Department: Philosophy (Arts and Sciences) ![[clear]](close-x.png "Remove this limiter")
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1.
Allen, Benjamin T.
Searle on Intentionality.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2008, Ohio University
► In 1983 John Searle claimed that perception is intrinsically intentional. If perception…
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▼ In 1983 John Searle claimed that perception is intrinsically intentional. If perception is intrinsically intentional then the content of one's subjective experiences cannot be separated from the experiences themselves. It is clear that one can have an experience without attaching a specific meaning to that experience. Therefore Searle's assertion cannot be correct.In this thesis I analyze both Searle's theory of intentionality as it relates to perception and Fred Dretske's criticisms of Searle's theory of intentionality. It is demonstrated that Dretske's initial criticisms fail. The merits of his final criticisms are discussed and used to show that intentionality is not intrinsic to perception. I argue that experience has a derived, but subjectively immediate intentionality. In most common situations experiences appear to directly present their content due to the structure and functioning of the human mind; new or unique kinds of experience display that perception can occur without transmitting intentional content. This shows that perception must have a derived intentionality.
Advisors/Committee Members: Bender, John W.
Subjects: Philosophy
Keywords: Searle; intentionality; perception; intrinsic intentionality; derived intentionality; Dretske
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2.
DiCola, Paul S.
Socrates, Irwin, and Instrumentalism.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2008, Ohio University
► This thesis is intended to argue against Terence Irwin's instrumental thesis that…
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▼ This thesis is intended to argue against Terence Irwin's instrumental thesis that explains the relation of virtue to happiness in Plato's early dialogues. Irwin's instrumental thesis leads him to believe that virtue is a craft that is "entirely distinct" from the end it pursues -happiness. His instrumental thesis rests on the idea of techne being a productive craft; however, I argue that Irwin's interpretation of techne is skewed and leads him into trouble. Moreover, Irwin fails to answer the objection that virtue cannot be a craft since a craft is possible to be used for vicious ends. Finally, if we examine extreme situations, such as exile or bodily dismemberment, we notice that the relation of virtue to happiness is not as Irwin claims it to be.
Advisors/Committee Members: Bender, John W.
Subjects: Philosophy
Keywords: Terence Irwin; virtue; Plato; Socrates; instrumentalism; virtue and happiness; Gregory Vlastos; techne; craft analogy; purely instrumental
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3.
Dolson, C. Daniel.
Toward A Lean Ontology: Quine, (Meta) Ontology, and Descriptions.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2006, Ohio University
► Ontologyis the subfield of metaphysics that is the study of all…
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▼ Ontologyis the subfield of metaphysics that is the study of all that there is. Philosophers who study ontology usually ask the ontological question: what is there? Not only are there disagreements about the answers, there is also confusion about what the ontological question is asking. This has led to a meta-level discussion called metaontology. Metaontology studies ontology either by questioning the ontological question, or by specifying a strategy to answer it. Current trends in both debates are due to W. V. Quine, especially his seminal paper ''On What There Is.'' Here, Quine uses Bertrand Russell's Theory of Descriptions as a suitable strategy for doing metaontology. Nonetheless, in recent treatment of Quine's metaontology there is little mention of Russell's theory. This paper examines whether Russell's theory has any involvement in Quine's metaontology and offers the positive thesis that descriptions are crucial to understanding Quine.
Advisors/Committee Members: Bender, John W.
Subjects: Philosophy
Keywords: Metaontology; Ontology; Quine; Ontological Commitments; Descriptions
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4.
Enck, Gavin G.
A Comparison of Two Bioethical Theories.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2009, Ohio University
► This thesis compares two bioethical theories in order to determine which theory…
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▼ This thesis compares two bioethical theories in order to determine which theory is better for use by medical professionals. The two theories are Tom L. Beauchamp and James Childress's "Principlism" and Bernard Gert, K. Danner Clouser, and Charles M. Culver's "Moral Rules." The structure of the paper is as follows: an explication of both theories, an examination of the similarities and differences between the theories, an evaluation of criticisms of both theories, and identification of the three advantages the Moral Rules theory has over Principlism. In the conclusion, I claim the Moral Rules is the better bioethical theory for the medical profession.
Advisors/Committee Members: Zucker, Arthur.
Subjects: Philosophy
Keywords: Common Morality; Principlism; Beauchamp; Gert; moral rules; moral ethics
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5.
Evans, Robert A.
