

Worrying The Line: Blues As Story, Song, And Prayer, Kimberly R. Connor

Public and Nonprofit Administration

No abstract provided.

Who Killed Lycidas?: Lycidas And The Spanish Tragedy, Clay Daniel

Quidditas

In Lycidas, the protagonist searches for an explanation for why his virtuous friend has mysteriously died in a cultural-political landscape of unpunished, thriving, official corruption. Though Renaissance pastoral sometimes inveighed against corrupt authorities, pastoral elegy did not. What models, then, other than the Bible, would Milton have had for the swain’s search? Milton’s headnote calls his poem a monody, which within a literary context primarily is a speech in Greek tragedy. Milton then invites us to read the poem within a dramatic context. But which dramatic context? The Book of Revelation of course is one these contexts. But contemporary …

Libertas Philosophandi And Freedom Of Mind In Spinoza’S Tractatus Theologico-Politicus, J. Thomas Cook

Faculty Publications

Isaiah Berlin famously distinguished between “negative” and “positive” liberty, arguing that in practice the two are often in tension with each other. This paper uses Berlin’s distinction to analyze Spinoza’s discussion of freedom in the Tractatus Theologico-Politicus. Libertas philosophandi is Spinoza’s shorthand for freedom of thought and expression – an important element in traditional liberal (“negative”) freedom. The TTP (as its subtitle announces) is devoted in great part to defending the value and importance of permitting such freedom in the state. But as commentators have often noted, Spinoza is reluctant to extend this liberty to the clerics of his …

The Parapraxis Of Translation, Roland K. Végső

Department of English: Faculty Publications

Within the context of politics and culture, provides a theoretic framework for the analysis of modern translation. Includes section titles, "The paradoxa of translation," "The pragmatics of translation," and "The truth of translation."

Sharp, Striano, And Oliverio (2012) Philosophy For Children: An Educational Path To Philosophy, Ann Margaret Sharp, Maura Striano, Stefano Oliverio

IAPC Written Histories

In this interview, Ann Margaret Sharp recounts her childhood, her love of reading, and her first teaching experience tutoring neighborhood children. She describes her college and university education and her teaching experience at Historically Black Colleges. She relates her career at Montclair State College / University and her co-founding of the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children with Matthew Lipman. She discusses the need to translate academic philosophy for people outside the discipline, especially children.

Spirituality And The Mmpi-2 Restructured Clinical Scales, Diana M. Mendez, Douglas A. Macdonald

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

The present investigation examined the relation between spirituality, measured by the

Expressions of Spirituality Inventory (ESI; MacDonald, 2000); and the Minnesota

Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Clinical (MMPI-2 RC) scales (Tellegen et

al., 2003) using data from a previously published study (i.e., MacDonald & Holland, 2003).

Zero-order, multiple, and partial correlations were calculated to explore the association.

All multiple correlations, wherein the five ESI dimensions were used collectively to predict

MMPI-2 RC scales, emerged significant for all MMPI-2 RC scales. For zero-order correlations,

all RC scales were found to have a significant relation with at least one ESI dimension.

Existential Well-Being …

The Scale For Existential Thinking, Blake A. Allan, Branton Shearer

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This study introduced the construct of existential thinking, which we defined as the tendency

to explore the fundamental concerns of human existence and the capacity to engage in a

meaning-making process that locates oneself in respect to these issues. We also assessed

the psychometric properties of the 11-item “Scale for Existential Thinking” (SET). In two

studies, we found the SET to have unidimensional factor structure and good reliability

diagnostics in both student and adult samples. Moreover, the SET showed construct validity

by correlating with meaning in life, curiosity, and other existential variables. Furthermore,

we found meaning in life to mediate …

Trauma And Transformative Passage, Reed A. Morrison Private Practice

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

The strategic introduction of stressors to intentionally produce targeted psychological states

has a long history among indigenous peoples. Rites of passage ceremonies commonly involve

subjecting individuals to controlled violence to attain desired transformative outcomes. In

this context, violence is held to be sacred and generative, ritually introducing distress in

the service of loosening orientation and preparing the individual for spiritual advancement

and the acquisition of a new identity. Traditional ritual initiation ceremonies are typically

tripartite and characterized by stages of Separation, Ordeal, and Return. This article suggests

that accounts of the experiences of initiates in Separation and Ordeal stages bear …

Introduction To Special Topic Section: Parapsychology, Sean Avila Saiter, Glenn Hartelius

