Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Definition, Andrew Kania

Philosophy Faculty Research

Much of the time most of us can tell whether, and which of, the sounds we are currently hearing are music. This is so whether or not what we are listening to is a familiar piece, a piece we have not heard before, or even music from a culture or tradition with which we are unfamiliar. In cases where we are unsure, or initially mistaken in our judgment, we will often change our opinion based on further information. This near-universal agreement suggests that the concept of music is one shared by different people, and has boundaries which we are implicitly …

Propositional Quantification, Ryan Christensen

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Ramsey deWned truth in the following way: xz is true if and only if 'pzz(xz = [zpz] & pz). This deWnition is ill-formed in standard Wrst-order logic, so it is normally interpreted using substitutional or some kind of higher-order quanti-Wer. I argue that these quantiWers fail to provide an adequate reading of the deWnition, but that, given certain adjustments, standard objectual quantiWcation does provide an adequate reading.

Friendship In Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, Jason Ader

A with Honors Projects

An analysis of Aristotle's views on friendship including research.

Plantinga, Kant, And Cognitive Reliability, Peter Zuk

Global Tides

This article applies Alvin Plantinga’s principle that self-defeat is inherent in any theory which gives the theorist reason to doubt her own cognitive faculties to Kant’s theory of perception, transcendental idealism. Because transcendental idealism excludes the possibility of knowledge about things in themselves, including the transcendental idealist’s own cognitive faculties, the theory is self-defeating under Plantinga’s argument. The article continues by arguing that Kant’s appeal to God as a way to vindicate the transcendental idealist’s cognitive faculties is problematic in several ways, and that the theory therefore cannot avoid self-defeat.

Sola Fide, The New Perspective On Paul, And The Involuntariness Of Belief, Peter Zuk

Global Tides

This article argues that the doctrine of sola fide is deeply problematic on the basis of two widely accepted philosophic principles, and then attempts to treat the problem exegetically. The article begins by showing that the “ought implies can” principle, which states that agents can only be held morally responsible for performing or not performing acts within their power, presents apparent problems for sola fide when examined alongside doxastic involuntarism, which holds that agents are incapable of choosing their beliefs. Sola fide, however, has been essential to the traditional interpretation of core Pauline texts. The author attempts to resolve …

Identifying Modular Function Via Edge Annotation In Gene Correlation Networks Using Gene Ontology Search, Kathryn Dempsey Cooper, Ishwor Thapa, Dhundy Raj Bastola, Hesham Ali

Interdisciplinary Informatics Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Correlation networks provide a powerful tool for analyzing large sets of biological information. This method of high-throughput data modeling has important implications in uncovering novel knowledge of cellular function. Previous studies on other types of network modeling (protein-protein interaction networks, metabolomes, etc.) have demonstrated the presence of relationships between network structures and organization of cellular function. Studies with correlation network further confirm the existence of such network structure and biological function relationship. However, correlation networks are typically noisy and the identified network structures, such as clusters, must be further investigated to verify actual cellular function. This is traditionally done using …

A Novel Correlation Networks Approach For The Identification Of Gene Targets, Kathryn Dempsey Cooper, Stephen Bonasera, Dhundy Raj Bastola, Hesham Ali

Interdisciplinary Informatics Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Correlation networks are emerging as a powerful tool for modeling temporal mechanisms within the cell. Particularly useful in examining coexpression within microarray data, studies have determined that correlation networks follow a power law degree distribution and thus manifest properties such as the existence of “hub” nodes and semicliques that potentially correspond to critical cellular structures. Difficulty lies in filtering coincidental relationships from causative structures in these large, noise-heavy networks. As such, computational expenses and algorithm availability limit accurate comparison, making it difficult to identify changes between networks. In this vein, we present our work identifying temporal relationships from microarray data …

Virtue Ethics In School Counseling: A Framework For Decision-Making, Felicia Wilczenski, Amy Cook

Counseling, School Psychology & Sport Faculty Publication Series

Virtue ethics focus on the motives that guide ethical decision making and action, and as such, are critical to the competent application of the counseling profession’s ethical codes. Knowledge of virtue ethics deepens understanding of moral responsibilities and ethical reasoning in professional practice. This paper is an overview of virtue ethics and discusses its relevance for school counselors and counselor educators.

