Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Approaches To Teaching Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings And Other Works (2015) Edited By Leslie A. Donovan, Kris Swank

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review of Approaches to Teaching Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" and Other Works (2015), edited by Leslie A. Donovan

Review Of Joyce Carol Oates's A Book Of American Martyrs, Eric K. Anderson

Bearing Witness: Joyce Carol Oates Studies

A review of Joyce Carol Oates's novel A Book of American Martyrs considering her fiction's dialogue with controversial political issues in American society.

Searching For Ethics’ Grounding: A Case For Moral Feeling And The Human Relationship To Nature, Katie Coulter

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

The following essay considers the question of how ethical and moral theories are possible in conjunction with the “death of God” as conceptualized by Nietzsche and other continental thinkers. I argue that ethical and moral action become possible through, and require, a deep affective experience of something as having absolute value, and that this kind of experience of absolute value can be found in human beings’ relationship with nature. Using the work of Bernard Williams and John Russon, I argue that the climate crisis facing the planet makes apparent this relationship, and makes possible a particular kind of affective response …

Solving Frege’S Substitution Puzzle: Analyzing It In Light Of Descriptivism And Direct Reference Theory, Ayesha Rehman

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

Although replacing one proper name with another that refers to the same person does not change the truth-value of a declarative statement, it affects the truth-value of propositional attitude reports, which are cognitive relations that people hold towards propositions. Frege’s Substitution Puzzle about propositional attitude reports essentially asks an important question: if two proper names co-refer in a certain linguistic community, then why does their intersubstitutability produce propositional attitude reports (that contain those proper names) with opposite truth-values? This paper attempts to explain how Description Theory of Names and Direct Reference Theory, two theories of proper names, solve Frege’s Substitution …

Predicting The Truth: Overcoming Problems With Poppers Verisimilitude Through Model Selection Theory, K. Raleigh Hanson

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

The purpose of this research is to investigate the possibility of using aspects of model selection theory to overcome both a logical problem and an epistemic problem that prevents progress towards the truth being measured while maintaining a realist approach to science. Karl Popper began such an investigation into the problem of progress in 1963 with the idea of verisimilitude, but his attempts failed to meet his own criteria, the logical and epistemic problems, for a metric of progress. Although philosophers have attempted to fix Popper’s verisimilitude, none have seemed to overcome both criteria yet. My research analyzes the similarities …

Minds And Bodies: Early Modern Social Justice, Clare Áine Keefer

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

In A Serious Proposal to the Ladies parts I and II, Mary Astell argues that social conditioning impacts women’s self-image in such a way as to prevent them from striving for scholarly achievement. Astell’s solution is to allow women to withdraw from society into dedicated schools for women and by women, as an alternative to marriage and family life. In this paper, I will explore some of the implications of that argument, how it might be expanded to other marginalized populations, and argue that despite Astell’s proposed solution being proven to create at least as many problems as it solves, …

No Soft Doctrine: Royce On The Problem Of Evil, Brandon Wright

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

Because of the ubiquity of evil, religious systems, which aim to influence the way we live our lives, must answer three questions: what is evil, why does evil exist, and how can we eliminate, or at least manage, evil? Call this the broad problem of evil, as opposed to the traditional narrow problem of evil. I reconstruct the answer to the broad problem of evil found in Josiah Royce’s later writings in the second section of this paper. Then, I explain why traditional theodicies are deficient answers to the narrow problem of evil. I argue that Royce’s answer to the …

The Science Of Communication: A Bayesian Account Of Communication Strategy Selection, Danielle Clevenger

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

This paper will detail how Bayesian epistemology, traditionally a tool of philosophers of science, can be used to select a method of communication that is most likely to produce a desired communication goal from a targeted subject. Using the frame of Bayes’ Theorem in the form of Posterior Probability Ratios, it will show how a communicator, focusing on agency and awareness, can use said frame to deliberately and purposefully select an evidentially favored communication strategy, intended to elicit a certain response from the respondent. By translating the epistemic version of Bayes’ Theorem into a communication setting, this strategy presents an …

The Purpose, Praxis, And Future Of Academia: Fichtean Approaches To Education, Eri Svenson

