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Full-Text Articles in Philosophy

The Goals And Merits Of A Business Ethics Competency Exam, Earl W. Spurgin Mar 2004

The Goals And Merits Of A Business Ethics Competency Exam, Earl W. Spurgin

Philosophy

My university recently established a business ethics competency exam for graduate business students. The exam is designed to test whether students can demonstrate several abilities that are indicative of competency in business ethics. They are the abilities to "speak the language" of business ethics, identify business ethics issues, apply theories and concepts to issues, identify connections among theories and concepts as they relate to different issues, and construct and critically evaluate arguments for various positions on business ethics issues. Through this paper, I hope to begin a discussion among business ethicists about both the merits of a competency exam and …


Moderate Reasons-Responsiveness, Moral Responsibility, And Manipulation, Todd R. Long Jan 2004

Moderate Reasons-Responsiveness, Moral Responsibility, And Manipulation, Todd R. Long

Philosophy

No abstract provided.


Socrates Metaphysician, William J. Prior Jan 2004

Socrates Metaphysician, William J. Prior

Philosophy

Following R. E. Allen I argue, against the view of Gregory Vlastos that the Socrates of Plato's early dialogues was exclusively a moral philosopher, that there is a metaphysics, an early version of the theory of Forms, in the Euthyphro and other early dialogues. I respond to several of Vlastos's objections to this view.


Defending Conventions As Functionally A Priori Knowledge, David J. Stump Dec 2003

Defending Conventions As Functionally A Priori Knowledge, David J. Stump

Philosophy

Recent defenses of a priori knowledge can be applied to the idea of conventions in science in order to indicate one important sense in which conventionalism is correct—some elements of physical theory have a unique epistemological status as a functionally a priori part of our physical theory. I will argue that the former a priori should be treated as empirical in a very abstract sense, but still conventional. Though actually coming closer to the Quinean position than recent defenses of a priori knowledge, the picture of science developed here is very different from that developed in Quinean holism in that …


What's Wrong With Computer-Generated Images Of Perfection In Advertising?, Earl W. Spurgin Jul 2003

What's Wrong With Computer-Generated Images Of Perfection In Advertising?, Earl W. Spurgin

Philosophy

ABSTRACT. Advertisers often use computers to create fantastic images. Generally, these are perfectly harmless images that are used for comic or dramatic effect. Sometimes, however, they are problematic human images that I call computer-generated images of perfection. Advertisers create these images by using computer technology to remove unwanted traits from models or to generate entire human bodies. They are images that portray ideal human beauty, bodies, or looks. In this paper, I argue that the use of such images is unethical. I begin by explaining the common objections against advertising and by demonstrating how critics might argue that those objections …


Falling Into The Olongapo River, Ronald Sundstrom Jan 2003

Falling Into The Olongapo River, Ronald Sundstrom

Philosophy

No abstract provided.


Practicing Politics With Foucault And Kant: Toward A Critical Life, Dianna Taylor Jan 2003

Practicing Politics With Foucault And Kant: Toward A Critical Life, Dianna Taylor

Philosophy

This paper problematizes the claim that Michel Foucault’s work is normatively lacking and therefore possesses only limited political relevance. While Foucault does not articulate a traditional normative framework for political activity, I argue that his work nonetheless reflects certain normative commitments to, for example, practicing freedom and improving the state of the world. I elucidate these commitments by sketching out Foucault’s notion of critique as a mode of existence charac- terized by practices of the self, arguing that such practices possess political significance within the context of what Foucault refers to as a way of life, and analyzing points of …


A Critique Of The U.S. Genetic Privacy Act, Thomas A. Cavanaugh Jan 2002

A Critique Of The U.S. Genetic Privacy Act, Thomas A. Cavanaugh

Philosophy

No abstract provided.


“Playing God” And Bioethics, Thomas A. Cavanaugh Jan 2002

“Playing God” And Bioethics, Thomas A. Cavanaugh

Philosophy

No abstract provided.


The Compatibility Of Divine Determinism And Human Freedom: A Modest Proposal, David P. Hunt Jan 2002

The Compatibility Of Divine Determinism And Human Freedom: A Modest Proposal, David P. Hunt

Philosophy

I begin by developing an argument for the conclusion that God's causally determining everything we do is compatible with human freedom. Libertarian theists (and not just libertarians) will suspect that something must be wrong with the argument. They are right, and T explain why. I then point out that certain influential arguments for the conclusion that God's foreknowing everything we do is compatible with human freedom are in the same logical boat as this fallacious argument. I look closely at tvvo of these, showing how they go astray. I conclude with some morals suggested by this cautionary tale.


