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2010

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Articles 271 - 300 of 559

Full-Text Articles in Philosophy

Logical Analysis And Later Mohist Logic: Some Comparative Reflections [Abstract], Marshall D. Willman Feb 2010

Logical Analysis And Later Mohist Logic: Some Comparative Reflections [Abstract], Marshall D. Willman

Comparative Philosophy

Any philosophical method that treats the analysis of the meaning of a sentence or expression in terms of a decomposition into a set of conceptually basic constituent parts must do some theoretical work to explain the puzzles of intensionality. This is because intensional phenomena appear to violate the principle of compositionality, and the assumption of compositionality is the principal justification for thinking that an analysis will reveal the real semantical import of a sentence or expression through a method of decomposition. Accordingly, a natural strategy for dealing with intensionality is to argue that it is really just an isolable, aberrant …

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Comparison Paradox, Comparative Situation And Inter-Paradigmaticy: A Methodological Reflection On Cross-Cultural Philosophical Comparison [Abstract], Xianglong Zhang Feb 2010

Comparison Paradox, Comparative Situation And Inter-Paradigmaticy: A Methodological Reflection On Cross-Cultural Philosophical Comparison [Abstract], Xianglong Zhang

Comparative Philosophy

It is commonly believed that philosophical comparison depends on having some common measure or standard between and above the compared parts. The paper is to show that the foregoing common belief is incorrect and therewith to inquire into the possibility of cross-cultural philosophical comparison. First, the ‘comparison paradox’ will be expounded. It is a theoretical difficulty for the philosophical tendency represented by Plato’s theory of Ideas to justify comparative activities. Further, the connection of the comparative paradox with the obstacles met by cross-cultural philosophical comparisons will be demonstrated. It will be shown that to attribute the difficulty of cross-cultural comparisons …

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The Minimal Definition And Methodology Of Comparative Philosophy: A Report From A Conference [Abstract], Stephen C. Angle Feb 2010

The Minimal Definition And Methodology Of Comparative Philosophy: A Report From A Conference [Abstract], Stephen C. Angle

Comparative Philosophy

In June of 2008, the International Society for Comparative Studies of Chinese and Western Philosophy (ISCWP) convened its third Constructive Engagement conference, on the theme of “Comparative Philosophy Methodology.” During the opening speeches, Prof. Dunhua ZHAO, Chair of the Philosophy Department at Peking University, challenged the conference’s participants to put forward a minimal definition of “comparative philosophy” and a statement of its methods. Based on the papers from the conference and the extensive discussion that ensued, during my closing reflections at the end of the conference I offered a tentative synthesis of the conference’s conclusions. That summary has already been …

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Vol 1 No 1_Cover Page, Comparative Philosophy Feb 2010

Vol 1 No 1_Cover Page, Comparative Philosophy

Comparative Philosophy

This page provides the journal cover design, which can be used as the cover page of a hard copy of the whole or partial set of the contents of the current issue (vol 1, no 1) of the journal.

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On The Value Of Philosophy: The Latin American Case [Abstract], Manuel Vargas Feb 2010

On The Value Of Philosophy: The Latin American Case [Abstract], Manuel Vargas

Comparative Philosophy

There is very little study of Latin American philosophy in the English-speaking philosophical world. This can sometimes lead to the impression that there is nothing of philosophical worth in Latin American philosophy or its history. The present article offers some reasons for thinking that this impression is mistaken, and indeed, that we ought to have more study of Latin American philosophy than currently exists in the English-speaking philosophical world. In particular, the article argues for three things: (1) an account of cultural resources that is useful for illuminating the fact of cultural differences and variations in cultural complexity, (2) a …

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Effort And Moral Worth, Kelly Sorensen Feb 2010

Effort And Moral Worth, Kelly Sorensen

Philosophy and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

One of the factors that contributes to an agent’s praiseworthiness and blameworthiness — his or her moral worth — is effort. On the one hand, agents who act effortlessly seem to have high moral worth. On the other hand, agents who act effortfully seem to have high moral worth as well. I explore and explain this pair of intuitions and the contour of our views about associated cases.

