Philosophy Commons^™

Māyā And Mokṣa: Krishnachandra Bhattacharyya's Spiritual Philosophy As A Vedāntin Critique Of Kant, Nalini Bhushan, Jay L. Garfield

Philosophy: Faculty Publications

The Subject As Freedom (1930) is correctly regarded as Krishnachandra Bhattacharyya’s (henceforth KCB) magnum opus. This text relies on a set of ideas and evolves from a set of concerns that KCB develops more explicitly in two essays written both before and after that text, which might be regarded as its intellectual bookends. Those ideas are important and fascinating in their own right. They also illuminate KCB’s engagement with Kant and with the Vedānta tradition as well as his understanding of freedom itself, including its soteriological dimension. These two essays are “Saṅkara’s Doctrine of Māyā” (1930) and “The Advaita and …

The Less Visible Side Of Transhumanism Is Dangerously Un-Radical, Susan B. Levin

Philosophy: Faculty Publications

According to transhumanists who urge the radical enhancement of human beings, humanity’s top priority should be engineering “posthumans,” whose features would include agelessness. Increasingly, transhumanism is critiqued on foundational grounds rather than based largely on anticipated results of its implementation, such as rising social inequality. This expansion is crucial but insufficient because, despite its radical aim, transhumanism reflects beliefs and attitudes that are evident in the broader culture. With a focus on the yearning to eliminate aging, I consider four of these: a disproportionate reliance on science and technology to address major human challenges; the conceptualization of human beings in …

Social Atomism And Its Problems – Metaphysical And Political, Graham Priest

Publications and Research

Social atomism is a view that informs much contemporary social thinking. Drawing on arguments from Marxism and Buddhism, I will argue that it is false, and explore the consequences of this for a number of issues, notably those related to the ideology of capitalism.

Identifying Youth Appeals In Alcohol Alternative Social Media Content Through Framing, Melina Oneal

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Proposed regulations for alcohol advertising prevent beverage companies from targeting people under the legal drinking age. However, similar regulations for alcohol alternative beverages are less explored, which could allow alcohol alternative products to create awareness for alcoholic beverages among youth. Alcohol alternatives beverages, including no-alcohol and low-alcohol products, are increasing in popularity and can function as compliments to alcoholic products to decrease the total alcohol volume consumed or as substitutes for alcoholic products. Framing theory can be operationalized through the Content Appealing to Youth Index, an index of content elements found in research literature to be appealing to youth, to …

The Evolution Of Stoicism: An Overview Of Prominent Features And Discussions In Modern Stoicism, Christopher Sanchez

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This thesis project is an overview of the philosophy of Stoicism and its history, including research on prominent features and discussions in contemporary Stoicism. Stoicism today, known as “Modern Stoicism” or “contemporary Stoicism,” has undergone a recent revival in interest, leading to a new wave of academic and popular study. One purpose of this project is to investigate why and how this resurgence of Stoicism took place; I argue that one primary cause of the resurgence and manifestation of Modern Stoicism is a characteristic of accessibility in Stoic philosophy. This accessibility allows for an exponential growth of interaction with Stoic …

Discordium: Existentialism And The Metapsychology Of Reality, Schyler Richards

West Chester University Master’s Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to introduce a phenomenological theory wherein the problem of disharmony, or what can also be viewed as the problem of reality, can be understood and, insofar as it is possible, resolved. I will attempt here to develop my theory of the phenomenon in terms of its relation to nine other concepts: reality, appearance, experience, the idea, essence, nature, existence, the will, and the psyche or “mind.” In the process, I will provide a general explanation of how my theory of the phenomenon is informed …

Recognition And Domination: A Hegelian Approach To Evolving Gender And Technology Paradigms, Zachary Davis

CMC Senior Theses

This paper aims to develop a strong account of recognition. It begins with a Hegel-inspired account of recognition as a fundamental desire that drives humanity. This account establishes recognition as fundamental to the initial subject formation of independent self-consciousnesses as agents. I offer the lord-bondsman dualism to provide a critique of domination as oppositional to securing the means for recognition. This entails that, as history progresses the world ought to move towards universally adopting mutual recognition relationships without domination. I adopt this goal as an ideal form of recognition. In Chapter 2, I apply this recognitional framework to gender. Through …

