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Ciis Today, Fall 2008 Issue, Ciis

CIIS Today

This volume is the Fall 2008 issue of CIIS Today, the Magazine of the California Institute of Integral Studies.

The Methodology Of Musical Ontology: Descriptivism And Its Implications, Andrew Kania

Philosophy Faculty Research

I investigate the widely held view that fundamental musical ontology should be descriptivist rather than revisionary, that is, that it should describe how we think about musical works, rather than how they are independently of our thought about them. I argue that if we take descriptivism seriously then, first, we should be sceptical of art-ontological arguments that appeal to independent metaphysical respectability; and, second, we should give ‘fictionalism’ about musical works—the theory that they do not exist—more serious consideration than it is usually accorded.

Review: Talking About God: Exploring The Meaning Of Religious Life With Kierkegaard, Buber, Tillich And Heschel (By Daniel F. Polish), Michael S. Jones

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Traditional Culture And Global Commodification, Albert Borgmann

Philosophy Faculty Publications

We can think of technology and Christianity as competing forms of life. Technology promises a life of ever greater liberty and prosperity where liberty is the liberation from the limits and burdens of the human condition and prosperity is the variety and refinement of pleasures. Christianity bears the good news of salvation, the assurance that the coming of Christ has enabled us to live a life of grace and love that is affirmed by eternal life in the presence of God.

Sagp/Ssips 2008 Program, Anthony Preus

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Sagp/Ssips 2008 Abstract Collection, Anthony Preus

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Philosophy And Theology: Notes On Sex Selection, Christopher Kaczor

Philosophy Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Review Of Cesar Chavez And The Common Sense Of Nonviolence, Grant J. Silva

Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Hobbies, Alienation, & Identity Revision, Philosophical Discussion Group, Armstrong State University

The Philosopher's Stone

No abstract provided.

Moral Communities In A Pluralistic Nation, Eric Bain-Selbo

Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Moral Communities In A Pluralistic Nation, Eric Bain-Selbo

Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Early Response To False Claims In Wikipedia, P.D. Magnus

Philosophy Faculty Scholarship

A number of studies have assessed the reliability of entries in Wikipedia at specific times. One important difference between Wikipedia and traditional media, however, is the dynamic nature of its entries. An entry assessed today might be substantially extended or reworked tomorrow. This study paper assesses the frequency with which small, inaccurate changes are quickly corrected.

Substantial Unity And Living Things In Aristotle, Errol G. Katayama

Philosophy and Religion Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Denazification Of Mh: The Struggle With Being And The Philosophical Confrontation With The Ancient Greeks In Heidegger’S Originary Politics, James Magrini

Philosophy Scholarship

James T. Hong’s experimental documentary, The Denazification of MH (2006) is neither an apology for Heidegger’s involvement with National Socialism nor a condemnation of that involvement. Rather, the film is a critical philosophical confrontation (Auseinandersetzung) with Heidegger’s thought and the issue of his involvement with National Socialism. The film addresses the perennial concern as old as philosophy itself: the relationship between the philosopher’s life and his philosophy. While the film does not adopt a definitive position regarding Heidegger, Nazism, and the issue of personal responsibility, it does suggest an affirmative response to the question posed by both Levinas …

Contrastivism Rather Than Something Else? On The Limits Of Epistemic Contrastivism, Peter Baumann

Philosophy Faculty Works

One of the most recent trends in epistemology is contrastivism. It can be characterized as the thesis that knowledge is a ternary relation between a subject, a proposition known and a contrast proposition. According to contrastivism, knowledge attributions have the form “S knows that p, rather than q”. In this paper I raise several problems for contrastivism: it lacks plausibility for many cases of knowledge, is too narrow concerning the third relatum, and overlooks a further relativity of the knowledge relation.

Faith And The Sublation Of Modernity: Kierkegaard And The Transformation Of Fideism, James Mark Shields

Faculty Journal Articles

This article retraces the “genealogy” of the fideist perspective in philosophy as well as literature, especially within the writings of Søren Kierkegaard and the novel Don Quixote. It contends that a demythologized perspective of the fideist-humanist sort, based upon Erasmian tolerance and intellectual creativity and updated with the insights of post-analytic theory (e.g., the work of Alasdair MacIntyre, Richard Rorty, and Jeffrey Stout), without revoking the vocabulary of transcendence, can reinforce the weathered but still valuable post-Enlightenment moral vocabulary, and can reiterate the humaneness of liberal hope without undue encumbrance from the dogmatic baggage of traditional theological jargon and metaphysics.

