Philosophy Commons^™

Situationism, Honesty, And The Folk, Drew Lindgren, Jared Talley, Travis Bundy, Lauren Stevens, Kim Hayes, Kyle Brasil, Sara Couture, Amanda Lynch

College of Arts and Sciences Presentations

This project aims at finding a widespread folk theory of honesty in order to construct an accurate account of the philosophical nature of honesty as a character trait. Our research process involves gathering responses from the folk, then combining and interpreting the responses. Our broad goal is to discover a solid case for the existence of character traits that can be used against the recent situationist attacks being seen in psychology. Proponents of situationism reject the existence of broad character traits, arguing that behaviour is driven by situational factors and that humans posess no significant character traits at all (Harmon, …

The Problem Of Confirmation In The Everett Interpretation, Emily Adlam

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

I argue that the Oxford school Everett interpretation is internally incoherent, because we cannot claim that in an Everettian universe the kinds of reasoning we have used to arrive at our beliefs about quantum mechanics would lead us to form true beliefs. I show that in an Everettian context, the experimental evidence that we have available could not provide empirical confirmation for quantum mechanics, and moreover that we would not even be able to establish reference to the theoretical entities of quantum mechanics. I then consider a range of existing Everettian approaches to the probability problem and show that they …

Perfection, Philosophical Discussion Group, Armstrong State University

The Philosopher's Stone

No abstract provided.

Ordering Anarchy, John Thrasher

Philosophy Faculty Articles and Research

Ordered social life requires rules of conduct that help generate and preserve peaceful and cooperative interactions among individuals. The problem is that these social rules impose costs. They prohibit us from doing some things we might see as important and they require us to do other things that we might otherwise not do. The question for the contractarian is whether the costs of these social rules can be rationally justified. I argue that traditional contract theories have tended to underestimate the importance of evaluating the cost of enforcement and compliance in the contract procedure. In addition, the social contract has …

The Earliest Mormon Understanding Of God, Benjamin Brown, Dr. David L. Paulsen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My research for this project was supportive of a larger project already underway by Dr. Paulsen and Ari Bruening. The project investigates claims by certain scholars concerning the teachings of the early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (hereafter LDS Church) relative to the nature of God. The final product was a manuscript submitted to Koffard Books for subsequent publication. In addition to my research role, I also extensively edited the document, proposed and implemented major changes, and managed a research staff of a size varying from six to twelve people in their research, editing, fact checking, and writing …

Proper Names As Narrative Gaps: A Deconstructive Reading Of Rosario Ferré And García Márquez, Dora Suarez

Honors College Theses

This thesis argues that language in general, and proper names in particular, are surreptitious examples of narrative gaps. In this way, in the context of literature, the narrative gaps enclosed in proper names enable the audience to become an active participant in a type of writing that exceeds the limit of the specific literary text at hand. In deconstructing the way in which proper names and nicknames are used by Rosario Ferré and García Márquez, this exposition shows how names, as conveyors of different identities, systematically enable an exercise of différance: they distinguish subjects while postponing an actual description of …

It's About Time: Dynamics Of Inflationary Cosmology As The Source Of The Asymmetry Of Time, Emre Keskin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project is about the asymmetry of time. The main source of discontent for physicists and philosophers alike is that even though in every physical theory we developed and/or discovered for explaining how the universe functions, the laws are time reversal invariant; there seems to be a very genuine asymmetry between the past and the future. The aim of this project is to examine several attempts to solve this friction between the laws of physics and the asymmetry and provide a new proposal that makes use of modern cosmology. In the recent history of physics and in contemporary philosophy of …

Leibniz's Theodicies, Joseph Michael Anderson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Evil poses a particular problem to early modern thinkers. Late scholasticism, while itself variegated, provided a number of resources for dispelling concerns about the justice of God raised by the existence of evil. With much of the metaphysics of the scholastics rejected, the new philosophers needed either to find inventive ways to make the old solutions fit into their new systems, to come up with new resources for dispelling the difficulties, or to accept the difficulties as insurmountable, likely via fideism or atheism. Leibniz, I claim, provides a provocative mixture of the first two approaches.

Many readers think Leibniz's solution …

“Who Do You Think You Are?” On Nietzsche’S Schopenhauer, Illich’S Hugh Of St. Victor, And Kleist’S Kant, Babette Babich

Articles and Chapters in Academic Book Collections

No abstract provided.