An Aesthetic Attitude: An East - West Comparison of Bullough and Nishida.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2010, Ohio University
► This paper is an examination of the aesthetic attitude theories of Edward…
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▼ This paper is an examination of the aesthetic attitude theories of Edward Bullough and Kitaro Nishida, establishing key characteristics of an aesthetic attitude theory. These characteristics comprise a complete definition of an aesthetic attitude, which accounts for all types and levels of aesthetic experience, aesthetic judgments, and aesthetic participants.
Advisors/Committee Members: Bender, John.
Subjects: Philosophy
Keywords: Aesthetics; comparative philosophy; Edward Bullough; Kitaro Nishida; aesthetic attitude
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6.
Gaier, Robyn.
Understanding God’s Justice Towards Those Who Suffer: A Critique of Eleonore Stump’s Defense.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2004, Ohio University
► Within philosophical discussions of the problem of evil, the issue of God’s…
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▼ Within philosophical discussions of the problem of evil, the issue of God’s justice towards those who suffer is of primary importance. In this thesis, I consider one aspect of this issue by analyzing and critiquing Eleonore Stump’s claim that justice requires God to compensate the human sufferer for instances of undeserved and involuntary suffering. I critique her view on the grounds that a) such moral constraints upon God exceed what distributive justice requires, b) there is a disparity between her view and its Thomistic foundation, and c) such a view fails to align with the notion of justice advocated in contemporary moral theories.
Advisors/Committee Members: Petrik, James.
Keywords: Philosophy; Religion
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7.
Ghaffari, Sara.
Finding Obligations Within Second-Personal Engagement: A Critique of Christine Korsgaard's Normative Theory.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2010, Ohio University
► In response to Stephan Darwall’s The Second-Person Standpoint, Christine Korsgaard agrees that…
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▼ In response to Stephan Darwall’s The Second-Person Standpoint, Christine Korsgaard agrees that the autonomy of others must be presupposed in order to hold them accountable to our second-personal demands, but unlike Darwall, she finds that we discover our autonomy prior to second-personal engagements. Korsgaard maintains that one knows that one is autonomous by obligating oneself through a “second voice within.”* Hence, she concludes that we do not have to engage with others second-personally in order to know that we are autonomous and can obligate ourselves. In this thesis, I introduce Tyler Burge’s Reason and the First Person to show that knowing that others are capable of holding themselves accountable to our second-personal demands is not dependent on first knowing that we can hold ourselves accountable—we can have knowledge of both concurrently. I conclude with the stronger claim that given the unnecessary epistemic priority of self-obligation, coupled with her own theory of rational agency, Korsgaard must accept that we cannot know that we have obligations to ourselves without engaging second-personally with others. *Christine M. Korsgaard, “Autonomy and the Second Person Within: A Commentary on Stephan Darwall’s The Second-Person Standpoint,” Ethics 118 (2007).
Advisors/Committee Members: LeBar, Mark.
Subjects: Philosophy
Keywords: Christine Korsgaard; Stephen Darwall; Second-Personal Engagement; Tyler Burge; Morality; Autonomy; Normative Ethics
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8.
Hall, Christopher Adam.
On the Relationship between Kant's Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals and the Metaphysics of Morals.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2010, Ohio University
► This paper looks at the relationship between Immanuel Kant's Groundwork for the…
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▼ This paper looks at the relationship between Immanuel Kant's Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals and his The Metaphysics of Morals and the moral principles contained in each. In this paper, a particular logical relationship, "groundedness" is offered as appropriate for this topic. Two Kant scholars, Allen Wood and Paul Guyer, who disagree with each other about the nature of the relationship between the Groundwork and The Metaphysics are presented and criticized; each is shown to have significant flaws in their respective arguments. Finally, a third approach that uses the work of Leslie Mulholland to argue for a view that corrects Guyer's and Wood's failings is offered. It is shown that Kant's Metaphysics of Morals must be understood as grounded in his Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals.
Advisors/Committee Members: LeBar, Mark.
Subjects: Philosophy
Keywords: Immanuel Kant; Metaphysics of Morals; Groundwork; Doctrine of Right; Categorical Imperative; Allan Wood; Paul Guyer
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9.
Hoag, Trevor L.
The Free Spirit: A Critique of Things in Themselves as a Nihilistic Movement.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2007, Ohio University
► According to Nietzsche, the history of philosophy is dominated by “nihilism,” i.e.,…
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▼ According to Nietzsche, the history of philosophy is dominated by “nihilism,” i.e., the hierarchical valuation of the supersensible over and above the sensible and material. This “nihilism,” according to Nietzsche, is particularly evident in Kant’s use of the concept of things in themselves in his epistemology and moral philosophy. For example, Nietzsche claims that Kant uses the concept of things in themselves to reinstitute the notion of a true world that stands “behind” and devalues the world of human experience by contrast. Some Kant scholars, however, have argued that a “two aspect” (as opposed to a “two world”) interpretation of Kant’s transcendental idealism allows Kant to sidestep the charge of practicing dogmatic metaphysics as well as exhibiting the value judgments of traditional metaphysics. In my thesis, I contend that no matter which interpretation one adopts concerning things in themselves, Nietzsche’s charge of nihilism holds.
