Presentism is the view that all of reality is exhausted by the present. That is, the only objects and individuals that exist are those that exist in the present; anything else literally does not exist. How then is a presentist able to ground the truths of propositions uttered in the present which seem to be about wholly past individuals? I examine three possible solutions proposed by the presentist, concluding all three suffer from the shifting truth-maker objection. I then look at (...) how a presentist might employ a descriptive theory for the meaning of names to avoid apparently committing themselves to the existence of non-present individuals. This is then contrasted by the direct reference theory of names as argued for by Kripke, before concluding the descriptive view is unacceptable as a theory of meaning. After considering the proposed solutions presented by the presentist, I argue that Presentism should be avoided due to its counterintuitive consequences in favor of Eternalism. (shrink)

This body of work, like the world, is the result of an additive process with infinite possibilities. It is a continuous effort to translate abstract ideas into visual images, thus opening an environment of conceptual landscapes beyond the tangible world. The work primarily relates to string theory, Daoist philosophy, and forms found in the natural world. The spiritual half, Daoist philosophy, believes that all beings influence each other, creating an ever-changing balance. String theory, the scientific half, proposes that all matter (...) is composed of the same material: immeasurable vibrating strings. In order to express these ideas, the oil the paintings are built from abstract line, form, and color referencing aspects of nature, movements, as well as the interconnectivity of all things and events. Together these core ideas allow the process and the work to be both spiritual and scientific in nature. (shrink)

Children’s emotion knowledge (EK) influences their current and long-term social functioning. Emotion schemas are theorized to incorporate basic EK and cognitions. The present study of 64 3-to 5-year-old Head Start children explored the relation between two preschool emotion factors (sad bias and caregiver depression) and a cognitive factor (Theory of Mind; TOM) on children’s development of emotion schemas in kindergarten. The results partially supported our hypotheses. TOM moderated the relation between preschool maladaptive EK and emotion schema development. Higher levels of (...) TOM understanding in preschool buffered the negative effects of maladaptive EK on kindergarten emotion schemas. Hence, both EK and TOM interventions may prevent at-risk Head Start children from developing maladaptive emotion schemas. (shrink)