 |
 April 26-28, 2007
Download abstracts of accepted papers: ABSTRACTS (WORD document). |
| |
April 26-28, 2007
Download abstracts of accepted papers: ABSTRACTS (WORD document). |
Ronald Baumiller
Simulacra and Eidola: A Comparative Essay on the Metaphysical Ramifications of Images
Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, PA)
Over the past decades, there has been a phenomenon that is easily overlooked. From the extensive development of television, computers, and special effects to the unimaginable accessibility unheard of by prior generations, images have merited an unparalleled emphasis and credibility. One must question, nonetheless, can we trust them? Can they accurately represent reality? For Jean Baudrillard and Plato, the answer is a tenacious no! In this essay, I will trace the philosophies of Jean Baudrillard and Plato regarding images. Surprisingly, as I will demonstrate, there only appears to be an extensive time period differentiating their two notions of images.
Andreas Brooks
The Unabomber as a Metaphysical Warrior
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg, VA)
Coined a modern David Thoreau, Theodore Kaczynski (the Unabomber) gave us his vision for humanity in a 35,000 word manifesto, “Industrial Society and Its Future.” To reinforce and highlight his cause, Kaczynski carried out three decades of terrorism across the United States. In a world where so much has hinged on the acts of terrorists, understanding the Unabomber is invaluable. This essay analyzes the life and actions of the Unabomber as an expression of existential dissatisfaction. I will draw from various existential texts, including Albert Camus’ “The Rebel,” to give a different interpretation of rebellion and the casualties it incurs. To provide context for Kaczynski's thoughts and plans I will give a thorough account of his manifesto, “Industrial Society and Its Future.”
Christopher L. Cappelletti
Condemned to History
University of Hawai’i (Manoa, HI)
Jean-Paul Sartre and Maurice Merleau-Ponty are notorious within philosophical circles for their heated debates on a variety of topics, including the issue of freedom and humanity’s claim to it. Sartre’s phenomenology tends to focus on consciousness, facticity, and autonomous thinking, thereby aligning his views on freedom with absolute choice. Merleau-Ponty, however, emphasizes historical and situational context, and the body’s place in the lived world. ‘History’ may best express Merleau-Ponty’s description of freedom. While these two thinkers vary in their individual definitions of humankind’s freedom, they may not be as opposed to each other as it first appears. A reconciliation of their views appears to be possible through an analysis of their texts and an understanding of their specific terminology. Additionally, the dialogue that exists between Sartre’s commitment to consciousness and Merleau-Ponty’s advocation of the body illustrates in microcosm a greater dialogue between Eastern and Western philosophical traditions that has existed for centuries.
Rocco Carbone
Abu Ghraib: A Foucaultdian Analysis
Elmira College (Elmira, NY)
The torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib by American soldiers, and the subsequent photographs which emerged of explicit and graphic instances of prisoner abuse, shocked the international community. Questions were raised as to whether these were isolated instances of prisoner torture, or whether there were policies put in place authorizing such events as a common occurrence. This paper will begin with a review of Michel Foucault’s Discipline & Punish. It will then review events prior to Abu Ghraib that may have directly contributed to these atrocities. Finally, it will ask the most important question: What made these soldiers capable of committing such acts without moral reservation? The primary interest in Foucault’s work for this paper concerns his definitions and concepts of torture. More specifically, this paper will focus on his understanding of sovereign/monarchical use of public torture. The tortures that occurred at Abu Ghraib signify a shift in focus from the identifiable legitimate authority of the sovereign’s use of public torture to reestablish lost power from unruly subjects, to American soldiers’ use of torture – and the photographic evidence taken of the events – as a public display to reestablish a feeling of ideological superiority that was lost because of the events of 9/11.
Corin T. Fox
Mental Processes and Meanings
Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA)
I shall argue that Hilary Putnam (in his article “Meaning and Reference”) gives a false account of the nature of meaning and reference. First, I will illustrate Putnam’s theory and display his argument. Secondly, I will give reasons why Putnam’s argument is wrong. I will explain why it is wrong to claim (A) that the extension of ‘water’ on Earth in 1750 was H2O, and (B) that Oscar1 and Oscar2 understood the term ‘water’ differently in 1750, even though they shared the same psychological state. Thirdly, I will propose what I think is precipitated from these first steps (namely, I will describe my theory of meaning). Hilary Putnam’s argument embodies some fundamental problems that I intend to fix with my theory. Specifically, Putnam argues that meanings “ain’t in the head,” which is false. Meanings are wholly determined by thoughts, beliefs, and intentions: the head.
