Für die Sinnesdatenphilosophie sind zwei Behauptungen zentral: (1) Der sinnliche Gehalt des sinnlich-perzeptiven Bewußtseins ist gegenständlich oder objektual aufzufassen, d.h. es gibt Sinnesdaten oder phänomenale Gegenstände mit phänomenalen Beschaffenheiten; (2) Das sinnlich-perzeptive Bewußtsein ist nach dem Modell: Subjekt — zweistelliges Prädikat — Objekt zu analysieren, d.h. Sinnesdaten sind uns als Objekte unseres sinnlich-perzeptiven Bewußtseins unmittelbar gegeben. Die Annahmen (l)und (2) führen in philosophische Aporien. Es ist jedoch möglich, den sinnlichen Gehalt des sinnlich-perzeptiven Bewußtseins nicht-gegenständlich aufzufassen und nach einem Modell zu (...) analysieren, welches eine solche Vergegenständlichung und die damit verbundenen Probleme vermeidet. Die sich gegen ein solches nicht-objektuales oder adverbiales Analysemodell erhebenden phänomenologischen und semantischen Einwände lassen sich entkräften. (shrink)

Für die Sinnesdatenphilosophie sind zwei Behauptungen zentral: (1) Der sinnliche Gehalt des sinnlich-perzeptiven Bewußtseins ist gegenständlich oder objektual aufzufassen, d.h. es gibt Sinnesdaten oder phänomenale Gegenstände mit phänomenalen Beschaffenheiten; (2) Das sinnlich-perzeptive Bewußtsein ist nach dem Modell: Subjekt — zweistelliges Prädikat — Objekt zu analysieren, d.h. Sinnesdaten sind uns als Objekte unseres sinnlich-perzeptiven Bewußtseins unmittelbar gegeben. Die Annahmen (l)und (2) führen in philosophische Aporien. Es ist jedoch möglich, den sinnlichen Gehalt des sinnlich-perzeptiven Bewußtseins nicht-gegenständlich aufzufassen und nach einem Modell zu (...) analysieren, welches eine solche Vergegenständlichung und die damit verbundenen Probleme vermeidet. Die sich gegen ein solches nicht-objektuales oder adverbiales Analysemodell erhebenden phänomenologischen und semantischen Einwände lassen sich entkräften. (shrink)

This book presents a range of essays on the conceptual foundations of physicalism, mental causation and human agency, written by established and leading authors ...

"Using hundreds of examples from newsrooms large and small, author Ron F. Smith challenges readers to determine how they would face moral dilemmas on the job. Chapters evaluate the search for principles, accountability, truth and objectivity, errors and corrections, diversity, "faking" the news, reporters and their sources, privacy, the government watch, deception, compassion, the business of news, journalists and their communities, and financial concerns. New to this edition: a chapter on improving coverage of minorities, expanded discussion of broadcast journalism and (...) reporting on the Internet, and stories from recent front pages and TV news programs."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved. (shrink)

In 'Een handvol filosofen' staan de filosofen centraal die sinds de oprichting van de Vrije Universiteit in 1880 aan deze instelling verbonden zijn geweest. Het gaat hierbij niet alleen om de inhoud van hun werk, maar ook om de personen zelf. Er waren filosofiedocenten die zich met de universiteit identificeerden en zich volledig konden ontplooien. Er waren er echter ook voor wie dit niet gold, die geïsoleerd of in gewetensnood raakten. Veel filosofiestudenten waren actief betrokken bij wat er in hun (...) faculteit gebeurde. Zij namen initiatieven, protesteerden soms tegen de gang van zaken en kozen partij in conflictsituaties. Sinds het eind van de jaren zestig van de twintigste eeuw verloor de Vrije Universiteit geleidelijk haar christelijk karakter. Tegenwoordig werken alle stafleden vanuit hun eigen motivatie mee aan een hoofdzakelijk seculier geworden universiteit, die ruimte biedt voor religieuze en levensbeschouwelijke diversiteit. (shrink)