Advisors/Committee Members: Petrik, James.
Subjects: Philosophy
Keywords: Kant; Nietzsche; things in themselves; thing in itself; nihilism
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10.
Jewell, Titus M.
How Cohen and Hilbert Fare on the Commonality and Causality Criteria.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2009, Ohio University
► In this thesis I assess how well two separate philosophical accounts of…
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▼ In this thesis I assess how well two separate philosophical accounts of color fare on a range of criteria identified as important constraints on philosophical theories of color. The two main criteria I am interested in are those of commonality and causality. The two philosophical accounts of color I assess are those of Jonathan Cohen and David Hilbert. I argue that Cohen and Hilbert's accounts fall short of these two constraints in important ways. Cohen's account fails on the commonality criterion because it cannot identify any shared feature of color properties which do not share the same S or C values but which match nevertheless. Cohen's account fails on the causality criterion because Cohen's functional properties are not correlated with color experiences in the right way and therefore lack the right sort of causal powers to be considered colors. Hilbert's account of determinate color properties fails on the commonality criterion since he draws color distinctions between objects which we would suppose to be the same color. Hilbert's account of color categories, on the other hand, fails on the causality criterion because, like Cohen's functional color properties, they are not correlated with color experiences in the right way and therefore lack the right sort of causal powers we would expect colors to have. I conclude that a better philosophical account of color would be one which would take colors to be non-representational features of the visual field. It is then a simple matter to meet the commonality and causality criterion since color science (specifically the opponent process theory of Hurvich and Jameson) predicts that types of color experiences are directly correlated to types of neural events. This correlation between neural events and colors in the visual field can be appealed to to satisfy both the commonality and the causality criteria.
Advisors/Committee Members: Briscoe, Robert.
Subjects: Philosophy
Keywords: color; color theory; color realism; color irrealism; philosophy of color; David Hilbert; Jonathan Cohen
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11.
Kimbler, Steven L.
Plotinus and Aquinas on God.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2010, Ohio University
► This thesis attempts to show that Plotinus and St. Thomas Aquinas differ…
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▼ This thesis attempts to show that Plotinus and St. Thomas Aquinas differ in their conceptions of God. In particular, I focus upon their understandings of God’s simplicity and their “ontological” claims, i.e., how God relates to being. I claim that their disagreements about God occur because of a metaphysical disagreement on whether being constitutes a composition. Plotinus thinks it does, and assumes that unity is most fundamental, whereas Aquinas thinks it does not, and assumes that being is most fundamental. These different conceptions of being result in different conceptions of God, with Plotinus concluding that the One is beyond being and Aquinas concluding that God is being itself. Having explained the different conceptions of God advanced by Plotinus and Aquinas, I argue that Plotinus’ position is inferior to Aquinas due to unintelligibility and inconsistency of the One as the source of being and nrelated to being, while also attacking Plotinus’ analogies for it. I also argue that the One is implausible, acting as an empty concept for his beliefs.
Advisors/Committee Members: Carson, Donald.
Subjects: Philosophy
Keywords: Plotinus; Aquinas; simplicity; God
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12.
Kondik, Kevin W.
A Critical Review of Three Theories for Music’s Origin.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2010, Ohio University
► This thesis compares three theories which debate whether or not the trait…
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▼ This thesis compares three theories which debate whether or not the trait of music is constitutive of a biological adaptation. Steven Pinker advances a view that music cannot be an adaptation because making or responding to music utilizes faculties which evolved for other reasons. On the next view, Geoffrey Miller claims that music is a sexually selected trait which evolved primarily to seduce potential mates. Finally, Ian Cross argues that music can be seen as an extension of juvenile behaviors into adulthood and has efficacy in the consolidation of bonds within a group. I conclude that all three theories are insufficient as an explanation of why music evolved in the hominid lineage. The main reasons why these theories all fail is they all rely upon a speculative historical reconstructions and imprecise definitions of music. To conclude, I suggest that a modified version of Pinker’s non-adaptive hypothesis should be endorsed.
Advisors/Committee Members: Zucker, Arthur.
Subjects: Philosophy; Psychology
Keywords: Adaptation; Function; Selection; Sexual Selection; Music; Steven Pinker; Geoffrey Miller; Ian Cross; Language; Evolutionary Psychology
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13.