A Cardinal Sin: The Infinite In Spinoza's Philosophy, Samuel H. Eklund

Philosophy Honors Projects

One of the greatest developments in mathematics was Georg Cantor's theory of infinity. His work provided a new framework to think about age-old problems in both mathematics and philosophy. Given these developments, it is tempting to write off previous thinkers has having a primitive and undeveloped theory of infinity. However, this attitude undermines the complexity and importance of the theories which existed prior to Cantor. Benedict Spinoza is one philosopher who had a highly developed theory, despite lacking the mathematical tools developed by Cantor. He held that there were three different kinds of infinity, each with different properties and roles …

Journal For The Philosophical Study Of Education Vol 2 (2014), Allan Johnston, Guillemette Johnston, Samuel Rocha

Research Resources

Welcome to the second volume of the Journal for the Philosophical Study of Education (JPSE), a peer-reviewed journal put out by the Society for the Philosophical Study of Education (SPSE). JSPE aims to publish papers that approach the field of education from a philosophical perspective, in the broadest sense of the term. Some of the papers considered for publication may be selected from works presented at the annual meeting of the Society for the Philosophical Study of Education by members of that organization, after these papers undergo peer review and revision. However, this journal does not limit its content to …

A Reinterpretation Of The Dao De Jing, Tianyue Luo

Senior Theses

Next to the Bible, the Dao De Jing is the most translated work in world literature. Its popularity certainly shows the power of traditional Chinese thoughts. Late western modern philosophers, such as Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre have been influenced by the thoughts of Dao De Jing. As a foundation of traditional Chinese spirit, the Dao De Jing certainly played a key role. In the new global temporality, it may also help people to eliminate the philosophical, ideological, and eventually the cultural gap as a cultural bridge between the east and west. Compared to the original source, most English references …

Populism, Pueblos, And Plutocracy: Notes On Radical Democracy From Latin America, Grant J. Silva

Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Review Of The Epistemology Of Resistance: Gender And Racial Oppression, Epistemic Injustice, And Resistant Imaginations By Jose Medina, Michael Monahan

Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Language As The House Of Being? How To Bring Intelligibility To Heidegger While Keeping The Excitement, Pol Vandevelde

Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications

At the core of Heidegger's philosophy, there lies this nagging question: what is the link between language and being? Using a famous formulation by Heidegger as a guide (‘When we go to the well, when we go through the woods, we are always already going through the word “well”, through the word “woods”’), the analysis focuses on the connection Heidegger establishes between being (what woods and well ‘are’), understanding (something is understood ‘as’ woods or well), and temporality (human understanding of woods and well has changed since ancient Greek times, for example). Language is both what grants things their way …

Review Of The Epistemology Of Resistance By Jose Medina, Michael Monahan

Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Reassessing Neo-Kantianism. Another Look At Hermann Cohen’S Kant Interpretation, Sebastian Luft

Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Towards An Integrated Personhood Through Suffering: The Disparate Ideologies Of Freud, Maritain, And Aquinas And The Power Of Analogy In Graham Greene's The Power And The Glory, Dana Sarchet

Masters Theses

Freud, Maritain, and Aquinas have greatly influenced the literature of Graham Greene, and Greene's The Power and the Glory is no exception. As both Freud and Greene attest to the irrevocable influence of childhood on adulthood, we must read Luis, the primary child character in The Power and the Glory, in light of the characters who impact his transition into his adult life. But these characters reflect yet another thread in Greene's perspective of personhood; studying Catholicism at least four years before writing Catholic fiction, Greene was also greatly influenced by the theological thought of Aquinas and Maritain, and this …

Volume 06, Kristen Gains, Amanda Willis, Holly Backer, Monika Gutierrez, Cara O'Neal, Sara Nelson, Sasha Silberman, Jessica Beardsley, Jamie Gardner, Edward Peeples, Matthew Sakach, Tess Lione, Emily Wilkins, Kelsey Holt, Jessica Page, Jamie Clift, Charles Vancampen, Gilbert Hall, Jenny Nehrt, Kasey Dye, Amanda Tharp, Jamie Leeuwrik, Ashley Mcgee, Emily Poulin, Michael Kropf, Nick Pastore, Austin Polasky, Morgan Glasco, Laura L. Kahler, Melinda L. Edwards, Brandon C. Smith, Mariah Asbell, Cabell Edmunds, Amelia D. Perry, Alyssa Hayes, Irina Boothe, Perry Bason, James Early

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction from Dean Dr. Charles Ross

Caught Between Folklore and the Cold War: The Americanization of Russian Children's Literature by Kristen Gains

Graphic Design by Amanda Willis

Graphic Design by Holly Backer

Prejudices in Swiss German Accents by Monika Gutierrez

Photography by Cara O'Neal

Photography by Sara Nelson

Edmund Tyrone's Long Journey through Night by Sasha Silberman

Photography by Jessica Beardsley

Photography by Jamie Gardner and Edward Peeples

The Republican Razor: The Guillotine as a Symbol of Equality by Jamie Clift

Graphic Design by Matthew Sakach

Genocide: The Lasting Effects of Gender Stratification in Rwanda By Tess Lione and Emily …

A Study Of The Twin Problems Of Psychological And Practical Compatibilism In The Writings Of Augustine Of Hippo, Thomas Dale Holsteen

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Becoming-Other: Foucault, Deleuze, And The Political Nature Of Thought, Vernon W. Cisney

Philosophy Faculty Publications

In this paper I employ the notion of the ‘thought of the outside’ as developed by Michel Foucault, in order to defend the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze against the criticisms of ‘elitism,’ ‘aristocratism,’ and ‘political indifference’—famously leveled by Alain Badiou and Peter Hallward. First, I argue that their charges of a theophanic conception of Being, which ground the broader political claims, derive from a misunderstanding of Deleuze’s notion of univocity, as well as a failure to recognize the significance of the concept of multiplicity in Deleuze’s thinking. From here, I go on to discuss Deleuze’s articulation of the ‘dogmatic image …