Introduction: Platonic dramatology -- The political and philosophical problems. Using pre-Socratic philosophy to support political reform: the Athenian stranger ; Plato's Parmenides: Parmenides' critique of Socrates and Plato's critique of Parmenides ; Becoming Socrates ; Socrates interrogates his contemporaries about the noble and good -- Paradigms of philosophy. Socrates' positive teaching ; Timaeus-Critias: completing or challenging Socratic political philosophy? ; Socratic practice -- The trial and death of Socrates. The limits of human intelligence ; The Eleatic challenge ; The trial (...) and death of Socrates -- Conclusion: Why Plato made Socrates his hero. (shrink)

Many people are worried about the harmful effects of climate change but nevertheless enjoy some activities that contribute to the emission of greenhouse gas (driving, flying, eating meat, etc.), the main cause of climate change. How should such people make choices between engaging in and refraining from enjoyable greenhouse-gas-emitting activities? In this chapter, we look at the answer provided by decision theory. Some scholars think that the right answer is given by interactive decision theory, or game theory; and moreover think (...) that since private climate decisions are instances of the prisoner’s dilemma, one rationally should engage in these activities provided that one enjoys them. Others think that the right answer is given by expected utility theory, the best-known version of individual decision theory under risk and uncertainty. In this chapter, we review these different answers, with a special focus on the latter answer and the debate it has generated. (shrink)

In this philosophically sophisticated and historically significant work, John H. Zammito reconstructs Kant's composition of The Critique of Judgment and reveals that it underwent three major transformations before publication. He shows that Kant not only made his "cognitive" turn, expanding the project from a "Critique of Taste" to a Critique of Judgment but he also made an "ethical" turn. This "ethical" turn was provoked by controversies in German philosophical and religious culture, in particular the writings of Johann Herder and the (...) Sturm und Drang movement in art and science, as well as the related pantheism controversy. Such topicality made the Third Critique pivotal in creating a "Kantian" movement in the 1790s, leading directly to German Idealism and Romanticism. The austerity and grandeur of Kant's philosophical writings sometimes make it hard to recognize them as the products of a historical individual situated in the particular constellation of his time and society. Here Kant emerges as a concrete historical figure struggling to preserve the achievements of cosmopolitan Aufkl-rung against challenges in natural science, religion, and politics in the late 1780s. More specifically Zammito suggests that Kant's Third Critique was animated throughout by a fierce personal rivalry with Herder and by a strong commitment to traditional Christian ideas of God and human moral freedom. "A work of extraordinary erudition. Zammito's study is both comprehensive and novel, connecting Kant's work with the aesthetic and religious controversies of the late eighteenth century. He seems to have read everything. I know of no comparable historical study of Kant's Third Critique."-Arnulf Zweig, translator and editor of Kant's ;IPhilosophical Correspondence, 1759-1799;X "An intricate, subtle, and exciting explanation of how Kant's thinking developed and adjusted to new challenges over the decade from the first edition of the Critique of Pure Reason to the appearance of the Critique of Judgment. "--John W. Burbidge, Review of Metaphysics "There has been for a long time a serious gap in English commentary on Kant's Critique of Judgment Zammito's book finally fills it. All students and scholars of Kant will want to consult it."--Frederick Beiser, Times Literary Supplement. (shrink)

Background: The factors influencing parents’ willingness to enroll their children in biobanks are poorly understood. This study sought to assess parents’ willingness to enroll their children, and their perceived benefits, concerns, and information needs under different consent and data-sharing scenarios, and to identify factors associated with willingness. Methods: This large, experimental survey of patients at the 11 eMERGE Network sites used a disproportionate stratified sampling scheme to enrich the sample with historically underrepresented groups. Participants were randomized to receive one of (...) three consent and data-sharing scenarios. Results: In total, 90,000 surveys were mailed and 13,000 individuals responded (15.8% response rate). 5737 respondents were parents of minor children. Overall, 55% (95% confidence interval 50–59%) of parents were willing to enroll their youngest minor child in a hypothetical biobank; willingness did not differ between consent and data-sharing scenarios. Lower educational attainment, higher religiosity, lower trust, worries about privacy, and attitudes about benefits, concerns, and information needs were independently associated with less willingness to allow their child to participate. Of parents who were willing to participate themselves, 25% were not willing to allow their child to participate. Being willing to participate but not willing to allow one’s child to participate was independently associated with multiple factors, including race, lower educational attainment, lower annual household income, public health care insurance, and higher religiosity. Conclusions: Fifty-five percent of parents were willing to allow their youngest minor child to participate in a hypothetical biobank. Building trust, protecting privacy, and addressing attitudes may increase enrollment and diversity in pediatric biobanks. (shrink)

