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(1 - 7 of 7)
- Title
- An Analysis of Divine Command Metaethics.
- Creator
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Herbst, Zachary P., Department of Philosophy
- Abstract/Description
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Divine command metaethics comes in various forms. In this paper I examine three previously proposed relationships between morality and divine commands - Analysis, Causation, and Reduction - and determine that the Reduction view is most likely because it provides the best account of divine authority. I also seek to defend the view as a whole against some of the perennial objections against it, namely the arbitrariness objection, by arguing that God necessarily desires the well being of his...
Show moreDivine command metaethics comes in various forms. In this paper I examine three previously proposed relationships between morality and divine commands - Analysis, Causation, and Reduction - and determine that the Reduction view is most likely because it provides the best account of divine authority. I also seek to defend the view as a whole against some of the perennial objections against it, namely the arbitrariness objection, by arguing that God necessarily desires the well being of his creation.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_uhm-0583
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- The Ethics of Corruption.
- Creator
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Tarpeh, Jaryeneh Travis, Department of Philosophy
- Abstract/Description
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This thesis deals with corruption and moral blame. It examines the moral components that sufficiently establish moral blame, and suggests that given certain circumstances, moral actors can be without desert of moral blame for engaging in corruption. This thesis should be of significant interest; for it advances non-utilitarian moral reasons for excusing acts of corruption.
- Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_uhm-0557
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- A Fundamental Disagreement in the Contemporary Inseparatist-Separatist Debate.
- Creator
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Freire, Chris, Department of Philosophy
- Abstract/Description
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In contemporary philosophy of mind there has arisen a debate between Inseparatists and Separatists of mental states. Inseparatists argue that phenomenal mental states are inseparable from intentional mental states; while Separatists argue that phenomenal mental states are separable from intentional mental states. However, my goal in writing this piece is neither to support nor object to specific instantiations of Inseparatist or Separatist theses. Rather, I will analyze what is commonly...
Show moreIn contemporary philosophy of mind there has arisen a debate between Inseparatists and Separatists of mental states. Inseparatists argue that phenomenal mental states are inseparable from intentional mental states; while Separatists argue that phenomenal mental states are separable from intentional mental states. However, my goal in writing this piece is neither to support nor object to specific instantiations of Inseparatist or Separatist theses. Rather, I will analyze what is commonly considered to be the paradigm cases of both the Inseparatist and Separatist positions in order to uncover a fundamental source of disagreement. For the Inseparatist I will be analyzing Horgan & Tienson's The Intentionality of Phenomenology and the Phenomenology of Intentionality. For the Separatist, I will be analyzing Boyd Millar's Sensory Phenomenology and Intentional Content. I will begin by arguing that both the inseparatist and separatist conclusions rely on their thought experiments. Then, I will argue that these thought experiments are not sufficient to establish their respective conclusions because the separatist could use the inseparatist thought experiment to reach the separatist conclusion, and the inseparatist could use the separatist thought experiment to reach the inseparatist conclusion. I will then argue that the fundamental source of disagreement is a foundational commitment to Internalist Representationalism (for the Inseparatist) and Externalist Representationalism (for the Separatist), which cannot be resolved by simply referencing and acknowledging the Inseparatist-Separatist debate itself.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_uhm-0168
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Kierkegaard on Natural Theology.
- Creator
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Jordan, Darrell A., Department of Philosophy
- Abstract/Description
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In Philosophical Crumbs, Soren Kierkegaard formulates a number of arguments against natural theology. By 'natural theology' I mean the attempt to provide arguments using reason and experience, without making appeals to divine revelation, for the existence of God. In this paper I want to accomplish two things. First, I want to provide a clear summary of the arguments and objections raised by Kierkegaard in Crumbs against natural theology, as well as highlight some of their strengths and...
Show moreIn Philosophical Crumbs, Soren Kierkegaard formulates a number of arguments against natural theology. By 'natural theology' I mean the attempt to provide arguments using reason and experience, without making appeals to divine revelation, for the existence of God. In this paper I want to accomplish two things. First, I want to provide a clear summary of the arguments and objections raised by Kierkegaard in Crumbs against natural theology, as well as highlight some of their strengths and weaknesses. I argue that, while these arguments and objections are interesting in their own right, they are not entirely devastating to the procedure of natural theology. The natural theologian can continue to provide arguments for the existence of God just as long as she understands that faith should be the foundation of religious belief, rather than reason. Second, I want to understand why Kierkegaard is critical of natural theology. I accomplish this by looking carefully at his concept of the leap to faith, particularly in Crumbs.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_uhm-0559
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Nietzsche's Transgression: Philosopher as Criminal.