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Book Review Of, Friedrich Nietzsche And The Politics Of History, R. Kevin Hill Feb 2010

Book Review Of, Friedrich Nietzsche And The Politics Of History, R. Kevin Hill

Philosophy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reviews the book "Friedrich Nietzsche and the Politics of History" by Christian J. Emden.

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Sagp Newsletter 2009/10.3 (Central Division), Anthony Preus Feb 2010

Sagp Newsletter 2009/10.3 (Central Division), Anthony Preus

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

No abstract provided.

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Desiring The Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, And Cultural Formation By James K.A. Smith, Todd C. Ream, Perry L. Glanzer, David S. Guthrie, Steven M. Nolt, David Wright, James K.A. Smith Jan 2010

Desiring The Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, And Cultural Formation By James K.A. Smith, Todd C. Ream, Perry L. Glanzer, David S. Guthrie, Steven M. Nolt, David Wright, James K.A. Smith

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

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Evolution And The Second Law Of Thermodynamics: Effectively Communicating To Non-Technicians, Alexander Schreiber, Steven Gimbel Jan 2010

Evolution And The Second Law Of Thermodynamics: Effectively Communicating To Non-Technicians, Alexander Schreiber, Steven Gimbel

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Given the degree of disbelief in the theory of evolution by the wider public, scientists need to develop a collection of clear explanations and metaphors that demonstrate the working of the theory and the flaws in antievolutionist arguments. This paper presents tools of this sort for countering the anti-evolutionist claim that evolutionary mechanisms are inconsistent with the second law of thermodynamics. Images are provided to replace the traditional misunderstanding of the law, i.e., “everything always gets more disordered over time,” with a more clear sense of the way in which entropy tends to increase allowing a thermally isolated system access …

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Empirical And Dialogical Proofs Of God's Existence In Laws 10, Lewis Trelawny-Cassity Jan 2010

Empirical And Dialogical Proofs Of God's Existence In Laws 10, Lewis Trelawny-Cassity

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

Book 10 of the Laws is intended to prove that the gods exist, care for us, and are not persuaded by bribes (885b7-9). The arguments put forward concerning the gods in Book 10 are described as “our noblest and best prelude (kalliston te kai ariston prooimion) on behalf of the laws” (887c1). In this paper I want to investigate how Plato establishes the fact that nous, “god, in the correct sense, for the gods” (897b2), exists. Some scholars have noted the “empirical” character of Plato’s arguments for the existence of god in Laws 10. While empirical facts do provide an …

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Scraping Down The Past: Memory And Amnesia In W. G. Sebald's Anti-Narrative, Kathy Behrendt Jan 2010

Scraping Down The Past: Memory And Amnesia In W. G. Sebald's Anti-Narrative, Kathy Behrendt

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Vanguard anti-narrativist Galen Strawson declares personal memory unimportant for self-constitution. But what if lapses of personal memory are sustained by a morally reprehensible amnesia about historical events, as happens in the work of German author W. G. Sebald? The importance of memory cannot be downplayed in such cases. Nevertheless, contrary to expectations, a concern for memory needn’t ally one with the narrativist view of the self. Recovery of historical and personal memory results in self-dissolution and not self-unity or understanding in Sebald’s characters. In the end, Sebald shows how memory can be significant, even imperative, within a deeply anti-narrativist outlook …

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The Identical Rivals Response To Underdetermination, P.D. Magnus, Greg Frost-Arnold Jan 2010

The Identical Rivals Response To Underdetermination, P.D. Magnus, Greg Frost-Arnold

Philosophy Faculty Scholarship

The underdetermination of theory by data obtains when, inescapably, evidence is insufficient to allow scientists to decide responsibly between rival theories. One response to would-be underdetermination is to deny that the rival theories are distinct theories at all, insisting instead that they are just different formulations of the same underlying theory; we call this the identical rivals response. An argument adapted from John Norton suggests that the response is presumptively always appropriate, while another from Larry Laudan and Jarrett Leplin suggests that the response is never appropriate. Arguments from Einstein for the special and general theories of relativity may …

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Forgiveness As New Creation: Christ And The Moral Life Revisited, Lois E. Malcolm Jan 2010