Lamb, Maurice J.
In Defense of Representational Explanations for Connectionist Systems.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2010, Ohio University
► In Representation Reconsidered, William Ramsey claims that the physical structures described in…
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▼ In Representation Reconsidered, William Ramsey claims that the physical structures described in representational terms by newer cognitive theories, e.g. connectionism and dynamic systems theory, aren't actually functioning as representations. As it turns out, connectionist systems should not be given representational explanations because representational theories applied to these systems do not meet Ramsey's job description challenge. In this paper I respond to his claims that teleological theories, such as those proposed by Fred Dretske and Ruth Millikan, do not provide adequate conceptual motivation for treating certain states as representations. I argue that Ramsey's analysis of representation in connectionist systems is incomplete and ultimately overlooks the strengths of Millikan's theory and its importance to this debate. These shortcomings stem from 1) Ramsey's reliance on a weak analogy between on Dretske and Millikan's theories and 2) his cursory rebuttal of Millikan's theory. I show this by revisiting Ramsey's objections to Dretske's theory as applied to connectionism and explaining how these objections are not applicable to Millikan's theory as applied to connectionism.
Advisors/Committee Members: Briscoe, Robert.
Subjects: Philosophy
Keywords: Millikan, Ruth; Ramsey, William; representation; connectionism; connectionist; NETtalk; explanation; cognitive science; rabbits; Dretske, Fred; mental representation
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14.
Lusk, Gregory S.
Models and Scientific Explanation .
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2009, Ohio University
► In recent years, there has been an increased focus on the use…
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▼ In recent years, there has been an increased focus on the use of models in science. However, little research has been conducted on the role of models in scientific explanation. Recently, an account of model explanation has been developed by Alisa Bokulich (forthcoming). In this thesis, I provide an overview of Bokulich&s account and show that it faces several problems. I attempt to expand the view so that many of these problems can be avoided. I conclude that the modified account can mark as explanatory models justified top-down from theory, but perhaps not models built bottom-up from empirical data.
Advisors/Committee Members: Parker, Wendy.
Subjects: Philosophy
Keywords: models; simulations; science; Bohr
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15.
Molter, Daniel J.
Species, Units of Evolution, and Secondary Substance.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2011, Ohio University
► Species are classes of organisms on the traditional view, but David Hull…
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▼ Species are classes of organisms on the traditional view, but David Hull argues that species as units of evolution are better understood as individuals composed of organisms as their parts. Phillip Kitcher counters that evolutionary species are better understood as sets. Following Elliot Sober, I argue that constituent definition prohibits a set-theoretic interpretation of species. Following John Dupré, I argue that species and units of evolution are ontologically distinct entities that require different names. “Species” is the proper name of the species category, a class containing many intensionally-defined classes of organisms. The units of evolution that Hull describes are spatiotemporally-individuated physical objects. Following the principle of priority in biological nomenclature, Hull's transgenerational biological individual cannot be called "Species", because that name has a prior valid use. I argue that Hull's species-as-individual has a prior valid name which can be found in Aristotle's Categories. Organisms are members of species, but they are parts of Secondary Substances.
Advisors/Committee Members: Zucker, Arthur.
Subjects: Biology; Metaphysics; Philosophy; Philosophy of Science
Keywords: species; secondary substance; species-as-individuals; David Hull; intensional definition; class
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16.
Moore, Brendan J.
Personhood, Democratic Debate, and Limitations on Corporate Speech Rights.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2012, Ohio University
► In Group Agency (2011), Christian List and Philip Pettit present a group…
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▼ In Group Agency (2011), Christian List and Philip Pettit present a group realist view of corporations, arguing that complex groups warrant certain rights and respect. They support that individuals hold a privileged place over groups and that groups deserve a lesser range of rights. I supplement their view and argue that groups should not have the same speech-rights as citizens participating in self-government. I favor a normative individualism that takes into account speakers' interests as well as listeners' interests, the character of political debate in a well-functioning democracy, and possible adverse consequences of corporate advocacy. I expound List and Pettit's position. Then, following Former Justice John Stevens' dissent in Citizens United, I point out dangers posed to the quality of debate by allowing unlimited corporate spending on candidate advocacy. I go on to idealize the best political discourse as one in which citizens' engagement in vitally important before addressing objections.
Advisors/Committee Members: Bernstein, Alyssa.
Subjects: Philosophy
Keywords: Citizens United; Corporate Law; Speech Rights; Personhood; Listener's Interest; Speaker's Interest; Debate
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17.
Row, Sean M.