Defying The ‘Magic Circle’: Unethical Acts In Virtual Worlds, Michael Bohling

3690: A Journal of First-Year Student Research Writing

Overview: This article investigates the complex and controversial exclusion of real world law from virtual worlds. By including examples of several documented unethical acts that have occurred in virtual worlds, this article suggests that real world law should be carried into virtual spaces in order to protect users. Some forms of protection discussed within this essay include the transfer of property rights and consequences of legal prosecution in order to deter unethical behaviors. Finally, this article includes benefits of adopting these strategies, while also acknowledging the potential negatives.

Imagine a world where you can be perfect; a world where you …

Tomáš Masaryk And Jane Addams On Humanitarianism And Cultural Reciprocity, Marilyn Fischer

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Chapter addresses similarities between Addams's and Masaryk's positions on cultural difference and national states. The similarities were based not only on their shared general humanitarian point of view, but on a personal interaction as well. Masaryk visited the U.S. several times and even delivered series of lectures on Slavs and their history at Hull House in Chicago. Masaryk spoke with Addams and was in contact with her through his daughter Alice, who spent time in Chicago and whom Addams mentored. In these circumstances the similarities in their ideas of trans-nationalism, the plasticity of national identity, and cultural reciprocity are not …

Ideology And Elite Conflicts: Autopsy Of The Ethiopian Revolution, Messay Kebede

Philosophy Faculty Publications

The widespread social protest that resulted in the overthrow of Ethiopia's imperial regime in 1974 was soon followed by a series of radical and deep-going social changes that heralded the implementation of a socialist policy. Nevertheless, despite the unprecedented changes that took place, scholars do not agree on the true nature of the social transformation of Ethiopia. Those who speak of a genuine socialist revolution clash with those who denounce counterrevolutionary digressions. Some maintain that the transformations are minor against a background of overwhelming continuity. Another smaller group insists that socialism was used as a smokescreen for the implementation of …

Can Luce Irigaray's Notion Of Sexual Difference Be Applied To Transsexual And Transgender Narratives?, Danielle Poe

Philosophy Faculty Publications

For over thirty years, Luce lrigaray's work on sexual difference has been the subject of debate about whether sexual difference is essential, necessary, oppressive, or some combination of these. I examine critiques from people who claim that her work is based on an essentialism that is dismissive and harmful to transsexual and transgender discourse. I argue that lrigaray's ethics, based on sexual difference, has the potential to lead to discussions about all difference, including differences in sexuality. lrigaray's complex understanding of sexual difference as natural, cultural, spiritual, and morphological can help us interpret transsexual narratives, narratives by people who seek …

An Inquiry Into The Moral Significance Of Doxastic And Epistemic States: Examining The Circumstantial Element Of Moral Obligation, Gregory William Keenan

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis explores the moral significance of agent beliefs and epistemic states. In particular it will explore the following question: is an agent's moral obligation a function of her actual circumstances, what she believes those circumstances to be, or what her evidence indicates those circumstances are? Three corresponding views are explored and it is argued that each of these views is subject to one of two substantial worries, which are developed in this thesis (i.e. the manipulation worry and the unreasonableness worry).