Kimmy Frearson
A Theory of Primary and Secondary Qualities
SUNY Brockport (Brockport, NY)
John Locke and George Berkeley have very contrasting views about the material world. Berkeley is an immaterialist and uses his arguments for qualities of objects to prove this immaterialism. Locke, by contrast, has a completely different theory for the qualities of objects which disproves Berkeley’s immaterialism. This paper lays out both Berkeley and Locke’s arguments and critically analyzes them to grasp a better understanding of each view. In the end I combine Georges Dickers’ interpretation with my own to show that Locke’s theory for primary and secondary qualities is very plausible and can be used to disprove Berkeley’s immaterialism.
James Giangregorio
Endless Realization and Beginningless Practice: Zen Master Dôgen’s Unity of Practice and Enlightenment
St. Mary’s College of Maryland (St. Mary’s City, MD)
This paper will look at Zen Master Dôgen’s unification of practice and enlightenment as an answer to the philosophical conflict between the Buddhist doctrines of original enlightenment (hongaku), and attained enlightenment (shikaku). The philosophical question that plagued Dôgen is: If all beings are originally enlightened, then why must we practice diligently to overcome delusion? Why is practice necessary if we already have enlightenment within us? Dôgen answers this question by claiming that practice and enlightenment are one. This paper will endeavor to further explain what exactly the unification of practice and enlightenment means. At the same time, this paper will also attempt to demonstrate how the union of practice and enlightenment asserts that Buddha-nature is not a potentiality, but in fact is an actuality for Dôgen.
Robert Guerin
The Immanent Structure of the Stoic Universe as it Pertains to Fate
Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, PA)
The Stoics see the cosmos as an intricate web of causation. Every cause will have an effect and every effect will be a cause. It is logically ordered. It is reason as a whole. However, if everything comes to be by necessity, then human beings’ choices and deliberations will be in vain. It seems that human beings are determined, but the Stoics also believe man (who is primarily reason) has control over judgments, assents, and impulses. More precisely, human beings have the ability to act according to the cosmos/reason. This is the end, goal, or final cause of human beings. There is no distinction for the Stoics between the particular reason of human beings and reason as a whole. Thus, if man will act according to reason (particular or whole), he will achieve free-will. This essay gives an account of the Stoics’ perception of the nature of human beings—Is he determined as a part of this intricate logical web or is he his own agent?—and the universe as reason as a whole. I argue that the Stoics believe human beings are self-determined or free. They are their own guiding principle as long as they pursue their end: that is, act in accordance to reason. I take into account various Stoic philosophers such Cicero who reported many Stoic views and had strong sympathies, Alexander of Aphrodisias who was a Neo-Platonist who posed Stoic views in order to refute them, and Chrysippus who was a Stoic compatibilist.
Caitlin Hanson
Language and Identity in Postcolonial Ireland
University of Hartford (Hartford, CT)
Throughout the world, dozens of young nations are struggling to rebuild nations that were destroyed under generations of colonization. Postcolonialism is an important movement to understand in our global economy, and the stages of independence are exemplified by the colonial history of Ireland. Furthermore, postmodernism has become a related field of thought that is difficult to ignore. The history of language in Ireland further shows the influence of postmodern theories of meaning and identity within a postcolonial context. The Republic of Ireland may serve as a useful example of identity construction through language for the rest of the world.
Morgan Hardy
On Physics and Philosophy
Columbia University (New York, NY)
My paper provides a friendly introduction to the evolution of twentieth-century thought and the history of the scientific dilemma that surrounded it: that of the electron’s collapse, suggesting an impasse in the scientific quest to understand the universe. Perhaps it is not science that needs to be re-examined, but the logic that we apply to our observations we make. Logic is not an iceberg, but empirically based. Think about it. If you have two chickens and you subtract one, you now have one chicken. Which existed first, the logic, or the chicken? “One” and “two” are just names we’ve come up with to describe our observances. Reason is not innate. Previous observances have dealt with larger masses and thus have guided development of our logic in accordance with the behavior of the macro world. However, new observances of electrons show that the old logic is faulty. Both new and old observances can be explained by a new logic.