The Standing Of Anger: Insights From The Debate(S) On Constructed Emotion, Andrew Holzer

CMC Senior Theses

In her book, Anger and Forgiveness: Resentment, Generosity, Justice, Martha Nussbaum argues that anger is inherently flawed because it fundamentally contains the desire for payback. To support her argument, she posits specific metaphysical claims about the nature of emotions like anger. This thesis is an extended critique of her metaphysical foundation from the perspective of empirical research in the neuroscience of emotion. The first reason to dispute this picture is descriptive; this view of anger is based on an outdated version of cognitive appraisal theory, which sees emotions as triggered directly by static moments of cognitive appraisal. The second …

Integrating Contradictory Perspectives In Latin American Philosophy: A Multialism Approach, Maikel Yelandi Leyva Vázquez, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

This study explores the integration of indigenous philosophies and postcolonial modernist theories within the framework of MultiAlism, highlighting the potential for dialogue and synthesis between these diverse philosophical traditions in Latin America. MultiAlism, a concept developed by Florentin Smarandache, is utilized to bridge the gaps and contradictions between these systems by focusing on areas of neutrality such as cultural diversity and power structure critiques. The research emphasizes the importance of incorporating both ancestral wisdom and modern critiques to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of Latin America’s rich philosophical heritage. This integrative approach offers practical insights for developing inclusive policies …

Shame And History, Bennett B. Gilbert

University Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

If history—our past, the sum of our thoughts, passions, and deeds—is so pervasive, influential, and meaningful, why then do we lose sight of it? Why do we not gain good values from it? And if it is part of our existential core, why then do we so often fail to ravel it into our deliberations?

I propose that very often and to a great degree it is shame that separates us from history. Shame: garrulous, compulsive, intense, omnivorous. A shamed person pushes away the experiences that shame her, thus cutting off the past.

Feminist Phenomenology And First-Person Narrative: Understanding Gender And Social Conflict In Anna Burns’ Milkman, Sushree Routray, Rashmi Gaur Professor

Comparative Woman

In her magnum opus Milkman (2018), Anna Burns employs a subversive and artfully crafted first-person narrative, deftly exposing the arduous and tumultuous struggles encountered by individuals who dare to defy the confines of traditional gender roles. Through a relentless and unflinching narrative, the novel fearlessly confronts the harrowing manifestations of psychological torment, the insidious spectre of relentless stalking, and the manipulative machinations of gaslighting, all the while fervently interrogating the notion of a fixed and immutable gender identity. In a relentless odyssey toward self-realization, the protagonist's journey unfurls against a backdrop of traumatic events and the unyielding pressures imposed by …

Women, Animals, Food: Planetary Perspectives On The Non-(Hu)Man, Samu/Elle Striewski

Comparative Woman

The paper comparatively reads Mahasweta Devi’s Pterodactyl, Pirtha, and Puran Sahay (1995) and Margaret Atwood’s The Year of the Flood (2009) to trace the ways in which both novels show the complex intertwinement of the climate crisis with gender, class, race, subalternity, anthropocentrism, and veganism. Bringing together Gayatri C. Spivak’s notion of “planetarity” with ecofeminist philosophy and literary criticism, the article proposes a planetary ecogender reading of the two texts and their representation of the non-man, non-human, and non-subject. Building up further on Jacques Derrida’s critique of carno-phallogocentrism, the pedagogy of a relational ethics of “nurturing” is hence presented …

Advancing Karl Jaspers: The Connection Between The Theory Of Existential Communication And Mentoring Satisfaction, Nolan Patrick Bowers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Existential philosopher Karl Jaspers’s theory (1932/1970; 1935/1971b) of existential communication is understood to be his most important contribution to existentialism. Additionally, this theory has unique ties to the phenomena of communication, begging its use as a dialogic theory. However, Jaspers’s theory has been relatively untouched by academia. This thesis understands the theory of existential communication through an operationalization of its aspects and explicitly connecting them to communicative behaviors. These aspects of existential communication are (1) vulnerability, (2) open-mindedness, and (3) equality. This study set out to determine whether these aspects could be found within mentoring relationships and support the aspects …