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

NA

How Should Therapists Respond To Client Accounts Of Out-Of-Body Experience?, Alexander De Foe

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

During an out-of-body experience (OBE) a person experiences their center of consciousness

from a spatial location that is distinctly different to their physical body. Prior research has

suggested that psychologists and psychotherapists may be reluctant to discuss the content

of their clients OBE accounts due to a lack of understanding about the nature of these

experiences. Yet, other research has highlighted the substantial value of discussing OBEs

in the therapeutic process. This paper examines the literature in order to assess the value of

utilizing person-centered dialogue and guided visualisation as counselling approaches for

working with clients who have had OBEs.

Mental Health And The Paranormal, Simon Dein

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

To date, there has been a dearth of work examining the relationships between paranormal

experiences and mental health. After defining paranormal experience and its prevalence,

I examine a number of areas related to paranormal experience and psychopathology: psi

and the unconscious, dissociation and fantasy proneness, schizotypy, transliminality and

reality monitoring, child abuse, reasoning and information processing, and transpersonal

psychology. Finally, I discuss the clinical implications of these findings.

Psychoactive Substances And Paranormal Phenomena: A Comprehensive Review, David Luke

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This paper investigates the relationship between psychoactive substances and so-called paranormal

phenomena falling within the study of parapsychology. It is primarily concerned with extrasensory

perception (ESP)—telepathy, precognition, and clairvoyance—as well as out-of-body experiences

(OBEs) and near-death experiences (NDEs). Psychokinesis (PK), aura vision, encounter experiences,

and sleep paralysis only make a very limited contribution to this review as they are seldom related

to psychoactive drugs within the parapsychological literature. The paper borrows widely, but by no

means exhaustively, from parapsychology as well as transpersonal studies, anthropology, ethnobotany,

phytochemistry, psychiatry, psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, and neurobiology, particularly

neurochemistry. It is organized into neurochemical models …

Inexpressibility In Augustine’S Just War Theory: Lessons For Modern Warfare, Matt Beard

Philosophy Conference Papers

St. Augustine's Just War Theory is relatively unique in the history of just war in that he relies heavily on Divine involvement in his doctrine of just war. God is the ultimate source of the justice of all wars, and his command is the source of justice for some wars. Furthermore, the authority of political leaders is also derived from God. This is problematic for Augustine's theory because it renders the causa justa of wars inexpressible to the subjects of the sovereign, who are forced to rely on the sovereign's (divinely originated) authority. Although these ideas may seem a long …

The Hyperspatial Self: Henry James And Posthuman Modalities, Christina Patsiokas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the era of computing and ubiquitous media, scholars across disciplines have been developing new models for how humans operate in complex environments. This line of inquiry can be bracketed under the larger term of posthuman thought. This thesis attempts to engage the critical and fictional work of Henry James with several posthumanist texts to challenge the temporal limitations of both. Against the backdrop of posthuman discourse, James emerges not as the cherished father of modernism but rather as a pioneer of distant territories far beyond the ways in which the modernist novel conceptualized the self and its consciousness. James …

Donald Davidson's Semantics: Radical Interpretation, Triangulation, And The Ambiguity Problem, Karen Duffy

Philosophy Student Work

Donald Davidson was one of the most prominent philosophers of the 20th century. His work is extensive, dense, and controversial. This paper seeks to look at one part of Davidson’s philosophy: his philosophy of language, and in particular, his ideas about meaning. My first aim in this project is to present Davidson’s proposals about meaning as a unified meaning theory – a theory that can specify the meaning of any expression in a language. This theory contains two major parts: the proposal that a properly constrained truth theory can serve as a meaning theory, and the process of radical interpretation, …

The Three-Fold Significance Of The Blaming Emotions, Zac Cogley

Publication

Much of the philosophical work on moral responsibility assumes that we should understand people’s moral responsibility for the actions they take in terms of the appropriateness of the blaming emotions—resentment, anger, and indignation. However, current theorizing about the blaming emotions is often psychologically uninformed. Drawing on work in empirical psychology, I have recently argued that anger serves three functions in human psychology: appraisal, motivation, and communication. In this project, I propose to extend that analysis to the entire class of blaming emotions. I will show that theorizing about moral responsibility is myopic if it focuses on one of the functions …

Nozick’S Defense Of Closure, Peter Baumann

Philosophy Faculty Works

No abstract provided.