Alejandra Iannone
Dualism in Dance
Fordham University: Lincoln Center (New York, NY)
Profound research and academic writings on dance are rarely published in aesthetics. The seeming lack of scholarly interest in dance does not appear to result from a general disinterest in the arts. It is certainly the case that an impressive amount of research and writing has been done about music, painting, sculpture, and theater. Further, it is clearly false to claim that writers in aesthetics have not been exposed to dance. Is the lack of interest then because they have not practiced dance? Arguably not, since this has not prevented many scholars from producing work on the other performing arts without having practiced them. Something specific to dance seems to make it unpopular in academic research and discussion. This paper aims at finding out why.
Casey Johnson
Moore’s “Good” Trilemma: Its Critics and Defenders
Connecticut College (New London, CT)
In Principia Ethica, G.E Moore considers what is meant by “good.” In the first chapter of the text, entitled “the subject matter of ethics,” Moore suggests “good” is a simple, indefinable notion. He suggests that to reduce “good” to any naturally experiential concept is fallacious, and thus coins the term “naturalistic fallacy.” To support this position, Moore presents a trilemma suggesting that “good” must either be reducible, an empty concept, or a primitive notion. He uses the first chapter of the Principia to dispatch with all but the last option. I argue, with the help of other critics, that Moore is too hasty and at most can only reject the first conception of “good,” thus leaving open the option that “good” is an empty concept. I examine Fenske and Smith, who write that the Open Question Argument is outdated or incomplete, as well as Altman and Strandberg who try to salvage Moore’s view in various ways. The paper concludes with the argument that though Moore and his supporters effectively eliminate the reduction option, they do not sufficiently address the possibility that “good” is content-less.
Ashleen Menchaca Kelly
Richard Rorty and the Theological Virtues
Trinity University (San Antonio, TX)
By constructing the religious faith of Romantic Polytheism as an alternative to contemporary Christianity, Richard Rorty extends his theory of public solidarity and private ironism into the increasingly relevant debate about religion’s role in the public square. Following the tradition of James and Dewey, Rorty has developed a body of work that integrates pragmatism and religiosity in hopes of diminishing “cruelty and suffering” in the world. This paper evaluates how Rorty’s conceptions of truth, conscience, freedom and morality reorient the traditional understanding of the Pauline theological virtues of faith, hope and love by examining the work of Rorty over the last two decades. Romantic Polytheism is compared with orthodox Christianity in an effort to engage and promote dialogue between postmodernism, pragmatism and the Christian tradition.
Drew R. Kenyon
A Thesis on Free Will
SUNY Jamestown Community College (Jamestown, NY)
This thesis on free will attempts to follow a logical process which ultimately arrives at a conclusion as to the existence of free will. By employing the analogical teleological argument, more specifically the metaphors of William Paley, the paper begins to develop a process to work though the existence of the universe and the role of, if any, a divine being. Included also are possible ramifications of the existence of a divine being, and the omnipotence of such, to the possibility of choice. Also mentioned are the existence of evil within the world and its interpretation, as well as its role in demonstrating free will and the role of a divine being.
Hosanna Emanuela Keough
Abortion: Right? Wrong? Neither? Depends?
Marymount University (Arlington, VA)
In my paper, I examine different ethical theories that can be applied to the issue of abortion: namely, the utilitarian and deontological theories. I examine medical evidence, which I ultimately use to support my view. I also look at arguments proposed by philosophers that cannot be classified as utilitarian or deontologists per se. By analyzing these different theories, arguments and medical data, I argue that abortion is unethical, wrong, and thus, immoral.
Nicholas Koziolek
Toward a Virtue of Irresolution: An Exploration of Descartes’ Practical Philosophy
Colgate University (Hamilton, NY)
This paper explores an apparent tension in Descartes’ practical philosophy between an agent’s commitment to the search for practical knowledge and the necessity for the agent to act, at least sometimes, on the basis of a judgment he recognizes (or suspects) to be uncertain, and so possibly false. The main argument of the paper is that the psychological mechanisms through which the agent brings himself to act with certainty on the basis of uncertain judgments threaten the very happiness that is the goal of Descartes’ practical philosophy. More specifically, the worry is that one cannot maintain a real commitment to the search for practical knowledge, while at the same time recognizing that one’s knowledge is inadequate, and still avoid the kind of anxiety and irresolution that Descartes seems to think are the greatest threats to human happiness.
The lesson drawn from these discussions is that Descartes’ project to eliminate passions like irresolution, anxiety, and remorse, is misconceived. A healthy respect for truth in the practical realm can be maintained only by accepting, and learning to live with, a certain amount of uncertainty about our practical judgments and the actions we perform on the basis of those judgments. If the acknowledgment of practical uncertainty makes tranquility of mind, and so true happiness, impossible—well, that may simply be a price that anyone committed to the search for practical knowledge must pay.