A Theory Of Mental Credit, Jason Soll

CMC Senior Theses

Many philosophical subjects attempt to analyze the basis of human welfare. Theories of desert, distribution of property, and happiness tend to dominate philosophical discourse. Mental credit, which is the mental acquisition of credit for one’s accomplishments and the satisfaction one derives from this credit, is absent from this discourse despite its underlying role in the way people think about their lives. Mental credit is an eternal cognitive good that deserves thoughtful attention and pious decisions for implementation. The following theory of mental credit seeks to serve as a unifying theory for the mental calculations that guide life’s most imperative decisions, …

Free Will, Genuine Alternatives And Predictability, Laura Hagen

CMC Senior Theses

Through evaluating Hilary Bok’s argument from her essay Freedom and Practical Reason, I hope to shed light on the overall question of whether we can have free will if determinism is true. In the first two chapters I will fully explain and break down Bok’s argument for genuine epistemic alternatives. In chapter three I will evaluate the success of Bok’s arguments. Specifically, I will offer a variety of intuitive examples to show that epistemic unpredictability is not enough to make our alternatives genuine. I will then use more examples to consider the relative importance of unpredictability and endorsement to …

Theories Of Justice To Health Care, Jacob R. Tobis

CMC Senior Theses

In this thesis, many topics will be discussed and a variety of philosophers will be mentioned. The main goal of this thesis is to determine a health care plan that fits with the theories of Robert Nozick, Arthur Ripstein, Norman Daniels, and Amartya Sen. I conclude that Ezekiel Emanuel’s health care plan, The Guaranteed Healthcare Access Plan, can be used as a compromise between the views of each of these philosophers.  In reaching such a conclusion, I take many steps. I begin with the explanation of theories of justice and their focus. I then turn to the important distinction between …

Reception Of Marxism In 20th Century Russia, Aleksandr Grabovskiy

CMC Senior Theses

In my thesis I will study how the revolutionary philosophy of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels was received and interpreted by early 20^th century Russian intellectuals in an attempt to reconcile orthodoxy with the real conditions present in Russia. Through analysis of documents spanning several decades of debate, I will trace the evolution of this discussion to unlock the logic that led to philosophy put to action in the form of revolution. Finally, I will evaluate how this logic fits into the historic trajectory described by Marxism.

Does The Mind Extend Out Into The World, Andrew D. Kishino

CMC Senior Theses

The extended mind debate juggles the possibilities of whether or not the mind extends out into the world. Today, with the rise in technology, we have an additional claim that our tools are responsible for extending our minds. The internet, smart phones, and other tools give us a foothold in the extended mind debate by providing real world examples of how our mind is perceived as extending out into the world. In discovering where the divide between mind and environment exists we can come up with a conclusion whether or not the mind truly extends out into the world.

Korsgaard On Reason And The Normativity Of Rationality, Robert Colin English

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Korsgaard (2009) argues, against Kolodny (2005) and Broome (2007), that rational requirements are in fact normative. In her view the normativity of rational requirements is a function of their constitutive role in the deliberative activity of reason. After surveying the treatment of this question in the relevant literature, I explain Korsgaard's theory using pure constructivism as a framing device. I then argue that not only is her account of deliberative reason as an activity unsatisfactory (specifically, it fails to defeat the intuition that charges of boot-strapping are deeply problematic, and makes the adoption of reasons for belief from the deliberative …

Will You Survive A Trip To Rekall, Inc.?, G. C. Goddu

Philosophy Faculty Publications

What would you do for ninety-two million dollars? In the movie Paycheck (based on the Philip K. Dick story of the same name), Michael Jennings agrees to give up three full years of his life-kind of. He loses three years of his mental life. To ensure confidentiality for his current client, the Rethrick Corporation, Jennings agrees to have all his memories of the three years he will work for the company removed. In return, Jennings will receive a large quantity of company stock options worth approximately $92 million. A good deal? Maybe, but I suspect most of us would be …

Hey Buddha! Don’T Think! Just Act!: Reply To Finnigan, Jay L. Garfield

Philosophy: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Consulting The Architect When Problems Arise – The Divine Law, Brian Mccall

