History of Philosophy Commons^™

Sagp Newsletter 2003 2004 1 December, Anthony Preus

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

Program of the 50th Anniversary Year of the Society, with the three divisions of the American Philosophical Association.

The English Standard Version - A Review Article, James A. Borland

SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Form And Flux In The Theaetetus And Timaeus, David P. Hunt

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

The subject of this essay is the "Heraclitean" flux in the Theaetetus and its role in the discussion of the first definition of knowledge, particularly in light of the flux doctrine that Plato propounds in the Timaeus. There are two principal interpretive approaches to the argument in this part of the Theaetetus, and the question whether its theory of flux is, to any appreciable degree, Plato's own view is perhaps the central issue dividing the two camps. Though the Timaeus has been cursorily cited by the one camp, and as cursorily dismissed by the other, I believe that a closer …

Saying, Meaning And Signifying: Aristotle's Λέγεται Πολλαχῶς, Jurgis (George) Brakas

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

The purpose of this essay is to identify the precise meaning of λέγεται as it appears in constructions such as those considered, as well as the meaning of those constructions themselves. My thesis is that λέγεται means “is uttered signifying something.” If we take this to be correct for the moment, then a construction as τἀγαθόν ἰσαχώς λέγεται τῶ ὄντι, γάρ εν πάσαις ταῖς κατηγορίαις λέγεται means “ ‘the good’ is uttered signifying as many things as ‘being’ is, for it is uttered signifying something in all the categories”-- for example: god in the category of substance, the virtues in …

Plato's Geometrical Logic, Mark Faller

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

Socrates’ brief mention of a complex problem in geometrical analysis at Meno (86d-87c) remains today a persistent mystery. The ostensible reason for the reference is to provide an analogy for the method of hypothesis from the use of hypotheses in analytic geometry. Both methods begin by assuming what is to be demonstrated and then show that the assumption leads to a well-founded truth father than something known to be false.

But why did Plato pick this particular problem in analysis and why at this particular place in the inquiry? For those of us who view the dialogues as pedagogical puzzles …

Reports Relating To The Fifty-Fourth Annual Meeting Of The Society, James A. Borland

SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

From Fleck’S Denkstil To Kuhn’S Paradigm: Conceptual Schemes And Incommensurability, Babette Babich

Articles and Chapters in Academic Book Collections

This article argues that the limited influence of Ludwik Fleck’s ideas on philosophy of science is due not only to their indirect dissemination by way of Thomas Kuhn, but also to an incommensurability between the standard conceptual framework of history and philosophy of science and Fleck’s own more integratedly historico-social and praxis-oriented approach to understanding the evolution of scientific discovery. What Kuhn named “paradigm” offers a periphrastic rendering or oblique translation of Fleck’s Denkstil/Denkkollektiv, a derivation that may also account for the lability of the term “paradigm”. This was due not to Kuhn’s unwillingness to credit Fleck but rather to …

Heidegger: Through Phenomenology To Thought, William J. Richardson

Research Resources

No abstract provided.

From Marxism-Leninism To Ethnicity: The Sideslips Of Ethiopian Elitism, Messay Kebede

Philosophy Faculty Publications

For many scholars, colonialism and neocolonial policies remain the root causes of Africa's numerous impediments to its progress, ranging from the persistence of poverty to the ravages of ethnic conflicts. However, the number of scholars who prefer to ascribe these impediments essentially to the persistence of traditional views and methods and to the lack of reforms radical enough to trigger a sustained process of modernization is not negligible. My position contests this either-or debate and identifies the culprit as the rise of African elitism—a phenomenon implicating the specific effect of colonialism in conjunction with internal African contributions. I take the …

Book Review: The Art Of Deception, Edward N. Martin

SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Parts And Properties In Aristotle's Categories, Phil Corkum

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

Call a property recurrent if it can be found in more than one subject, and nonrecurrent otherwise. The question whether Aristotle holds that there are nonrecurrent properties has spawned a lively debate among recent commentators. An assumption held in common by both sides of the debate is that a property is nonrecurrent if it is inseparable from an individual subject. In this paper, I’ll argue that this assumption is false. There are a variety of kinds of separation in Aristotle. When we focus attention on what notion of separation is relevant, we will see that the inseparability possessed by individual …