Recovering And Reclaiming Linguistic And Cultural Identities: Revealing Skoo Haints Through The Black Storytelling Tradition, Lisa Marie Westbrooks

Wayne State University Dissertations

This qualitative study uses the first person, “I” to explore the Black Storytelling Tradition as method and methodology. As a Black scholar I centered my grandfather’s empirical knowledge of haints (a metaphor for demoralizing, oppressive, colonizing, and assimilating societal and educational practices upheld by the dominant class) and my empirical teacher knowledge as an American Descendant of Slavery (ADOS) as the site of inquiry. In utilizing the Black Storytelling Tradition, I share interconnected stories, poems, dreams, “memorys”, “rememorys”, stream of consciousness, and sketches that demonstrate how haints shaped the navigation of my heritage language (African American Language, AAL) and my …

Judging Our New Judges: Why We Must Remove Artificial Intelligence From Our Courtrooms Now, Kieran Duffy Newcomb

Honors Theses and Capstones

In this paper, I explore some of the ways in which artificial intelligence might enhance the sentencing process through recidivism prediction technology. Notably, this technology can increase the accuracy of risk predictions and the speed with which sentencing decisions are reached. I then show, however, that the recidivism prediction technology is likely to turn into what data scientist Cathy O’Neil calls a Weapon of Math Destruction. The potential harmfulness of this technology is due not to the inherent nature of the technology, but the symbiotic relationship it will have with our already harmful criminal justice system. I argue that the …

Does Hookup Culture Silence Women?, Kylee Rose Rock

Honors Theses and Capstones

The issue of hookup culture on college campuses is of concern to many feminist scholars, given the alarming rates of sexual assault and unsafe sexual experiences in the college setting. This essay argues that hookup culture has the ability to silence women by means of the social landscape which college-aged adults find themselves in today. Further, this essay examines the social experiences of young women on college campuses, and advocates for a change in social habits and scripts through reconsidering our approach to the anti-porn movement in today’s modern culture. Drawing upon literature from Rae Langton’s work, "Speech Acts and …

Foucault, Michel. Nietzsche: Cours, Conferences Et Travaux. Edited By Bernard E. Harcourt, Paris: Seuil/Gallimard, 2024 (In French) [Book Review], Dana Neacsu

Law Faculty Publications

Today, the defining event of our Western civilization is generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). Philosophically, it might be grounded in Walter Benjamin’s The Metaphysics of Youth where Benjamin’s return to an age of eternal youth, which, due to its lack of memory,⁴ aligns with the ethos of GenAI. Memory seems enough for those who remember the subject matter, the color, or the sound of what they seek in GenAI chats. It becomes adequate as we grow accustomed to summaries of “unread” texts, such as those by Benjamin.⁵ Unlike the AI era of Google searches, which provided an unlimited sea …

How Can Law Enforcement Use Technology To Protect Citizens Justly?, Zach Kantenwein

Emerging Writers

This paper explores the danger of emerging artificial intelligence technology perpetuating racial injustice in law enforcement and how police can ensure the protection of citizens amid this information age. We dissect a real-world case in which AI predictive policing technology resulted in alarming racial discrimination against American minority citizens. We discuss the possible explanations for this result and explore the limitations of artificial intelligence technology. Furthermore, we brainstorm methods for ensuring American citizens' just and constitutional protection as new technology is developed and tested. We propose implementing transparency laws that make the details about any policing technology and surveillance available …

Keeping You In Shape: The Integration Of Fractals In The Study Of Healthy Systems, Alexandria Miller

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This work discusses the application of fractals in studying the human body as a complex system. I argue that the human body falls under the classification of a complex system and can thus be studied by applying the universalities that complex systems possess. One of these universalities is fractality, which I find to have benefits in both research regarding the human body and in treatment of the human body, in relation to patient care practices. I begin by analyzing the definition of complex systems and fractals, and how these two concepts can fit together. I then discuss differing interpretations of …