Forgiveness As New Creation: Christ And The Moral Life Revisited, Lois E. Malcolm

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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God And Time: Relative Timelessness Reconsidered, Alan G. Padgett Jan 2010

God And Time: Relative Timelessness Reconsidered, Alan G. Padgett

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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Environmental Virtue Ethics: Core Concepts And Values, Mark H. Dixon Jan 2010

Environmental Virtue Ethics: Core Concepts And Values, Mark H. Dixon

Philosophy and Religion Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

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Comment And Discussion: Pramāņa Are Factive - A Response To Jonardon Ganeri, Matthew Dasti, Stephen H. Phillips Jan 2010

Comment And Discussion: Pramāņa Are Factive - A Response To Jonardon Ganeri, Matthew Dasti, Stephen H. Phillips

Philosophy Faculty Publications

In this article, the author discusses aspects of the review made by Jonardan Ganeri on the collaborative translation of the first chapter of “Epistemology of Perception: Ga·ngeśa’s Tattvacintāma·ni, Jewel of Reflection on the Truth (About Epistemology): The Perception Chapter (Pratyak·sa-Kha·n·da),” by Stephen Phillips and N. S. Ramanuja Tatacharya. The author says that Ganeri argues in opposition of Phillips’ and Ramanuja Tatacharya’ interpretation on the nature of pramā·na

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Temporal Indiscriminateness: The Case Of Cluster Bombs, Thomas A. Cavanaugh Jan 2010

Temporal Indiscriminateness: The Case Of Cluster Bombs, Thomas A. Cavanaugh

Philosophy

This paper argues that the current stock of anti-personnel cluster bombs are temporally indiscriminate, and, therefore, unjust weapons. The paper introduces and explains the idea of temporal indiscriminateness. It argues that to honor non-combatant immunity—in addition to not targeting civilians—one must adequately target combatants. Due to their high dud rate, cluster submunitions fail to target combatants with sufficient temporal accuracy, and, thereby, result in avoidable serious harm to non-combatants. The paper concludes that non-combatant immunity and the principle of discrimination require a moratorium on the use of current cluster munitions.

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On The Appropriateness Of A Christian Bioethics, Thomas A. Cavanaugh Jan 2010

On The Appropriateness Of A Christian Bioethics, Thomas A. Cavanaugh

Philosophy

No abstract provided.

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Briggs Library Associates Grant Presentation: Midwest Philosophy Colloquium, Mallory King Jan 2010

Briggs Library Associates Grant Presentation: Midwest Philosophy Colloquium, Mallory King

Midwest Philosophy Colloquium

A presentation done by Mallory King, recipient of a Briggs Library Associates Grant, on her research on the Midwest Philosophy Colloquium held at the University of Minnesota Morris.

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Midwest Philosophy Colloquium Compilation, Mallory King Jan 2010

Midwest Philosophy Colloquium Compilation, Mallory King

Midwest Philosophy Colloquium

Provides a history of the Midwest Philosophy Colloquium at the University of Minnesota, Morris through a compilation of colloquium programs, schedules, and other materials.

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Memories Cloaked In Magic: Memory And Identity In Tin Man, Anne Collins Smith Jan 2010

Memories Cloaked In Magic: Memory And Identity In Tin Man, Anne Collins Smith

Faculty Publications

In Replications: A Robotic History of the Science Fiction Film [Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1995], J. P. Telotte argues that "through its long history, one that dates back to the very origins of film, this genre [science fiction] has focused its attention on the problematic nature of human being and the difficult task of being human." [1-2] The thesis of the book, he states, is "relatively simple—that the image of human artifice ... is the single most important one in the genre. [...] Through this image of artifice, our films have sought to reframe the human image …

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Deciphering Dignity, Leslie Meltzer Henry Jan 2010