Reflections On Reading Plato And Aristotle At Lancaster, Daniel R. Denicola

Philosophy Faculty Publications

While serving as a Visiting Fellow at Lancaster University, I was asked to lead an informal seminar on Classical Philosophy. It was to be a reading group of postgraduate students and staff, focusing on two foundational texts of Western civilization: Plato’s Republic and Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. I happily accepted. The resulting two-hour, weekly sessions over Michaelmas Term were lively times of philosophical effervescence, full of probative questions, interesting interpretations, diverse evaluations, vigorous debates, and shared insights. Postmodernists engaged in the holy act of Interpreting the Text, we nonetheless strained to grasp the “true meaning” of the texts, to extend our …

The Dayton Food System: Current Access To Food In Dayton And Future Possibilities, Katherine A. Liutkus

Honors Theses

Downtown Dayton and its surrounding areas are considered to be a food desert by the USDA, which means there is limited access to healthy foods within a .5 mile radius. The implications of this include driving further for groceries or turning to convenience stores for highly processed foods. This has created health concerns for the residents of Dayton, including obesity and diabetes. The purpose of this study was to understand the food system issues, their complexity and implications, and to understand what groups are currently doing to support the food system, and what is necessary to push the issues forward …

The Mystical And Metaphysical In The Mundane: Directing Middletown, Joshua S. Waterstone

Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film: Theses, Student Research, and Creative Work

This thesis contains written documentation regarding the process of directing a theatrical production in fulfillment of the partial requirements for Master of Fine Arts in Directing for Stage and Screen at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.

Topics addressed include play selection, script analysis, director/designer collaboration, coaching of actors and evaluation of final product.

Advisor: Virginia Smith

Working With: Expanding And Integrating The Pragmatic Method For A Wicked World, Danielle L. Lake

Other Faculty Publications

This dissertation argues the burgeoning scholarship on wicked problems is both highly compelling and applicable to many of the public problems we confront. It is compelling because it articulates strategies for realizing a more comprehensive understanding of many of the problems we face today as a public; it is highly applicable because it provides us with a fruitful means of addressing these problems. The scholarship – as it stands in 2014 however – needs to be broadened and deepened, especially given how many dangerous wicked problems we face. The wicked problems field can be deepened by reviewing and consolidating its …

Review: 'The Triumph Of Mercy: Philosophy And Scripture In Mullā Ṣadrā', Sayeh Meisami

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Due to the fact that for Muslims the Qur ̓ān provides not only practical guidelines for a righteous life, but the framework of a theoretical worldview, Islamic philosophers have made direct and indirect scriptural allusions that go far beyond rhetorical ornamentation and theological persuasion. For the most part, they have resorted to the Qur ̓ān in order to reinforce their philosophical position. On the other hand, there is a long tradition of Qur ̓ānic exegesis ranging from technical linguistic analysis to rational and esoteric hermeneutics (ta ̓wῑl). With regard to the relationship between the Qur ̓ān and philosophy, the Persian …

Improvisational Artistry In Live Dance Performance As Embodied And Extended Agency, Aili W. Bresnahan

Philosophy Faculty Publications

This paper provides an account of improvisational artistry in live dance performance that construes the contribution of the dance performer as a kind of agency. Andy Clark’s theory of the embodied and extended mind is used in order to consider how this account is supported by research on how a thinking-while-doing person navigates the world.

I claim here that while a dance performer’s improvisational artistry does include embodied and extended features that occur outside of the brain and nervous system, this can be construed as “agency” rather than “thought.” Further I claim that trained and individual style accounts for how …

Exploring Marx And Gnosticism: Is Eric Voegelin's Assertion That Marx Is A Modern-Day Gnostic Justifiable?, Briana D. Perez

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

In this paper, I will discuss the connection Eric Voegelin, the 20e century political philosopher, made between the philosophy of Karl Marx and Gnosticism. Voegelin asserted that Gnosticism, though usually connected with a medieval Christian heresy, has retained its potency through history and into the modern era. In his attempt to connect the ideas of Gnosticism to the modern world in the form of all encompassing 2Oth century political ideologies, Voegelin criticizes thinkers like Marx for creating "second-realities," or utopian frameworks that are ultimately incompatible with reality. Because of Marx's strong and well-known, rejection of religion, this is by no …

Becoming The Real Deal: Building A Life Of Integrity, Howard R. Macy

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

The Beane Lecture, given at William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa April 1, 2014.

From the conclusion: "As we choose to persist in the habits of truth-telling, transparency, and trustworthiness, we can build lives of integrity. We can be “the real deal.” I could make a strong case for doing this based on biblical teaching. But frankly, I think that almost universally we want integrity in our life together, in our relationships, in our business and agreements with one another, in our leadership, and in our courts. We like people who tell the truth, who are genuine, and who we …

Philosophy And Theology: Insurance Coverage For Elective Abortion, Christopher Kaczor

Philosophy Faculty Works

No abstract provided.