Faculty Articles

In The Architecture of Law: Building Law on a Solid Foundation- The Eternal and Natural Law, I began laying the foundation for a particular form of legal architecture. Taking inspiration from St. Thomas Aquinas’ description of God as the artificer or architect, I argued that the Law is a multi storied edifice comprised of different types of law. I explored the nature of the foundational law, the Eternal Law and its relationship to justice. I considered how the frame of Natural Law is erected upon or participates in the foundation of Eternal Law. Finally, I discussed some of the most …

The Declaration Of Independence And Immigration In The United States Of America, Kenneth M. White

Faculty Articles

The United States has always been a nation of immigrants, and immigration policy has always been controversial. The history of immigration in the United States is contrasted in this article with a normative standard of naturalization (immigration policy) based on the Declaration of Independence. The current immigration debate fits within a historical pattern that pits an unrestricted right of immigration (the left) against exclusive, provincial politics (the right). Both sides are simultaneously correct and incorrect. A moderate policy on immigration is possible if the debate in the United States gets an infusion of what Thomas Paine called "common sense."

Phenomenology As Eschatological Materialism, Neal Deroo

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

No abstract provided.

A Imparcialidade Da Ciência E As Responsabilidades Dos Cientistas, Hugh Lacey

Philosophy Faculty Works

This article, making use of a distinction between endorsing and accepting a claim, discusses the responsibilities that scientists incur in the light of the necessity to act, formulate policy, and to design regulations pertinent to technoscientific innovations, when decisions will inevitably be based, in important part, on claims that are only endorsed (and so implicated in compromises with ethical/social values), and not accepted in accordance with impartiality. Then, after introducing the notion of "impartial investigation", I conclude that the central responsibility of scientists is to engage in impartial investigation, and that this requires, not the exclusion of ethical and social …

Epistemic Closure, Peter Baumann

Philosophy Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Stanley Cavell And Literary Studies: Consequences Of Skepticism, Richard Thomas Eldridge, B. Rhie

Philosophy Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

An Unlikely Marriage: Theorizing The Corporeality Of Language At The Crossroads Of Thoreau, Heidegger And The Botanical World, John Charles Ryan

Research outputs 2011

This paper examines the relationship between language, particularly language that expresses aesthetic experiences of plant life, and corporeality. The theorisation of language is a keystone towards conceptualising participatory relationships between people and the botanical world. A comparative reading of the works of Henry David Thoreau and Martin Heidegger provides a framework for approaching language as embodied participation. Despite political differences, Thoreau and Heidegger shared a mutual conviction about the generative powers of language. Thoreau’s literary practice partly involved immersion in places such as swamps and forests. Fittingly, Heidegger’s explication of Rilke’s concept of “the Open” mirrors the participatory aesthetics of …

Plants As Objects: Challenges For An Aesthetics Of Flora, John Charles Ryan

Research outputs 2011

This paper presents the conceptual challenges to an aesthetic model of living plants based in embodied interaction with flora through smell, taste, touch, sound and sight. I argue that the science of aesthetics is deterministically visual. Drawing from theories of landscape aesthetics put forth by Carlson and Berleant, I outline four primary obstacles to an embodied aesthetics: plants as objects of sight, plants as objects of art, plants as objects of disinterestedness and plants as objects of scientific discourse. A multi-sensorial aesthetics of flora requires auto-centric proximity and degrees of intersubjectivity between the appreciator and the appreciated plant that raise …

Anthoethnography: Emerging Research Into The Culture Of Flora, Aesthetic Experience Of Plants, And The Wildflower Tourism Of The Future, John C. Ryan

Research outputs 2011

How does anthoethnography contribute to the development of understandings of aesthetic experiences of wild plants and wildflower tourism? As exemplified by the quintessentially aesthetic industry of wildflower tourism, the culture of flora represents diverse engagements between people and plants. Such complex engagements offer further avenues for research. The critical methodology of anthoethnography has been one such approach to circumscribing the values, practices and rhetoric of wildflower tourism. Interviews have revealed perceptual phenomena such as the orchid and everlasting effects as two counterpoised examples of the differences between visual aesthetic values occurring in the region. For appreciators such as Tinker, botanical …