論康德的道德主體觀, Laiwing Au

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

康德的主體理論不但為西方的理性主義開出了一個新的領域，在近代中國儒學 的研究中更被視為一個重要的樞紐。康德的主體理論除了為日後相關的討論提 供了穩固的框架外，他對一些重要概念──諸如理性、道德的必然性等──的 反省和釐清，更為當世的相關討論帶來了突破性的發展和影響。當然，其道德 主體理論也有不少困難。本文分成四章，基於上述各點展開討論。

第一章為前言，旨在闡明康德對其它道德理論的抨擊，以顯康德對道德的看法 之獨特處。

第二章對康德的道德主體理論作系統性的闡釋。由康德的最高道德原則出發， 闡明當中的關鍵概念，例如：道德的無條件性與普遍性，從而帶出主體所具備 的實踐理性及自律性。康德於捍衛道德的普遍性及肯定人之主體性方面，成就 無容置疑。但另一方面，在其系統中，道德法則只能呈現為命令，亦不允許情 感的滲雜。康德的這種主體觀並非沒有困難。

本文的第三章則指出康德道德理論對主體的一些前設，並透過比較康德與王陽 明的道德理論，揭示康德的道德主體觀並非在所有文化下都為人接受。最後， 本章亦希望帶出道德主體觀與道德境界的密切關係，以點出不同道德主體觀的 意義。全文最後以第四章作結。

The Place Of Theology In A World Come Of Age: A Comparative Analysis Of The Writings Of Dietrich Bonhoeffer And Paul Ramsey., Dave Buckner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the twentieth century dawned in the western world, there were voices both inside and out of the Christian Church that began to question religion's central place in man's daily life. Had humanity finally progressed to the point where religion was no longer necessary? Had we at long last developed the characteristics and perspectives that religion had attempted to engrain within us? Or were the rules and regulations of religion still needed to ensure the continued advancement of civilization? This is a study of two opposing voices in that debate: theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and ethicist Paul Ramsey. What follows is …

Politics, Culture Wars,And The Good Book: Recent Controversies Over The Bible And Public Education, Mark A. Chancey

Occasional Papers

No abstract provided.

Reply To Joseph Ellin's Of All Professions, Prostitution Is The Oldest (Except Possibly For Teaching), Michael Davis

Center for the Study of Ethics in Society Papers

No abstract provided.

Genetically Engineering Human-Animal Chimeras And Lives Worth Living, Dennis R. Cooley

Between the Species

Genetic engineering often generates fear of out of control scientists creating Frankenstein creatures that will terrorize the general populace, especially in the cases of human-animal chimeras. While sometimes an accurate characterization of some researchers, this belief is often the result of repugnance for new technology rather than being rationally justified. To facilitate thoughtful discussion the moral issues raised by human-animal chimeras, ethicists and other stakeholders must develop a rational ethical framework before raw emotion has a chance of becoming the dominating justification for public opinion and policy. Derek Parfit’s work on lives worth living for human beings can provide valuable …

Animal Thoughts On Factory Farms: Michael Leahy, Language And Awareness Of Death, Rebekah Humphreys

Between the Species

The idea that language is necessary for thought and emotion is a dominant one in philosophy. Animals have taken the brunt of this idea, since it is widely held that language is exclusively human. Michael Leahy (1991) makes a case against the moral standing of factory-farmed animals based on such ideas. His approach is Wittgensteinian: understanding is a thought process that requires language, which animals do not possess. But he goes further than this and argues that certain factory farming methods do not cause certain sufferings to the animals used, since animals lack full awareness of their circumstances. In particular …

The Ethical Disconnect Of The Circus: Humanity's Acceptance Of Performing Elephants - Author's Note Added 2 Feb 2011, Mike Jaynes

Between the Species

No abstract provided.

Reasonable Humans And Animals: An Argument For Vegetarianism, Nathan Nobis

Between the Species

No abstract provided.

The Intentionality Of Plover Cognitive States, Chuck Stieg

Between the Species

This paper attempts to clarify and justify the attribution of mental states to animals by focusing on two different conceptions of intentionality: instrumentalist and realist. I use each of these general views to interpret and discuss the behavior and cognitive states of piping plovers in order to provide a substantive way to frame the question of animal minds. I argue that attributing mental states to plovers is warranted for instrumentalists insofar as it is warranted for similar human behavior. For realists about intentionality, the complexity, adaptability and flexibility of the plovers’ behavior, along with its ability to utilize the content …

Book Review Brian Luke's Brutal: Manhood And The Exploitation Of Animals, Laura Donnellan

Between the Species

No abstract provided.

Review Of Francione's Animals As Persons: Essays On The Abolition Of Animal Exploitation, Joan Schaffner

Between the Species

No abstract provided.

The Pig Roast, Josephine Donovan

Between the Species

No abstract provided.

Peter Singer’S Hegelianism: The Social Context Of Equality, David Rose

Between the Species

No abstract provided.

The Social Contract, The Conservative Attitude, And Antibiotics Development, Eli Weber

Between the Species

The prevalence of antibiotic resistant microbes has led to a call for new antibiotics development. Due to the irresponsible practices of the medical community in prescribing antibiotics, much of the demand for new antibiotics is suspect. I argue that the social contract, which properly includes human relationships with laboratory animals, requires a conservative attitude toward new antibiotics development. This attitude places limits on the justificatory role of demand in determining whether a particular research project meets the conditions for morally justified research, as defined by Rollin’s utilitarian principle.