Timothy Mann
Altruism in Spinoza’s Ethics
SUNY Potsdam (Potsdam, NY)
In Ethics, Spinoza argues that acting virtuously is acting in accordance with reason and that self-preservation is the foundation for action. The apparent contradiction between acting in accordance with reason and altruism is resolved by examining the common usage of “selfless.” The common usage of “selfless” is applied to a definition for altruism that is compatible with Ethics. Last, it is argued that the definition given for altruism captures our intuitive understanding of what it means for an action to be altruistic by examining some examples of altruistic actions.
Adnan Mirza
On the Death Penalty
CCNY, CUNY (New York, NY)
This paper examines the ethical complications of Capital Punishment. In his article “In Defense of the Death Penalty,” Ernest van dan Hagg argues that the death penalty effectively deters people from committing murder. This paper exposes the flaws in Hagg’s arguments and demonstrates how life imprisonment is a “just” and proportional punishment for the crime of murder.
Matthew H. Mucci
The Sage and the Superman
Eastern Connecticut University (Willimantic, CT)
Philosophical systems or worldviews that share similar cosmologies may derive parallel normative conclusions. In the philosophical thought of Nietzsche and the worldview of the early Daoists, some basic cosmological beliefs are shared. The power of creativity, change, and generation originates from within the world. The cosmos is not composed of discrete entities, but particular things are enmeshed within each other. Both perspectives lack an unchanging transcendent nature to things. Nietzsche and the ancient Daoists part company in terms of how creative power in the world is optimized and this has consequences for how the ideal human being should behave as a member of the cosmos. Nonetheless, proponents of both perspectives zestfully embrace mundane reality rather than trying to transcend it. The sage and the superman share a full investment in bettering this world as wielders of creative power.
Michael D. Ondrick
Why Lie? Why Not? A Frank Look at the Moral Status of Lying
The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH)
Why do we seem to think that there is something inherently wrong with lying? Is there some independent deontological constraint against lying that makes it wrong in some way, so that, ceteris paribus, we should always perform the act that does not require lying? Or can this alleged constraint be explained by other factors? Here I argue that what we think of as a deontological constraint against lying is nothing more than a convenient “secondary” moral rule socioculturally ingrained in us from an early age because of the generally bad consequences resulting from telling lies, just as we intuitively think it bad to touch a hot stove even though such an action, upon further reflection, may not lead to harmful results. I conclude that, if all supposed deontology can be explained this way, then rule-based consequentialism, despite its many problems, deserves another look as a normative force.
Nathan David Paquette
On the Progress of Efficacy
St. Mary’s College of Maryland (St. Mary’s City, MD)
Michel Foucault in Discipline and Punish delineates three standard means by which disciplinary power is exercised by humanity, upon humanity. They are Hierarchical Observation, Normalizing Judgment, and Examination. What do these premises mean to us and what do they indicate for future human existence?
Kevin Parks
Ethics of the Other
St. Mary’s College of Maryland (St. Mary’s City, MD)
The three most influential ethical figures in Western philosophy (Aristotle, John Stuart Mill, and Immanuel Kant) all propose ethics that focus on the self. Emmanuel Levinas offers an account of ethics where the Other, and the relationship that the self exists in with the Other, becomes the focus. My paper explores Levinas’ understanding of the Other, and offers a critique of his conception of the Other as it is defined qua language. In the final sections, I offer my own definition of Otherness, which I define in terms of intentionality, and discuss some of the implications it holds for thinking about ethics, not just in dilemma situations, but in everyday life.
Megan Jean Rea
Michel Foucault, Subject-Knowledge and the History of Systems of Thought
Georgian Court University (Lakewood, NJ)
Gnothi Seauton, Know thyself – this command to knowledge, famously inscribed on the entrance lintel at the Oracle of Apollo in Delphi, has passed through Western thought as one of the central organizing principles of philosophical inquiry. The search for such knowledge has been expressed and variously resolved in a plenitude of philosophies, and the quest of humanism for an intrinsic character of human nature has been expanded to many other discourses in the social sciences. If one is inclined to imagery, it could easily be said that one of the best-worn paths in human thought is but a pilgrimage to Delphi, and the unanswerable knowledge that the prophet there bids humanity to seek. Yet what, might one ask, does the command Gnothi Seauton have anything to do with well-known stucturalist historiography of Michel Foucault? In light of recent academic reevaluations of Foucault’s work during his time as the Chair of the History of Systems of Thought at the Collège de France, further exploration of even the most well-known of Michel Foucault’s inquiries into history, power dynamics, and the individual is called for in light of the question “What is a humanist philosopher?”
