Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2015, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences)

Contemporary cosmology is teeming with model underdetermination and cosmologists are looking for methods with which to relieve some of this underdetermination. One such method that has found its way into cosmology in recent years is the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). The criterion is meant to select the model that loses the least amount of information in its approximation of the data, and furthermore AIC shows a preference for simplicity by containing a penalty term that penalizes models with excessive complexity. The principle aim of this paper is to investigate some of the strengths and weaknesses of AIC against two philosophical backdrops in order to determine its usefulness in cosmological model selection. The backdrops or positions against which AIC will be assessed are I) realist and II) antirealist. It will be argued that on both of these positions there is at least one feature of AIC that proves problematic for the satisfaction of the aims of the position.

Committee: Philip Ehrlich (Advisor); John Norton (Committee Member); Yoichi Ishida (Committee Member) Subjects: Philosophy; Philosophy of Science

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2010, Arts and Sciences : Classics

In this dissertation, I analyze how Empedocles uses language to present himself and his intent. Although Empedocles' contemporaries and more modern readers present him as a scientist or magician, he portrays himself as a god and claims that he will teach others to become a god like him in order to manipulate the universe. In Chapter One, I examine the concept of science from an Aristotelian bias and from the standpoint of modern expectations of science to show that, despite verses that describe how the world works, Empedocles does not follow the patterns of active conversation with other thinkers that are available. His stated intent (fragment 111) is to teach others how to control the universe - cure disease and old age, affect the weather, and raise the dead - rather than learn about it theoretically. In Chapter Two, I will show that although the claims that he makes link him to magicians, he does not present himself as one. Magicians act as intermediaries between men and the gods (at least in the time contemporary with Empedocles); the gods do as the magicians ask them because the magicians have built up a successful relationship through sacrifices and incantations. Empedocles, on the other hand, accomplishes these feats on his own as a god. Chapter Three sets out what sort of god Empedocles is: he is a mortal, long-lived god in contrast with the immortal gods - Love, Strife, and the four roots (fire, water, air, and earth). Anyone can become a god, as I illustrate, as long as one is pure enough and wise enough. Chapter Four returns to Empedocles' use of language to express his intent. Since controlling the world can be a dangerous lesson, Empedocles uses ambiguity and the model of initiation into a mystery intentionally to conceal the lessons from hoi polloi. The audience must decode Empedocles' message before they can make further observations of the world on their way to meeting their goal. Following the model for initiation, the readers will come to the ultim (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Holt Parker PhD (Committee Chair); William Johnson PhD (Committee Member); Susan Prince PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Classical Studies

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2008, Leadership and Change

This theoretical dissertation documents a personal transforming leadership experience; during which, I explored my Leadership as Energy-Flow model by having a virtual dialogue with the polymathic works of theorists and thinkers to corroborate and refine it. The model consists of a theory and a conceptual scheme. The energy-flow theory, based on the laws of physics and Chinese philosophy and cosmological science, fashions the energy-flow conceptual scheme. Using the conceptual scheme, I delve into the Premise of the Dialogue, “In what ways and to what extent would using the energy-flow frame of reference describe and stimulate new meanings in Transforming Leadership: A New Pursuit of Happiness?” I venture forth in this exploration, sparked by Bertrand Russell's (1938) and James MacGregor Burns' (1979) on leadership power, to discover how one might use energy-flow abstractions to represent leadership phenomena. Energy-flow abstractions are images of events captured in thought, within which one unfolds and enfolds new meanings and deepens understanding of transforming leadership. The dialogue with six different traditions includes the works of: Alfred North Whitehead on philosophy and science, Ilya Prigogine on physics, Abraham H. Maslow on human potentials, need hierarchy, and management, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on psychological energy-flow, Richard Gerber on physiological energy-flow and vibrational medicine, and Ralph H.G. Siu on quantum and the Tao of science of leadership. The dialogue then continues into the work of Burns (2003). Many of my epiphanies, using the energy-flow conceptual scheme to fathom transforming leadership theory, induce some propitious ideas for further exploration in viewing leadership as energy-flow and using energy-flow as a basis for deciphering human affairs. The electronic version of this dissertation is available at the Ohiolink ETD Center : http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/.

Committee: Peter Vaill DBA (Committee Chair); Alan Guskin PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Laurien Alexandre PhD (Committee Member); Ruth Axelrod PhD (Other) Subjects: Energy; Philosophy; Physics; Physiological Psychology; Psychology