Teleology in Political Contexts: An Assessment of Monte Ransome Johnson’s “Aristotle on Teleology”.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2009, Ohio University
► In Aristotle on Teleology, Monte Ransome Johnson provides his perspective on the…
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▼ In Aristotle on Teleology, Monte Ransome Johnson provides his perspective on the nature of teleological explanation throughout the works of Aristotle. While his treatment of the biological treatises is coherent, Johnson’s interpretation of teleological explanations in the Politics needs some clarification. His interpretation of Aristotle’s teleological explanation for acquisition, exchange, and currency would benefit from some clarification on the naturalness of the art of acquisition. In this thesis, I argue that an anthropological reading, one which recognizes Aristotle’s understanding of the importance and uniqueness of humanity, is needed in order to show how teleological explanations in the Politics can be consistent with teleology broadly construed. The anthropological interpretation also offers an alternative to the anthropocentric thesis of David Sedley. I conclude that the globally anthropocentric view is false due to the lack of textual evidence and the ability to account for the apparent anthropocentrism in a way that is compatible with Johnson’s views.
Advisors/Committee Members: Carson, Scott.
Subjects: Philosophy
Keywords: Aristotle; teleology; anthropocentrism; Monte Ransome Johnson; David Sedley; Politics; slavery; acquisition; exchange
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18.
Schwan, David T.
Wittgenstein's Method in §§109-133 of the Philosophical Investigations.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2009, Ohio University
► Wittgenstein directly addresses the nature of philosophy (and philosophical problems) both in…
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▼ Wittgenstein directly addresses the nature of philosophy (and philosophical problems) both in the Investigations and in much of his writing and conversation outside that text. I will argue for an interpretation of Wittgenstein's philosophical method in the Philosophical Investigations based on 1) his conversations and lectures during his years at Cambridge, 2) his views expressed in the Blue Book and 3) his views expressed in the Big Typescript. My goal is to 'take Wittgenstein at his word' and examine his comments on philosophy in many different contexts. Given the cohesive nature of Wittgenstein's views on philosophy in the 1930's, I will argue that §§109-133 in the Philosophical Investigations represents the coherent method that Wittgenstein employed throughout his 'later' years.
Advisors/Committee Members: Zucker, Arthur.
Subjects: Philosophy
Keywords: Wittgenstein; Philosophical Method; Philosophical Investigations; Blue Book Big Typescript
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19.
Stauffer, Andrew Ryan Douglas.
The Repugnant Conclusion: An Assessment and Critique of Utilitarianism as Applied to Future Populations.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2012, Ohio University
► The Repugnant Conclusion is a problem for utilitarianism put forward by Derek…
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▼ The Repugnant Conclusion is a problem for utilitarianism put forward by Derek Parfit that addresses population size and future persons. For any population made up of happy individuals, there is a much larger population made up of barely happy individuals. On total utilitarianism, the latter population is better than the former population, so long as the latter has greater total utility. In this thesis I examine and critique three responses to Parfit's problem and argue that average utilitarianism solves the problem. First, I examine Tännsjö's solution to the problem, which is to accept it. Second, I investigate Wolf's negative utilitarianism. Third, I consider and defend on behalf of the utilitarian Neumann's average utilitarian response. Last, I give non-utilitarian arguments for rejecting average utilitarianism, focusing on reproductive rights.
Advisors/Committee Members: Bernstein, Alyssa.
Subjects: Ethics; Philosophy
Keywords: Repugnant Conclusion; Average Utilitarianism; total utilitarianism; parfit; population ethics
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20.
Wright, David E.
MacIntyre, Virtue, and Liberalism: a Response to Schneewind.
Degree: MA, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences), 2008, Ohio University
► This thesis is a defense of Alasdair MacIntyre's virtue theory. In particular,…
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▼ This thesis is a defense of Alasdair MacIntyre's virtue theory. In particular, it is a defense against J.B. Schneewind's claim that MacIntyre's virtue theory is compatible with modern liberalism. In providing these criticisms, Schneewind attacks MacIntyre's virtue theory at each of its three stages and also questions the legitimacy of the communities that MacIntyre believes can best embody his theory. In defending MacIntyre against these charges, I argue that his theory can sufficiently respond to Schneewind's argument at each stage by drawing on resources within After Virtue, Whose Justice? Which Rationality?, Three Rival Versions of Moral Enquiry, as well as several other works by MacIntyre. Furthermore, I argue that Schneewind is unsuccessful in undermining the legitimacy of MacIntyre's communities.
Advisors/Committee Members: Petrik, James.
Subjects: Philosophy
Keywords: Schneewind; MacIntyre; Virtue Theory; Liberalism
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