Deciphering Dignity, Leslie Meltzer Henry

Faculty Scholarship

This commentary draws on dignity’s usage in law, ethics, and public policy to contemplate a narrow question about what the concept of dignity means in debates about human enhancement technologies. In particular, it considers arguments made by Fabrice Jotterand and other bioethicists who aim to repudiate the transhumanist claim that individuals can enhance their dignity through technological modification. The trouble with the positions on both sides of this debate is that it is extremely difficult to make normative comparisons about human and post-human dignity without first infusing dignity with particular metaphysical assumptions. To that end, the commentary offers a brief …

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Of Ethics And Ecosystems: A Bifocal Perspective On Biodiversity Conservation, Charles Van Rees Jan 2010

Of Ethics And Ecosystems: A Bifocal Perspective On Biodiversity Conservation, Charles Van Rees

Environmental Studies Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

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Lucian Blaga On The Nature Of God, Michael S. Jones Jan 2010

Lucian Blaga On The Nature Of God, Michael S. Jones

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

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The Concept Of Health: Beyond Normativism And Naturalism, Richard Hamilton Jan 2010

The Concept Of Health: Beyond Normativism And Naturalism, Richard Hamilton

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

Philosophical discussions of health and disease have traditionally been dominated by a debate between normativists, who hold that health is an inescapably value-laded concept and naturalists, such as Christopher Boorse, who believe that it is possible to derive a purely descriptive or theoretical definition of health based upon biological function. In this paper I defend a distinctive view which traces its origins in Aristotle's naturalistic ethics. An Arisotelian would agree with Boorse that health and disease are ubiquitous features of the natural world and thus not mere projections of human interests and values. She would differ from him in rejecting …

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Empirical Evidence And The Case For Foreign Aid, Nicole Hassoun Jan 2010

Empirical Evidence And The Case For Foreign Aid, Nicole Hassoun

Philosophy Faculty Scholarship

This paper addresses an important methodological question for a recent debate in global justice: What types of data are necessary for settling normative debates about foreign aid? Recently, several philosophers have considered the case for foreign aid and have concluded that foreign aid is either ineffective or counter-productive. This paper considers what kinds of evidence those doing applied philosophy must use to support different claims about aid’s efficacy. Then, using some of the best available data, this paper makes a strong case for at least some foreign aid. This paper’s methodological lessons, however, are quite general. It considers what types …

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An Online Ethics Training Module For Public Relations Professionals: A Demonstration Project, Lee Anne Peck, Nancy J. Matchett Jan 2010

An Online Ethics Training Module For Public Relations Professionals: A Demonstration Project, Lee Anne Peck, Nancy J. Matchett

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Peer review of online courses can be done at a distance using a combination of asynchronous course visits and synchronous discussion with online meeting tools. This technology-mediated approach gives online faculty the opportunity to experience an unfamiliar course interface from a student's perspective, encourages a focus on design elements distinct from course content, and promotes a feeling of community. IT personnel can enhance this process by providing faculty with archived peer-review sessions and detailed "how to" instructions, while also facilitating their hands-on experience with new technologies.

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Business Ethics And (Or As) Political Philosophy, Jeffrey Moriarty, Wayne Norman, Joseph Heath Jan 2010

Business Ethics And (Or As) Political Philosophy, Jeffrey Moriarty, Wayne Norman, Joseph Heath

Philosophy Faculty Publications

There is considerable overlap between the interests of business ethicists and those of political philosophers. Questions about the moral justifiability of the capitalist system, the basis of property rights, and the problem of inequality in the distribution of income have been of central importance in both fields. However, political philosophers have developed, especially over the past four decades, a set of tools and concepts for addressing these questions that are in many ways quite distinctive. Most business ethicists, on the other hand, consider their field to be primarily a domain of applied ethics, and so adopt methods and conceptual frameworks …

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Participation In The Workplace: Are Employees Special?, Jeffrey Moriarty Jan 2010

Participation In The Workplace: Are Employees Special?, Jeffrey Moriarty

Philosophy Faculty Publications

I consider two influential arguments for employee participation in firm decision making: what I call the “interest protection argument” and the “autonomy argument.” I argue that the case for granting participation rights to some other stakeholders, such as suppliers and community members, is at least as strong, according to the reasons given in these arguments, as the case for granting them to certain employees. I then consider how proponents of these arguments might modify their arguments, or views, in response to this conclusion.

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