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

Following the publication of Schulze’s “Aenesidemus”, which detailed a skeptical critique of transcendental idealism, philosopher Johann Gottlieb Fichte found himself undergoing an “intellectual revolution”. Having agreed with many of Schulze’s arguments, he concluded that to preserve the spirit of Kantianism he would have to establish a foundationally reworked conceptualization of it. Fichte emerged from this process with a framework grounded upon the innovative claim that we should regard that there is nothing for us beyond our own consciousness, which creates both ourselves, and the world that we experience. Furthermore, because we create our own experiences, it is possible for us …

The Euthyphro Dilemma And Utilitarianism, Mark Taylor

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

In this paper I reexamine the Euthyphro dilemma to determine the principles underlying its critique of divine command theory. From this analysis, I claim that the Euthyphro dilemma can be fruitfully applied to other systems of ethics. As an example, I examine the Utility Principle which undergirds Utilitarianism. I argue that the Utility Principle is metaethically insufficient as the basis for our moral duties because it is good neither necessarily nor independently. The result is that Utilitarianism must be rejected as the definition of morality, though we may retain it as one of the good’s criteria.

Knowledge Is Knowing Frankenstein Isn’T The Monster, Wisdom Is Knowing Frankenstein Is The Monster: An Exploration On Mankind And Monstrosity, Alexandra Melnick

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

Humans construct their identity by constantly measuring themselves against and creating themselves around culturally ingrained systems of rules governing the social, the political, and perceptions of the physical. I call a system of rules a “syntax.” When a syntactical system is broken, a monster is born. Our monsters are the litmus and definition of our selves. Using Michel Foucault’s Abnormal lectures to inform my theory of the self as “syntax,” I posit that it is essential to understand the monster in order to exert social change and it is essential to understand what a monster is in order to understand …

Neutrality’S Much Needed Place In Dewey’S Two-Part Criterion For Democratic Education, Taylor Wisneski

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

This paper examines methods provided by both John Dewey and Amy Gutmann. Dewey’s method involves categorizing experiences and values amongst individuals. Gutmann’s method involves neutrality through equality of information and presentations. My question revolves around how to create a fairer democratic education system that allows individuals to critically analyze every-­‐day information. My analysis and conclusion combine the two methods to form a better method and solution. The solution is that values and experiences need to be learned through unbiased neutrality in order for individuals to form unbiased social groups that make up society. This implies that some of our current …

Folk Psychological Predictive Methods And Inductive Reasoning, Rachel Mccarthy

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

That we project the past onto our predictions of the future is a commonly accepted means of behavior prediction within folk psychology and everyday life. It is also a proposed method of behavior prediction given by Kristin Andrews in her piece, Do Apes Read Minds? By way of John Stuart Mill’s consideration of the dilemmas that arise from induction, supplementary pieces on induction and inference, and cognitive psychology as it pertains to memory perception, I will address:

1. Prediction from the past as it pertains to folk psychology, inductive reasoning and cognitive psychology.
2. Mill’s approach to David Hume’s problem …

On Sense Perception And Theory Of Recollection In Phaedo, Minji Jang

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

This paper addresses two challenges to the Theory of Recollection in Phaedo. First, it raises the concern of comparative perception, which claims that a newborn infant must possess the ability to comparatively perceive the object in order for the process of recollection to work, and proposes a limited solution for the concern. Second, it examines the compatibility between the two seemingly contradictory claims concerning the role of sense perception in acquiring true knowledge in Phaedo, in which Socrates claims both that we can never acquire true knowledge by relying on our physical senses, and that the only …

On The Logic Of Evolution And The Vanity Of Scientism, Thomas E. Elliott

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

The cultural debate about Creationism contra evolution by natural selection may be far from over, but the logic underlying it is settled. Creationism is ill-suited to take the place of methodological naturalism for the investigation of biology. In this paper, I survey how philosopher Elliott Sober uses some well-formed concepts from statistics and epistemology, including the nature of evidence, data, as well as the contemporary theory of evolution by natural selection to destroy Creationism as a viable theory once and for all. Creationism is a demonstrable logical fallacy, one that has no support biblically, or in science, but is a …

Fortunately, We May Not Have Time, Alexis Liston

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

Our perceptions and beliefs about reality do not always reflect the true nature of reality. Conceptions of time are one example of this. Many of us intuitively feel that time is its own distinct and external entity that somehow drives life forward. It may be natural to feel time in this way, as we experience regular cycles and seasons as we age, but we must make a conscious effort to recognize that this feeling is only a perspective of reality and not necessarily reality itself. So, are hours or years inherently real and do they pass by as we perceive? …