Epiphenomenalism (with respect to the intentional) may be construed as the claim that intentional events as such are causally inert. If property-dualism is true, that is if intentional properties aren't identical with or reducible to physical properties, then epiphenomenalism is inevitable. Some philosophers (most notably Fodor) have argued that their irreducibility notwithstanding intentional properties are causally responsible properties (or at least supervenient upon causally responsible properties). The arguments supporting these promising allegations aren't convincing. Given the tmth of property-dualism, there is (...) no (Fodorian or any other) escape-route from epiphenomenalism. (shrink)

Epiphenomenalism (with respect to the intentional) may be construed as the claim that intentional events as such are causally inert. If property-dualism is true, that is if intentional properties aren't identical with or reducible to physical properties, then epiphenomenalism is inevitable. Some philosophers (most notably Fodor) have argued that their irreducibility notwithstanding intentional properties are causally responsible properties (or at least supervenient upon causally responsible properties). The arguments supporting these promising allegations aren't convincing. Given the tmth of property-dualism, there is (...) no (Fodorian or any other) escape-route from epiphenomenalism. (shrink)

Die Struktur des unmittelbaren epistemischen Selbstbewußtseins läßt sich am besten unter Zugrundelegung und Entfaltung folgen der Annahmen explizieren: (i) Es gibt mentale Substanzen, (ii) Es gibt Wahrheitswerttransparente Cogitopropositionen oder CogitoSachverhalte, (iii) Jedes Ich kann seine und nur seine es betreffenden Cogitopropositionen fassen, womit es ipso facto ein unmittelbares Wissen um sich selbst hat. Dieses unmittelbare selbstreflexive Wissen kann in assertorischen Sätzen seinen Ausdruck finden, (iv) Die andere Iche betreffenden Cogitopropositionen können diesen Ichen nur mit Hilfe quasiindikatorischer Mittel zugeschrieben werden. Jedes (...) Ich kann wenigstens eine Entität per se individuieren, nämlich sich selbst. Per se Individuation anderer Iche ist nur dann möglich, wenn jedem Ich nicht nur Cogitopropositionen, sondern auch es und nur es betreffende Propositionen zugeordnet werden, die von ihm selbst, aber auch von anderen gefaßt bzw. gewußt werden können. (shrink)

Die Struktur des unmittelbaren epistemischen Selbstbewußtseins läßt sich am besten unter Zugrundelegung und Entfaltung folgen der Annahmen explizieren: (i) Es gibt mentale Substanzen, (ii) Es gibt Wahrheitswerttransparente Cogitopropositionen oder CogitoSachverhalte, (iii) Jedes Ich kann seine und nur seine es betreffenden Cogitopropositionen fassen, womit es ipso facto ein unmittelbares Wissen um sich selbst hat. Dieses unmittelbare selbstreflexive Wissen kann in assertorischen Sätzen seinen Ausdruck finden, (iv) Die andere Iche betreffenden Cogitopropositionen können diesen Ichen nur mit Hilfe quasiindikatorischer Mittel zugeschrieben werden. Jedes (...) Ich kann wenigstens eine Entität per se individuieren, nämlich sich selbst. Per se Individuation anderer Iche ist nur dann möglich, wenn jedem Ich nicht nur Cogitopropositionen, sondern auch es und nur es betreffende Propositionen zugeordnet werden, die von ihm selbst, aber auch von anderen gefaßt bzw. gewußt werden können. (shrink)

This article presents a response to Richard Rorty's paper "Is Philosophy Relevant to Business Ethics?" The author questions Rorty's views on the depreciation of the role of philosophy in applied ethics, and outlines four reasons why philosophy retains its relevance. The author addresses the role of moral reasoning in the development of the moral imagination. The author also concludes that humans have the means necessary to make moral progress and are capable of moral reasoning, and need only to develop a (...) strong moral imagination. (shrink)