Targeting Emotion In Early Stoicism, Scott M. Rubarth

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

The Stoic sage is a cold, heartless being who would not grieve over the loss of a beloved companion or child. Unmoved, unemotional, uncaring, the sage is an ethical and emotional monstrosity hiding behind the pretension of the so-called virtues of detachment and austerity. That, at least, is how many who study Stoic ethics perceive the sage in regard to his/her emotional life. In this paper I will argue that this conception of the Stoic theory of emotion and passion is misleading; emotions, in fact, are central to Stoic ethics and apatheia should not be confused with the contemporary idea …

Carneades' Pithanon And Its Relation To Epoche And Apraxia, Suzanne Obdrzalek

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

Though the interpretation of ancient texts is notoriously difficult, Cameades presents what one might call a worst-case scenario. In the first place, he wrote nothing. His faithful disciple Clitomachus, attempting to play Plato to Cameades' Socrates, reportedly recorded Cameades' teachings in four hundred books. Not one remains. However, Clitomachus' attempt to make a philosophy of Cameades' anti-theoretical stance was not a complete failure; Cameades had a tremendous influence on the later Academy as well as the Stoa, and his views (or lack thereof) have been handed down to us by both Sextus Empiricus and Cicero. These sources are, nonetheless, problematic. …

An Analysis Of The Concept Of Believing In The Narrative Contexts Of John's Gospel, David A. Croteau

SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations

The thesis explores the meaning of the concept of believing in the Gospel of John. Chapter 1 provides a discussion of the relevance of the subject and the methodology employed in the research. The methodology is primarily a semantic field approach emphasizing the importance context adds to the interpretation process. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 follow the same basic outline. The goal is to provide an analysis of [Special characters omitted.] within its syntactical relationships and verbal forms. Any relevant conclusions are then integrated into an exegetical discussion. The Gospel of John is divided into three sections, one for each …

Reid’S Foundation For The Primary/Secondary Quality Distinction, Jennifer Mckitrick

Department of Philosophy: Faculty Publications

Thomas Reid (1710-1796) offers an under-appreciated account of the primary/secondary quality distinction. He gives sound reasons for rejecting the views of Locke, Boyle, Galileo and others, and presents a better alternative, according to which the distinction is epistemic rather than metaphysical. Primary qualities, for Reid, are qualities whose intrinsic natures can be known through sensation. Secondary qualities, on the other hand, are unknown causes of sensations. Some may object that Reid’s view is internally inconsistent, or unacceptably relativistic. However, a deeper understanding shows that it is consistent, and relative only to normal humans. To acquire this deeper understanding, one must …

Theistic Belief And Positive Epistemic Status: A Comparison Of Alvin Plantinga And William James, David J. Baggett

SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Limits Highlights From Over 2000 Years Of Developments In Calculus Limits, Lauri A. Nevalainen

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Sagp Newsletter 2002.4 (May), Anthony Preus

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Advising The Cosmopolis, Eric A. Brown

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

Plutarch charges that Stoic theory is inconsistent with Stoic political engagement no matter what they decide to do, because the Stoics' endorsement of the political life is inconsistent with their cosmopolitan rejection of ordinary politics (Stoic.rep., ab init.). Drawing on evidence from Chrysippus and Seneca, I develop an argument that answers this charge, and I draw out two interesting implications of the argument. The first implication is for scholars of ancient Stoicism who like to say that Stoicism is apolitical. The argument I reconstruct turns on the political importance of the practice of giving and taking advice, and in this …

On The Nature Of Heraclitus' Book, Herbert Granger

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

Heraclitus is critical of book-learning, yet, unlike Pythagoras, he wrote a book, which presumably he intended to be read. Heraclitus may think himself justified in composing his book because in his composition he remains true to the nature of things, which ‘loves to hide’ (B123). He writes a book that is just as taxing as the nature of things and demands the reader’s careful attention and thorough engagement. Like the Lord in Delphi, and the nature of things, Heraclitus ‘neither speaks out nor conceals, but gives a sign’ (B93). What is more important, he informs his readership about subjects that …