On A Theological Counterexample To The Principle Of Alternate Possibilities, David P. Hunt Jan 2002

On A Theological Counterexample To The Principle Of Alternate Possibilities, David P. Hunt

Philosophy

In an earlier paper in this journal I suggested that the standard argument for theological fatalism provides a counterexample to one of its own premises, the Principle of Alternate Possibilities. David Widerker has recently urged in these pages three objections to my suggestion. I here argue that only the third of these objections raises a serious difficulty for my position, though even this difficulty is far from decisive.


Hegel, Antigone, And Women, Philip J. Kain Jan 2002

Hegel, Antigone, And Women, Philip J. Kain

Philosophy

When Hegel turns to a treatment of culture in Chapter VI of the Phenomenology—as anyone who has read his early writings would expect1—he begins with the ancient Greek polis. There the human spirit first fully emancipated itself from nature as it had not, in Hegel’s opinion, in Egypt; yet it was still in perfect harmony and balance with the natural. In Hegel’s view, this was an age of beaut y that produced a social community and an ethical life where citizens were free and at home. What is a bit surprising, though, is that in the Phenomenology Hegel does not …


The Instability Of The Standard Justification For Physician-Assisted Suicide, Thomas A. Cavanaugh Jan 2001

The Instability Of The Standard Justification For Physician-Assisted Suicide, Thomas A. Cavanaugh

Philosophy

Proponents commonly justify the legalization of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) in terms of a patient's wanting to die (autonomy) and the patient's having a medically established good reason for suicide. These are the common elements of the standard justification offered for the legalization of PAS. In what follows, I argue that these two conditions exist in significant tension with one another, operating according to distinct dynamics that render the justification for PAS an unstable “let it be so” basis for public policy. Moreover, no natural connection keeps these two criteria united. Indeed—as I argue—the two elements of the justification oppose and …


Aquinas’ Account Of The Ineradicably Social Nature Of Private Property, Thomas A. Cavanaugh Jan 2001

Aquinas’ Account Of The Ineradicably Social Nature Of Private Property, Thomas A. Cavanaugh

Philosophy

No abstract provided.


Looking Beyond The Technical: The First Step In Integrating Ethics, Willem A. Devries Jan 2001

Looking Beyond The Technical: The First Step In Integrating Ethics, Willem A. Devries

Philosophy

No abstract provided.


What's So Special About A Special Ethics For Business?, Earl W. Spurgin Apr 2000

What's So Special About A Special Ethics For Business?, Earl W. Spurgin

Philosophy

In business ethics literature, debate over a special ethics generally has framed examination of the rules governing business. By constructing a dilemma faced by proponents of a special ethics, I argue that this framing is misguided. Proponents must adopt either an insular or a derivative conception. The former, the view that business is insulated from moral rules, is problematic because arguments used to support it force proponents to accept the idea that each aspect of life is insulated from moral rules. This idea, however, renders philosophically insignificant the claim that business has a special ethics. Proponents no longer make a …


Thomas P. Flint, Divine Providence: The Molinist Account, David P. Hunt Jan 2000

Thomas P. Flint, Divine Providence: The Molinist Account, David P. Hunt

Philosophy

No abstract provided.


Belief Or 'Belief': Rush Rhees On Religious Belief Language, Todd R. Long Oct 1999

Belief Or 'Belief': Rush Rhees On Religious Belief Language, Todd R. Long

Philosophy

The recent book Rush Rhees on Religion and Philosophy contains a stimulating collection of writin~s by Rush Rhees on a variety of topics in the philosophy of religion. Comprising accounts of personal, religious and moral struggles, these essays provide a refreshing change from the often dry, overly technical approach to philosophy writing. Despite spanning more than thirty years, Rhees' s essays disclose a fairly consistent philosophy .of religion with a clear emphasis. Since he was Wittgenstein's student and long-time friend as well as a literary executor ofWittgenstein's writings, it is not surprising that Rhees's comments on the philosophy of religion …


Double Effect And The End-Not-Means Principle: A Response To Bennett, Thomas A. Cavanaugh Jan 1999

Double Effect And The End-Not-Means Principle: A Response To Bennett, Thomas A. Cavanaugh

Philosophy

No abstract provided.


On Augustine's Way Out, David P. Hunt Jan 1999

On Augustine's Way Out, David P. Hunt

Philosophy

This paper seeks to rehabilitate St. Augustine's widely dismissed response to the alleged incompatibility of divine foreknowledge and free will. This requires taking a fresh look at his analysis in On Free Choice of the Will, and arguing its relevance to the current debate. Along the way, mistaken interpretations of Augustine are rebutted, his real solution is developed and defended, a reason for his not anticipating Boethius's atemporalist solution is suggested, a favorable comparison with Ockham is made, rival solutions are rejected, and the aporetic nature of the problem is explained.