Knowledge, Language, And Nonexistent Entities, Alex Hoffman

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

In this paper, I apply the necessary conditions for knowledge to three different theories within the philosophy of language and argue that only one of the three stands up to a problem of knowledge involving nonexistent entities. I begin by briefly covering three commonly held necessary conditions for knowledge of which I focus mostly on the condition that a proposition must be true in order to know it. Then I consider theories of language given by Russell, Strawson, and Salmon. To each theory, I test whether the theory can make sense of a person knowing a proposition such as “Sherlock …

America's Schools: Separate And Unequal, Christine Dickason

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

This paper explores how various philosophers contribute to the discussion of the racial integration of public schools. I assert that racial integration is a moral necessity, and the government should create policy to ensure the successful integration of our public schools. To support this claim, I will first expand upon the context of the issue. I will then address libertarians, who would counter my thesis with a focus on the freedom of individuals. I will use utilitarian ideas to demonstrate that racially diverse public schools maximize the good in society; however, utilitarianism fails to explain what I believe is the …

Defending Downward Causation Only To Bring It Back Down, Michael Pratt

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

The so-called bottom-up threat to free will assumes a bottom-up metaphysics: the view that atoms (or whatever the most basic and fundamental element of material substances is) at the microphysical level dictate the behavior and ontology of material substances at higher macrophysical levels of composition. More specifically, bottom-up metaphysics maintain that all macrophysical states of affairs supervene on their constituent microphysical properties, such that any macrophysical change requires a change at the microphysical level. This metaphysical picture implies that human persons—and consequently, human actions—supervene on what their constituent atoms do or are like. In Objects and Persons, Trenton Merricks argues …

The Claims Of States To Cultural Property, Zac Robbins

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

This paper will question whether States have a right to the antiquities unearthed within their borders. The property claims to these antiquities fall into two categories: (1) claims based on cultural identity and (2) a claim based on territory as found in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention. This paper argues that the cultural identity argument States make is usually inapplicable to cultural property and that territory based claims fail to provide good stewards and leave a puzzle as to what counts for the cultural heritage of states.

The Ethical Character From Plato To James: Strict And Stable To Flexible, Erga Lemish

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

In this paper I examine the historical direction taken in ethics in relation to one’s personality and character, from a stable and static view to one that incorporates movement and flexibility. I begin by examining Plato and Aristotle’s understandings of character, using such concepts as Virtue and the Good as abstract and static ideals towards which development should lead. I then briefly examine Augustine, Kant, and Mill’s theories of what defines an ethical character, showing that the strict view was applied to varied and even opposing views of the ethical. Finally, I examine three very different views, those of Kierkegaard, …

Queerness Without Binary, Jeffrey Davis

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

Under the tentative definition Maren Behrensen offers in “Born that Way? The Metaphysics of Queer Liberation,” “queer” refers to acts, practices, and identifications that stand in opposition to the prevailing ideology of sex dichotomy, gender dichotomy, and the primacy of heterosexuality. In this article, I will be arguing that this definition risks reifying these respective structures as necessary to the existence of queer identity. If “queer” is only defined by its relation to gender dichotomy, sex dichotomy, and the primacy of heterosexuality, then the term is dependent on the existence of these structures in order to make sense. I maintain …

A Neglected Argument In “The Will To Believe", Alexander M. Lawson

Acta Cogitata: An Undergraduate Journal in Philosophy

In “The Will to Believe,” William James develops two distinct arguments for the legitimacy of holding a belief on what he calls unintellectual grounds. The first of these arguments (which I call the ‘indeterminacy argument’) attempts to distinguish between intellectual and unintellectual grounds as objective epistemological categories. The second argument (which I call the ‘subjective argument’) abandons that attempt and instead distinguishes between public and private, and subjectively intellectual and unintellectual reasons. Although these arguments differ, and both are present in “The Will to Believe,” the indeterminacy argument has received far more critical attention than the subjective argument. This disparity …

Flamingo Vol. Iv N 1, Turpin Bannister, Dick Davis, Clyde E. Keeler, Grayce Williams, Virginia Reel

Flamingo

Anonymous. Cover. 0.

W. Va. Workman. Untitled. Prose. 1.

E.S. Untitled. Picture. 5.