Jeremy Redlien
An Analysis of the Pragmatic Philosophies of Farmer Wendell Berry
SUNY Oneonta (Oneonta, NY)
The paper will start with an introduction of Wendell Berry and some of his core philosophies. We shall then examine his views on modern farming practices, the disconnect that most of us have with our food supply, and the damage that this has on the environment. The paper shall then look at the ways traditional academic pursuits have failed to address these problems. We will look at Wendell Berry's proposed solutions to the problems that he writes about and analyze their possible effectiveness and applicability to modern life. There will also be some comparison of his ideas with the philosophies of Socrates.
Peter Res
Who’s Talking about Bats? Pitfalls of Subjectivity in Thomas Nagel’s “What is it Like to be a Bat?”
Hartwick College (Oneonta, NY)
Thomas Nagel’s 1974 publication “What is it like to be a bat?” has had a continual impact on contemporary discussions of mind. In response, this paper serves as a constructive rereading of Nagel’s famed article in which a crucial flaw is revealed: Nagel’s particular yet general, subjective yet objective, character of experience. It is my view that Nagel’s piece stands not as a guide to the impossibilities of a human exploration of bat consciousness, but rather, it serves only to confuse a constantly evolving field of philosophical inquiry, and trap each of us in the internal realm of subjectivity.
Mike Reynolds
Taking Responsibility
Ball State University (Muncie, IN)
I argue that the non-comparative problem of moral luck is surmountable with the ideas of Card, Tessman, and Davion who collectively assert that we can be blamed for our acts so long as we have taken responsibility for them, regardless of the luck that is inherent in our constitution. I then argue that men in our culture are morally damaged and we can and should take responsibility for that damage and resolve to stop the systems of oppression we propagate.
Stefan Livingstone Shirley
Critical Theory & the Art of Dragon-slaying: Are Role-Playing Games Art?
SUNY Oneonta (Oneonta, NY)
The second edition of the Random House Unabridged Dictionary defines art as, “the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.” Working from that definition and a foundation in literary theories of criticism and interpretation, it will be shown that “pen-and-paper” role-playing games (RPGs) can be and often are art. Art, Literature, role-playing, and ritual then are all definable (if not defined) interpretively. Each has its own set of semiotics, but overlaps between the three sets can not reasonably be ignored. These similarities are only more pronounced as we move into a more modern hermeneutical framework.
Dustin Kyle Smyth
Justice as Unfairness: An Application of Rawls' Principles of Justice to Affirmative Action
Transylvania University (Lexington, KY)
The paper is a philosophical investigation, using John Rawls’ “Two Principles of Justice” as primary motivation, into whether affirmative action is a just or unjust practice according to Rawls’ justice principles. But this task seems difficult to execute due to the fact that “Two Principles of Justice” never tackle the issue of affirmative action, but instead deals only with ideal theory. This paper wades through Rawls’ loaded language, order justice principles, as well as lengthy interpretations to not only apply Rawls’ justice principles to affirmative action but to also determine if the criteria set forth in “Two Principles of Justice” would label affirmative action just or unjust.
Tejaswinhi Srinivas
Sovereignty, the Presentation of an Ideal Form of Life, and the Aesthetic Representation of Hitler’s Vision
Yale College (New Haven, CT)
In this paper, I show how Schmitt’s theory of sovereignty might be used to understand Nazi architecture and ritual. First, I analyze Carl Schmitt’s theory of sovereignty, giving a particular interpretation to the significance of the sovereign decision and minimally relating it to Giorgio Agamben’s theory of bare life. I suggest that the sovereign in a state of exception presents an ideal form of life based on an exclusionary friend-enemy distinction, and this friend-enemy distinction allows for the emergence of homo sacer. The members of the polis can find some higher meaning in their existence by following the ideal form of life that the sovereign presents, as long as they come to believe that the sovereign’s vision has transcendent rather than contingent value. Second, I explain how Adolf Hitler constructed his vision of the ideal form of life around a distinct German identity that was itself based upon a friend-enemy distinction between the Aryan Germans and the Semitic Jews. I show how Nazi architecture and ritual made Hitler’s vision seem as though it had transcendent value by portraying Hitler as a messiah-like figure and imposing an absolute, totalizing, and reason-negating form of life upon the German people. In conclusion, I briefly consider whether and how the sovereign in a state of exception could put forth a vision for an ideal form of life that could help the members of the polis discover meaningfulness in their existence, without having the harmful consequences of obliterating their freedom or permitting murder.