Sagp Newsletter 2003.4 (April), Anthony Preus

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

SAGP at the Central Division 2003

Do Zeno's Arguments Challenge Aristotle's Account Of Motion?, Rose Cherubin

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

What is the relationship between the arguments that Aristotle and Simplicius attribute to Zeno of Elea, and the account of motion that Aristotle presents in the Physics? Do the considerations that Aristotle raises in Physics Z.9 overcome the arguments about motion that he attributes to Zeno? Do they show the Zenonian arguments to be inapplicable or ill formed? Or do considerations that Zeno raises in the discussions attributed to him instead undermine Aristotle's account of motion? Do they undermine the possibility of physics as epistëmë? And why does Aristotle not treat Zeno's arguments about magnitude and plurality in his account …

Is Pyrrhonism Psychologically Possible?, Brian Ribeiro

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

How could there have been a group of philosophers who said they really were skeptics? How could they have claimed to suspend judgment about all non-evident matters which were presented to them and to have gone their way adoxastös (without belief) by (as they said) “following the appearances” (PH 1.23)? That is the question I would like to answer.

Memorials 2002, James A. Borland

SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Fearfully And Wonderfully Made, David L. Smith

Phenomenology Center Books

Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction & The Department's Philosophical Anthropology (p. 15)

Chapter 2: The First Decennial (1959-1969) (p. 29)

Chapter 3: The Second Decennial (1969-1979) (p. 54)

Chapter 4: The Third Decennial ( 1979-1989) (p. 74)

Chapter 5: The Fourth Decennial (1989-1999) (p. 104)

Chapter 6: The New Millennium (1999-2000) (p. 136)

Review: 'Immovable Laws, Irresistible Rights: Natural Law, Moral Rights, And Feminist Ethics', Rebecca Whisnant

Philosophy Faculty Publications

This collection of Pierce's essays traces the evolution of her thinking about natural law theory--and, more broadly, about talk of "natures" as normatively significant--over a period of 30 years. We see her move from a wholesale rejection of such talk, in her influential 1971 piece "Natural Law Language and Women," to a qualified admission that it can have its liberatory uses. Yet she maintains throughout that, progressive potential or no, natural law is far inferior to Kantian notions of rights and autonomy as a foundation for ethical thought.

Dreams Of Interpretation: Psychoanalysis And The Literature Of Vienna, Thomas Paul Bonfiglio

Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Faculty Publications

The first edition of Die Traumdeutung (translated as The Interpretation of Dreams, 1913) bears a publication date of 1900, although it actually appeared in Vienna in November 1899. This is consistent with the pivotal temporality of a work that looks retrospectively into the nineteenth century and prospectively into the twentieth. In 1931, Freud said of his first and arguably most important book, "It contains, even according to my present-day judgement, the most valuable of all the discoveries it has been my good fortune to make. " In terms of the influence not only on his later publications, but also …

Analisis Pemikiran Islam Dalam Karya Joesoef Sou'yb, Tirmizi

Student Works (2000-2009)

Islamic thought in the works of Joesoef Sou'yb is a continuation of Islamic thought which have ever developed since the Mu'tazilite, Syeikh Muhammad bin 'Abdul Wahhab and Syeih Jamaluddin al- Afghan,, Syeikh Muhammad 'Abduh with his disciple Muhammad Rasyld Rida. His thought is a combination of Mu'tazilite rationalism, Syeikh 'Abdul Wahaib's spirit of reformism one of the signal thought salaif Muhammad 'Abduh's Islamic reformism-modernism. All ideas have taken place in Joesoefs thought completely. The main reason for such difficult identification is mainly due to the fact that Joesoef has inadequate relevant knowledge to the issues discussed by him. His interest …

Aristotle On Knowledge, Nous And The Problems Of Necessary Truth, Thomas Kiefer

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

In this paper, I argue that nous for Aristotle concerns necessary truths. (1) Nous is the solution to the dilemma raised in Posterior Analytics I.3. (2) Knowledge and nous have necessary truths as their subject matter, and are identical to this subject matter. (3) This position creates two problems concerning (i) the innateness of knowledge and nous, and (ii) the mind-dependency of necessary truths. (4) The end of DA III.5 reveals an attempt to solve (i) and (ii): The necessary truths of knowledge and nous are for us innate in a certain way, appear to come to be and pass …

Review: The Fundamentals For The Twenty-First Century: Examining The Crucial Issues Of The Christian Faith, James A. Borland

SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.