- Creator
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Hettig-Rolfe, Kasey, Department of Philosophy
- Abstract/Description
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This thesis investigates the figure of the criminal within Nietzsche's thought in order to generate a more profound understanding of Nietzsche's relationship with the philosophies that he critiques. In particular, there is a concern that Nietzsche cannot himself escape the crime which he accuses his philosophical predecessors of committing. This investigation was motivated by a suspicion of interpretations which attempt to stabilize Nietzsche's thought into pronouncing a clear moral...
Show moreThis thesis investigates the figure of the criminal within Nietzsche's thought in order to generate a more profound understanding of Nietzsche's relationship with the philosophies that he critiques. In particular, there is a concern that Nietzsche cannot himself escape the crime which he accuses his philosophical predecessors of committing. This investigation was motivated by a suspicion of interpretations which attempt to stabilize Nietzsche's thought into pronouncing a clear moral imperative or which attempt to situate him in a strict and violent opposition with the entire history of philosophy. By conducting an investigation on Nietzsche's portrait of the philosopher as the "criminal of criminals," I generate an account of how Nietzsche's critical philosophy simultaneously does and does not commit the crime which he has levied against his opponents. This paradoxical crime which reverberates through Nietzsche's body of work reveals what I have termed a "daemonic" conception of truth and value being communicated between the lines of Nietzsche's texts.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_uhm-0189
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- An Ontological Argument and an Inquiry into the Possibility of God.
- Creator
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Bernstein, Czar, Department of Philosophy
- Abstract/Description
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In this paper I shall defend an ontological argument (OA) from the concept of perfection whose only two dubitable premises are (i) that God's existence is metaphysically possible, and (ii) it is necessarily the case that contingent beings are not perfect. Since I take (i) to be the most important premise in any OA, and since current defenses of this premise tend to be rather underwhelming, I devote a considerable amount of ink to its defense. In defense of (i) I demonstrate that all...
Show moreIn this paper I shall defend an ontological argument (OA) from the concept of perfection whose only two dubitable premises are (i) that God's existence is metaphysically possible, and (ii) it is necessarily the case that contingent beings are not perfect. Since I take (i) to be the most important premise in any OA, and since current defenses of this premise tend to be rather underwhelming, I devote a considerable amount of ink to its defense. In defense of (i) I demonstrate that all perfections are compatible and that this, in conjunction with the necessary and sufficient conditions of possibility, provides us with good reason to think that it is true. Finally, I amend a premise in another contemporary OA so that it is true and then argue that it entails the truth of (i). I take (ii) to be much more obvious than (i). Nevertheless, I do provide arguments for (ii) from the existence of abstract objects and from the nature of perfections. I then examine some common objections to OAs, such as parody objections, and conclude that they need not bother proponents of the OA. The conclusion is that there are good reasons to suppose that all of the premises in the OA are true such that theists have good reason to suppose that God exists. I do not argue that these arguments rationally compel atheists to believe in the existence of God. This is a problem I leave to the reader to ponder.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_uhm-0213
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Sociopolitical Implications of Pornography in American Society.
- Creator
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Torres-Novoa, Alejandro V., Department of Philosophy
- Abstract/Description
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This paper engages in a critical analysis of pornography as it relates to the sociopolitical conditions of women in the United States. Within feminism, anti-pornography discourses have been led by theorists such as Catharine MacKinnon and Andrea Dworkin, each of whom examines the harms of pornography on the lives of women. In this paper, I propose a critique that challenges the free practice of pornography. By pornography, I mean the mass market of sexually explicit material that reinforces...
Show moreThis paper engages in a critical analysis of pornography as it relates to the sociopolitical conditions of women in the United States. Within feminism, anti-pornography discourses have been led by theorists such as Catharine MacKinnon and Andrea Dworkin, each of whom examines the harms of pornography on the lives of women. In this paper, I propose a critique that challenges the free practice of pornography. By pornography, I mean the mass market of sexually explicit material that reinforces gender inequality. I argue that pornography is political in its very structure. Also, I provide evidence supporting my argument on how the harms of pornography affect the economic, political, and social opportunities of women in American society.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_uhm-0445
- Format
- Thesis