Subjectivity In Circulation: Jean Baudrillard And The Image As Objective Reality, Jacob Crawley

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to examine Jean Baudrillard’s theory of the image in both historical and philosophical terms and propose that his understanding of the image as disconnected from any sort of objective reality is an important starting point for further discussion of the photographic image. This thesis seeks to answer the question – how does Baudrillard’s theory of the photographic image shape our contemporary understanding of images, and what are the implications of his removal of the referent to reality within photographic images on mass culture, society, and the current state of image creation? This paper seeks …

(2024) We Are Water Protectors (2020) By Carole Lindstrom, Peter Shea

Collected Papers of Peter Shea

We Are Water Protectors is a beautiful and partisan book, and the teacher or parent who wants to help children to think better could not find a better place to start, giving the child of whatever age the opportunity to feel the force of this plea, and then to recognize the need to understand the political context within which this issue arises, and the honest differences of opinion about policy that arise in an already disrupted world.

Nazism And Eric Voegelin’S Politische Religionen: An Approach To Exploring Nazism’S Roots In Modern Thought, Cody R. Babcock

CMC Senior Theses

The Holocaust shook the core assumptions many held regarding human progress and human nature. This paper seeks to track how the ideas of modernist philosophers may have laid the fundamental political and moral assumptions that allowed the Holocaust to occur. I will offer an analysis of 20th century German-American political scientist and philosopher Eric Voegelin’s theory of Political Religions to assess whether philosophy emerging from the Modern era led Germany to eschew Christianity, a world-transcendent religion as the source of the West’s “first principles,” and adopt the world-imminent religion of Nazism in its place. If this proves to be the …

Reconceiving Tort Law And The Role Of Insurance: Achieving Mutual Accountability, Grace Hong

CMC Senior Theses

Despite insurance being a deciding factor in whether liability is found in tort cases, it is not always reflected in tort theories and court opinions. In this paper, I offer a framework for reconceiving the role of insurance in tort law. To achieve this, I outline where insurance falls into instrumental and non-instrumental theories and why non-instrumental theories are more persuasive. After establishing this, I move to Goldberg and Zipursky’s civil recourse theory and delineate how similarities between the right to vote and right of action indicate parallel problems with failures to comprehend lack of access to the political process …

Introduction To Philosophy Syllabus, Alex J. Mendez

Open Educational Resources

This is a syllabus for an introduction to philosophy course. It aims to introduce the discipline by way of four major philosophical issues: the existence of God, ethics, the problem of free will, and epistemology. Many of the sources are historical in nature, which allows faculty to find a wide variety of OER resources by way of translations that are public domain. The course uses scaffolded writing assignments that contribute to a student and writing centered pedagogy.

15. Pixie (Novel - Ebook) By Matthew Lipman, Matthew Lipman

Early Elementary School Curriculum

Pixie is an elementary school student perplexed and delighted by many aspects of her experience. This novel emphasizes relationships (logical, social, familial, aesthetic, causal, part-whole, mathematical, etc.) as well as competence in dealing with such relationships. Ethical concepts include sibling-rivalry, personhood, respect for others, friendship, secrets, promise-keeping, parent-child relationships, obedience, teasing, and autonomy. Readers will find the pages of Pixie strewn with philosophical ideas and puzzles that lead to lively classroom deliberation. The text includes some blank pages for young readers to try their hand at book illustration.