Steven K. Stakland
Socrates and Death
Brigham Young University (Provo, UT)
Does Socrates have a philosophy of death? To ask this question entails examining whether he has a rigorously arguable position concerning death – a proof for what it is, what its effects are, and how one should behave towards death. Socrates focused on the proper care of the soul. Based on what he considered proper care of the soul, he developed a moral philosophy. What Socrates says about death is ancillary to his moral philosophy.
Stephen Strother
Montaigne, Plato, Philosophy, and Death
Belmont University (Nashville, TN)
Death. Henry James called it “the distinguished thing,” and it has been treated as such by humans throughout their history. It is a truism to say that all of life is conditioned by death, but it is a truism that bears repeating in our youth-obsessed age. Considering the importance of death, its treatment by philosophers is without a doubt of paramount interest. How much are philosophers conditioned by their cultures in their views on death? How much do they shape those cultural values themselves? And who’s right? I propose to discuss two philosophers who, through their differences, shed a great deal of light on one another: Plato and Montaigne.
George Vallas
Proclus on Divine Unity and the Doctrine of Henads
Manhattanville College (Purchase, NY)
Proclus, the Athenian philosopher of the fifth century AD, is perhaps the most influential contributor to the Classical school of Neoplatonism after Plotinus. (His surname, diadochos or successor, reflects his importance to the school.) He is at the same time one of the most neglected philosophers of the Hellenistic period. This paper is primarily a logical analysis of the doctrine of Henads, Proclus’ attempt to account for multiplicity in the monistic worldview of traditional Neoplatonism, and his major contribution to Western thought. It will first place the doctrine in the context of Neoplatonic (Plotinian) cosmology, and outline its rationale. It will then proceed with an outline of the major arguments in favor of the doctrine, and suggest possible reasons for its ultimate failure. It will conclude with an examination of the sociological implications of Proclus’ work: namely, his attempt to use the doctrine as a justification for Classical paganism, which by the late fifth century had been almost completely supplanted by Christianity.
Thomas Wegener
Morality of Serving or Not
Mid Michigan Community College (Harrison, MI)
Is it morally acceptable for a person to serve in and fight for the military of one’s country? To answer this question this paper shows that it is first necessary to define what a war is, and why nations fight them; we must also examine who is responsible for a war being waged. Looking at examples by Carl Von Clausewitz, this paper defines war as a conflict between two or more forces under the control of some form of government. It further explains that wars are ultimately waged to preserve or expand one’s culture and society. Still looking to history for answers, Machiavelli and Sun Tzu show how it is the Heads of State that are ultimately responsible for the decision of whether or not to wage war. Finally it is shows that while it is unacceptable to force service upon individuals, the individual’s choice of whether or not to serve in the military is a morally acceptable decision.
Andrew Whitehead
Coping with the Disease of Philosophy
Brock University (St. Catharines, Ontario: CANADA)
Wittgenstein’s position surrounding what can and cannot be said with respect to the boundaries of language, and what lies beyond these boundaries, remained unaltered through his career: What lies beyond the boundaries of language is nonsensical. Armstrong presumes to know the true value of Wittgenstein’s theory: “…the real moral of what [Wittgenstein] said is only that predicates and universals do not line up in any simple way.” In other words, Armstrong found that Wittgenstein was merely expressing the difficulty of lining up predicates and universals, not that such a lining up was in any way unfeasible. This paper argues that Wittgenstein would have concluded that Armstrong’s entire endeavor of trying to make universals compatible with Wittgenstein’s notion of Family Resemblances was both senseless and nonsensical.
Scott Zuke
Satyagraha: Tracking a Cultural Exchange
St. Mary’s College of Maryland (St. Mary’s City, MD)
This essay presents a narrative history tracing a line of thought from the ancient Hindu text, the Bhagavad-Gita, through the American transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau’s writings on civil disobedience, and ending with Mohandas Gandhi and the creation of his Satyagraha campaign in South Africa. Attention is given not only to making the historical connections, but to exploring what each text or thinker contributed to or omitted from this fluid political philosophy.
Website constructed and maintained by Douglas Shrader / Department Chair Philosc@Oneonta.edu 
March 15, 2007
Updated April 21, 2007