C.K. "They say that the army is getting to be all bunk." Picture. 6.

Chef, A. Eight Ball. Prose. 7.

Bannister. Untitled. Picture. 8.

W.A.V. JANE AND ME. Poem. 9.

H.M.K. Environments. Poem. 9.

Anonymous. Untitled. Picture. 9.

C.H.L. Life. Poem. 9.

Anonymous. Untitled. Picture. 9.

C.K. MY BIG SISTER, SHE. Poem. 9.

C.K. INHERITANCE. Poem. 9.

Anonymous. D'JA KNOW THIS? Prose. 10.

Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 10.

Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 10.

Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 10.

Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 10.

Davis, Dick. Officer of the Guard—"If anything moves, …

Flamingo Vol. Iii N 9, Kilburn Holt

Flamingo

Tyroler. Cover. Picture. 0.

Disk Ard. Abridged Love Lyric. Picture and Poem. 4.

H.G.P. THE FLAMINGO'S BOOKSHELF. Prose. 5.

H.G.P. THE FLAMINGO'S BOOKSHELF. Prose. 5.

Mail. We Do Barrymore. Prose. 6.

Anonymous. Untitled. Picture. 6.

Tastings, Silo. Can You Live on What You Get to Eat? Prose. 8.

Anonymous. This sleek and prosperous looking mouse is from the most successfully growing pen as reported in this article. Picture. 8.

Anonymous. This is the mouse that Beta bunked. Picture. 8.

Anonymous. Common's Club Mouse. Picture. 9.

Anonymous. Shephardson Dining Hall Mouse. Picture. 9.

Anonymous. SILO TASTINGS. Picture. 9.

Anonymous. Fife Lines. …

Walk: Artist's Statement, Yozmit Walker

Mime Journal

Testifying to Thomas Leabhart’s legacy as a corporeal mime performer and educator, his former student Yozmit reflects on her performance piece “Walk,” a site-specific work created for a 2013 conference on Edward Gordon Craig at Pomona College (CA). Yozmit describes the way Leabhart’s teaching – partly inspired by Craig’s work – helped her to explore the balance between artistic thought and rigorous physical training.

Two Unknown Essays By Craig On The Production Of Shakespeare's Plays, Patrick Le Boeuf

Mime Journal

In the 1920s and 1930s, Craig drafted two essays on Shakespeare, neither of which was completed nor published. Although they cannot be ranked among Craig’s most inspired writings, these two unfinished essays are of great interest, as they show that Craig, then in his fifties-sixties, was walking on a thin line dividing two most contrasted landscapes: on the one hand he was more attracted than ever to forms of radical modernity, on the other hand he was at risk of indulging in gratuitously archaeological reconstitutions, while being aware of that danger.

Dreaming Of Light: On Edward Gordon Craig, Peter Sellars

Mime Journal

Sellars reflects on Craig’s legacy, emphasizing Craig’s focus on “making theatre out of light,” and casting Craig as “John the Baptist to Bob Wilson.” Sellars highlights the importance of Craig’s “keeping the dream space open,” but he also criticizes Craig for not traveling to experience the predominantly Asian cultures whose performance traditions he appropriated. Craig and Sellars have a shared interest in the functions of Baroque opera in socially cataclysmic times; Sellars speaks about the influence of Craig upon his stagings of Purcell and the St. Matthew Passion (first staged in 2010). Sellars celebrates Craig’s attempt to rescue the voice …

Picturing Robinson Crusoe: Edward Gordon Craig, Daniel Defoe And Image-Text Inquiry, Eric T. Haskell

Mime Journal

Haskell focuses on Craig’s work with art books in this essay. He offers a wealth of visual images to investigate influences upon Craig’s engraved illustrations for an edition of Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, a project planned for the Cranach Press, executed during the late 1930s, and published posthumously by the Basilisk Press in 1979. Haskell calls attention to the way that this fascinating edition—previously overshadowed by the Craig-Cranach Press Hamlet in the scholarly literature—adds to our understanding of Craig’s theories of print as performance. He also offers a nuanced reading of the way that Craig’s illustrations function as interpretation, providing …

A Note On Sanity In Stage Productions Of Shakespearean Plays, Patrick Le Boeuf

Mime Journal

A previously unpublished essay by Edward Gordon Craig which elucidates his ideas about the “right” way to produce Shakespeare. Edited, with notes, by Patrick Le Boeuf.