แนวคิดของจูดิธ บัตเลอร์เรื่องเพศสภาวะการแสดงและการโอบรับกลุ่มผู้ข้ามเพศ, พันธุ์เอก เซียะสมาน

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

วิทยานิพนธ์ฉบับนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อส่งเสริมบทสนทนาเชิงวิพากษ์ระหว่างกลุ่มผู้ข้ามเพศกับกลุ่มต่อต้านเพศสภาวะในขบวนการสตรีนิยม โดยมุ่งหวังให้เกิดพื้นที่แห่งการแลกเปลี่ยนความเห็นที่แตกต่างอย่างสร้างสรรค์ วิทยานิพนธ์นี้เสนอให้แนวคิดเรื่องเพศสภาวะการแสดงซึ่งมีบทบาทสำคัญในปรัชญาสตรีนิยมและทฤษฎีเควียร์ ทำหน้าที่เป็นกรอบทฤษฎีกลางเพื่ออธิบายและเชื่อมโยงความเข้าใจของทั้งสองฝ่าย การศึกษาเริ่มต้นด้วยการวิเคราะห์แนวคิดพื้นฐานเรื่องการแบ่งแยกระหว่างเพศสรีระ และเพศสภาวะเพื่อวางรากฐานในการทำความเข้าใจประเด็นเกี่ยวกับผู้ข้ามเพศ ต่อจากนั้น ผู้วิจัยได้สำรวจบริบททางสังคมและประวัติศาสตร์ของการรับรู้เกี่ยวกับผู้ข้ามเพศ ซึ่งมีจุดเริ่มต้นสำคัญจากองค์ความรู้ด้านการแพทย์และจิตวิทยาในศตวรรษที่ 20 ควบคู่ไปกับการศึกษาทัศนะของกลุ่มสตรีนิยมแบบถอนรากถอนโคน โดยเน้นการวิเคราะห์ผลงานของเจนิซ จี เรย์มอนด์ เพื่อทำความเข้าใจฐานคิดของกลุ่มที่คัดค้านแนวคิดเรื่องเพศสภาวะ ในส่วนถัดมาวิทยานิพนธ์จะนำเสนอปรัชญาผู้ข้ามเพศผ่านการวิเคราะห์งานเขียนของจูเลีย เซราโน ก่อนจะประยุกต์ใช้แนวคิดเพศสภาวะการแสดงเพื่อวิพากษ์และประเมินข้อถกเถียงสำคัญที่มักปรากฏในการแลกเปลี่ยนระหว่างสองกลุ่มดังกล่าว โดยมีเป้าหมายเพื่อสร้างความเข้าใจอันลึกซึ้งยิ่งขึ้นต่อความหลากหลายทางเพศในบริบทของสตรีนิยมร่วมสมัย

“ความบ้าในเหตุผล” และ “เหตุผลในความบ้า” ในประวัติศาสตร์ความบ้าของมิเชล ฟูโกต์, นิธิศ ธรรมแสงอดิภา