Einstein's Theory Of Theories And Types Of Theoretical Explanation, Francisco Flores Jan 1999

Einstein's Theory Of Theories And Types Of Theoretical Explanation, Francisco Flores

Philosophy

In this paper I draw on Einstein's distinction between “principle” and “constructive” theories to isolate two levels of physical theory that can be found in both classical and (special) relativistic physics. I then argue that when we focus on theoretical explanations in physics, i.e. explanations of physical laws, the two leading views on explanation, Salmon's “bottom-up” view and Kitcher's “top-down” view, accurately describe theoretical explanations for a given level of theory. I arrive at this conclusion through an analysis of explanations of mass—energy equivalence in special relativity.


Ethics As If Truth Mattered, Thomas A. Cavanaugh Jan 1999

Ethics As If Truth Mattered, Thomas A. Cavanaugh

Philosophy

No abstract provided.


Hegel's Critique Of Kantian Practical Reason, Philip J. Kain Sep 1998

Hegel's Critique Of Kantian Practical Reason, Philip J. Kain

Philosophy

While many philosophers have found Hegel's critique of Kantian ethics to be interesting in certain respects, overall most tend to find it rather shallow and to think that Hegel either misunderstands Kant's thought or has a rather crude understanding of it. For example, in examining the last two sections of Chapter V of the Phenomenology - 'Reason as Lawgiver' and 'Reason as Testing Laws' (where we get an extended critique of the categorical imperative)- Lauer finds Hegel's treatment to be truncated and inadequate.1 The only trouble, though, is that like most other readers of the Phenomenology, Lauer does not recognize …


The Structure And Method Of Hegel's Phenomenology, Philip J. Kain Jul 1998

The Structure And Method Of Hegel's Phenomenology, Philip J. Kain

Philosophy

H. S. Harris is one of the great Hegel scholars of our era. I want to present a view different from his of how Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit is organized, what it is trying to do, and where it is trying to go. I hope my disagreements with Professor Harris will succeed in being dialectical; that is, that they will give rise to contradiction that allows for the generation of further insight. The proclaimed task of the Phenomenology is to educate, train, or culture ordinary consciousness, to raise it to the level of what Hegel calls "science" -or true knowledge.1 …


Einstein’S 1935 Derivation Of E=Mc2, Francisco Flores Jun 1998

Einstein’S 1935 Derivation Of E=Mc2, Francisco Flores

Philosophy

Einstein’s 1935 derivation of mass—energy equivalence is philosophically important because it contains both a criticism of purported demonstrations that proceed by analogy and strong motivations for the definitions of the ‘new’ dynamical quantities (viz relativistic momentum, relativistic kinetic energy and relativistic energy). In this paper, I argue that Einstein’s criticism and insights are still relevant today by showing how his derivation goes beyond Friedman’s demonstration of this result in his Foundations of Spacetime ¹heories. Along the way, I isolate three distinct physical claims associated with Einstein’s famous equation that are sometimes not clearly distinguished in philosophical discussions of spacetime theory.


Currently Accepted Practices That Are Known To Lead To Death, And Pas: Is There An Ethically Relevant Difference?, Thomas A. Cavanaugh Jan 1998

Currently Accepted Practices That Are Known To Lead To Death, And Pas: Is There An Ethically Relevant Difference?, Thomas A. Cavanaugh

Philosophy

A number of common and generally noncontroversial practices in the care of patients at the end of life lead to their deaths. For example, physicians honor a patient's refusal of medical intervention even when doing so leads to the patient's death. Similarly, with a patient's or surrogate's consent, physicians administer sedatives in order to relieve pain and distress at the end of life, even when it is known that doing so will cause the patient's death. In contemporary U.S. public policy, these practices are accepted as ethical and legal while physician-assisted suicide (PAS) is—for the most part—rejected in current U.S. …


A Selective Defence Of Tolstoy's What Is Art?, Todd R. Long Jan 1998

A Selective Defence Of Tolstoy's What Is Art?, Todd R. Long

Philosophy

No abstract provided.


Reconstructing The Unity Of Mathematics Circa 1900, David J. Stump Jan 1997

Reconstructing The Unity Of Mathematics Circa 1900, David J. Stump

Philosophy

Standard histories of mathematics and of analytic philosophy contend that work on the foundations of mathematics was motivated by a crisis such as the discovery of paradoxes in set theory or the discovery of non-Euclidean geometries. Recent scholarship, however, casts doubt on the standard histories, opening the way for consideration of an alternative motive for the study of the foundations of mathematics -- unification. Work on foundations has shown that diverse mathematical practices could be integrated into a single framework of axiomatic systems and that much of mathematics could be expressed in a single language. The new framework was the …


Act-Evaluation, Willing, And Double Effect, Thomas A. Cavanaugh Jan 1997

Act-Evaluation, Willing, And Double Effect, Thomas A. Cavanaugh

Philosophy

No abstract provided.


Aquinas's Account Of Double Effect, Thomas A. Cavanaugh Jan 1997

Aquinas's Account Of Double Effect, Thomas A. Cavanaugh

Philosophy

No abstract provided.