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

วิทยานิพนธ์ฉบับนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษา วิเคราะห์ และประเมินข้อวิพากษ์ของมิเชล ฟูโกต์ ที่มีต่อปรัชญาของเรอเน เดส์การ์ตส์ ในประเด็นเกี่ยวกับความบ้าและเหตุผล โดยมุ่งอภิปรายให้เห็นว่าฟูโกต์วิพากษ์ระเบียบของเหตุผลของเดส์การ์ตส์ที่กีดกันความบ้าออกจากการคิดอย่างเป็นเหตุเป็นผลอย่างไร และความบ้าทำให้แลเห็นข้อจำกัดของระบบเหตุผลของเดส์การ์ตส์อย่างไร โดยมุ่งวิเคราะห์ข้อเสนอของฟูโกต์ในตัวบทประวัติศาสตร์ความบ้าในตัวบทดังกล่าว ฟูโกต์วิพากษ์ระเบียบของเหตุผลของเดส์การ์ตส์ที่กีดกันความบ้าออกจากการคิดอย่างเป็นเหตุเป็นผลว่า ในการให้เหตุผลเพื่อตั้งข้อสงสัยต่อความไม่แน่นอนของการรับรู้ทางผัสสะใน Meditations on First Philosophy เดส์การ์ตส์มิได้หลบเลี่ยงอันตรายของความบ้าในแนวทางเดียวกันกับที่ใช้หลบเลี่ยงอันตรายของความไม่แน่นอนทางผัสสะอื่น ๆ เช่น ความฝัน ในกรณีความฝัน เดส์การ์ตส์มีข้อเสนอแก่องค์ประธานผู้สืบสอบในการตรวจสอบภายในตนเองว่ากำลังหลับฝันอยู่หรือไม่ ขณะที่ในกรณีความบ้า ข้อเสนอในการตรวจสอบตนเองขององค์ประธานผู้สืบสอบที่เดส์การ์ตส์เสนอ คือ การเปรียบเทียบกับสิ่งภายนอก คือ คนอื่น ๆ ที่เป็นคนบ้า โดยหากองค์ประธานแสดงออกแบบเดียวกันกับเหล่าคนบ้า องค์ประธานย่อมบ้าไม่ต่างจากคนเหล่านั้น ความบ้าจึงถูกปฏิบัติด้วยการเบียดขับให้เป็นอื่นจากองค์ประธานในห่วงโซ่ระเบียบเหตุผลอันแตกหักจากความบ้าด้วยการกีดกันความบ้าออกจากระเบียบดังกล่าว ทำให้ความบ้ากลายเป็นสิ่งที่ไม่เป็นเหตุผลภายในระเบียบเหตุผล ด้วยการดำเนินงานของเหตุผล ความบ้ากลายเป็นเหตุผลในการดำรงอยู่ของเหตุผล องค์ประธานผู้ปรารถนาจะมีเหตุผลตามเกณฑ์ของเดส์การ์ตส์ไม่อาจบ้าได้ แม้มนุษย์ยังสามารถบ้าได้ก็ตาม ด้วยเหตุนี้ ในทรรศนะของฟูโกต์ ความบ้าทำให้แลเห็นข้อจำกัดของระบบเหตุผลของเดส์การ์ตส์ที่ไม่อาจเป็นระบบได้ เพราะมีการแตกหักอย่างรุนแรง ณ กึ่งกลางของห่วงโซ่ระเบียบเหตุผล นั่นคือ เหตุการณ์กีดกันความบ้า ทำให้ห่วงโซ่ระเบียบเหตุผลไม่อาจเรียงร้อยได้อย่างสมบูรณ์

Reclaiming My Identity: A Philosophical Deconstruction Of Stereotypes Placed On Black Women In Hip-Hop, Kichev L. Moultrie

Honors College Theses

Imposing damaging stereotypes on Black women has persisted throughout American culture, specifically within hip-hop. To analyze modern depictions of Black women in hip-hop, I will trace the historical roots of these stereotypes including, but not limited to, angry Black woman, jezebel, sapphire, and how they have persisted in modern media. This includes referencing the works of philosophers like Patricia Collins, Audre Lorde, bell hooks, etc. I will address the intersectionality of gender, racism, and classism, to show how these stereotypes are used as an oppression mechanism which we witness in society and the hip-hop community. However, in the face of …

The Evolution Of Love: The Concept Of True Beauty In Plato’S Symposium And Phaedrus, Miranda Zhao

CMC Senior Theses

Love, a concept revered across cultures and time, holds multifaceted meanings and roles in human experience. Plato, in his dialogues Symposium and Phaedrus, offers profound insights into the nature of love. However, Plato’s conception of love has been subject to criticism, with many viewing it as selfish, objectifying, and lacking in interpersonal connections. Central to these criticisms is the question of whether the lover’s affection for the beloved persists after grasping the concept of true beauty. In this thesis, I delve into Plato’s idea of love as presented in the Symposium and Phaedrus, aiming to demonstrate that Platonic …

Between Self And Others: The Pursuit Of Legitimate Interests For Service-Based Identities, Joelle Min

CMC Senior Theses

American psychologist Carol Gilligan's work reveals that the socialization of women often emphasizes an ethics of care, which is largely overlooked in traditional theories of moral development that prioritize justice and universal moral principles. This gendered distinction in socialization not only enables women to develop a service-based identity—where their self-value is intertwined with serving others—but also exposes them to exploitation. Such identities risk subordinating personal needs to the needs of others, making individuals susceptible to neglecting their own legitimate interests. These individuals have a service-based identity, as they value service to others so highly that their personal needs are often …