Metaphysical Research Articles

Demarcating Contextualism and Contrastivism

AbstractIn this paper I argue that there is a significant but often overlooked metaphysical distinction to be made between contextualism and contrastivism. The orthodox view is that contrastivism is merely a form of contextualism. This is a mistake. The contextualist view is incompatible with certain naturalist claims about the metaphysical nature of concepts within whichever domain is being investigated, while the contrastivist view is compatible with these claims. So, choosing one view over the other will involve choosing to affirm or deny a significant metaphysical claim. As such, a demarcation ought to be put in place between contextualism and contrastivism.

The Logic and Grammatical Metaphysics of Plato and Aristotle

The Logic and Grammatical Metaphysics of Plato and Aristotle

Semantic Supervenience

ABSTRACT It is common belief that semantic properties supervene on non-semantic properties: no two possible worlds can be non-semantic duplicates and fail to be semantic duplicates. The view enjoys somewhat of an orthodoxy status in contemporary philosophy of language and metaphysics, and is often assumed without argument. Yet, work by Stephen Kearns and Ofra Magidor has claimed that it is vulnerable to a variant of the classical arguments against the supervenience of the phenomenal on the physical. This paper does three things: it clarifies what semantic supervenience is about, it responds to the objections that have been leveled against it, and provides a new battery of arguments in its favor. I argue that the thesis of semantic supervenience is safe from classical anti-supervenience arguments, and show that its rejection generates unwelcome consequences. I conclude that there are substantial reasons to embrace the received wisdom: semantic properties supervene.

Ibn Kammūna’s Understanding of the Body

Ibn Kammūna (d. 1284) is one of the prominent names to have presented the new structuring that emerged after the classical period studies of Islamic philosophy following the 12th century. This article deals with his theory of the body, previously undiscussed in the academic community. The subject has been handled in connection with the philosophy of nature and metaphysics concerning questions such as how the body exists as a possible essence and how the principles guiding this process are reflected in the field of nature, as well as what the body is and what its constituent elements, types, qualities, and additions are. Thus, Ibn Kammūna has been determined to consider the first body to be the first sphere, the later bodies to occur in the process of emanation, and the cause of the body to be the intellect. In addition, he established the body consisting of matter and form to be continuous, to point to itself, and to be an infinitely divisible substance. However, he is observed to have not evaluated matter and form, which are constituent elements of the body, under the category of substance. Moreover, this article also reviews Ibn Kammūna’s approach to the main claims of the Peripatetic and Illuminationist traditions about the body contained in his original works and commentaries. Through the proofs and reasoning made in the details of these claims, Ibn Kammūna is understood to have thought mostly in line with Ibn Sīnā about the definition and essence of the body. He occasionally agreed with Suhrawardī about the properties and additions of the body. This study investigates how Ibn Kammūna shaped Ibn Sīnā’s theory of the body, upon which Suhrawardī had expanded, and whether its content is original in this context. Thus, I aim to contribute to the field by following the processes of change, expansion, and transfer of philosophical accumulation in Islamic thought after these two philosophers who had founded of the Peripatetic and Illuminationist schools.

The Metaphysics of Quantities

The Metaphysics of Quantities

Vainava Philosophy in Alwar’s Bhathi pasuram

In Alwars Bhathi norms, way, Rituals Vainavam has numerous metaphysical Religious Philosophy. ‘Nalayira Thirya prabhatham’ collection Songs contents explained Vainava philosophy, Vainava religious principles, Lord Perumal Worship etc, In this articles Vainava philosophy in Alwars Bhathi pasuram narrated the vainava philoshy with special reference of “Nalayira Thivya prabhantham.”

The Metaphysics of Intersectionality Revisited*

The Metaphysics of Intersectionality Revisited*

Motivating Emotions: Emotionism and the Internalist Connection

I outline a theory of moral motivation which is compatible with the metaphysical claims of strong emotionism—a sentimentalist account of morality first outlined by Jesse Prinz (The emotional construction of morals, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2007) and supported by myself (Bartlett in Axiomathes, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10516-020-09524-5 ) which construes moral concepts and properties as a subset of emotion-dispositional properties. Given these claims, it follows that sincere moral judgements are necessarily motivating in virtue of their emotional constitution. I defend an indefeasible version of judgement motivational internalism which takes into consideration both positively and negatively valenced affective states and how they promote both approach and avoidance motivation, respectively. On this view, in making sincere moral judgements agents are antecedently motivated by standing Desires to avoid or approach the stimuli picked out by their judgements. I also defend internalism against the objections from defeating circumstances and amoralists. As regards the former, I claim that the tendency of philosophers to frame the motivation debate in terms of positive moral judgements makes the argument from defeating circumstances appear more plausible than it is; as regards the latter, I claim the amoralist argument only has force if it is empirically well supported and that psychological data has hitherto been unconvincing.

Religion at Work in Bioethics and Biopolicy: Christian Bioethicists, Secular Language, Suspicious Orthodoxy.

The proper role, if any, for religion-based arguments is a live and sometimes heated issue within the field of bioethics. The issue attracts heat primarily because bioethical analyses influence the outcomes of controversial court cases and help shape legislation in sensitive biopolicy areas. A problem for religious bioethicists who seek to influence biopolicy is that there is now widespread academic and public acceptance, at least within liberal democracies, that the state should not base its policies on any particular religion's metaphysical claims or esoteric moral system. In response, bioethicists motivated by religious concerns have adopted two identifiable strategies. Sometimes they rely on slippery-slope arguments that, sometimes at least, have empirically testable premises. A more questionable response is the manipulation and misuse of secular-sounding moral language, such as references to "human dignity," and the plights of groups of people labeled "vulnerable."

Unresolvable Disagreements in Carnap’s Metametaphysics

AbstractCarnap’s 1931 attack against metaphysics notoriously utilises Heidegger’s work to exemplify the meaninglessness of metaphysical pseudo‐statements. This paper interprets Carnap’s metametaphysics as concerned with delimiting theoretical dialogue in such a manner as to exclude unresolvable disagreements. It puts forth a revised version of Carnap’s argument against the viability of metaphysics, by setting aside his stronger claims that rely on verificationism and focusing instead on his account of metaphysical claims as mere expressions of what he calls “Lebensgefühl,” or a general attitude towards life. Such attitudes, Carnap argues, are unsuitable objects of theoretical dialogue, insofar as disagreements that concern them are unresolvable. Carnap thus recommends abandoning the attempt to resolve metaphysical disagreements as if they were theoretical. As long as it does not enter into unresolvable disagreements, art, rather than theory, is the appropriate medium for expressing Lebensgefühl.

Mixtures and Mass Terms

In this article, I show that the semantics one adopts for mass terms constrains the metaphysical claims one can make about mixtures. I first expose why mixtures challenge a singularist approach based on mereological sums. After discussing an alternative, non-singularist approach, I take chemistry into account and explain how it changes our perspective on these issues.

The Metaphysics of Representation

The Metaphysics of Representation

CRITIQUE OF KENYA EDUCATION SYSTEM TOWARDS ACHIEVING TRAINEE SELF-RELIANCE: AN EXISTENTIALIST PERSPECTIVE

Education and training has been a tool for economic, social and political development of any state towards realizing the common good for all. Ancient Greece philosophers identified the human person as a critical player in state development agenda and therefore the goal on human empowerment is key and central in the process of attaining the “good” life in a state. Thus, according to Aristotle, the state has to take full control of the education of the young towards becoming responsible citizens. The study interrogated the goals of education, critically examined the concept self-reliance, analyzed the epistemological, metaphysical and axiological tenets of existentialism and synthesized the implications of existentialism in education and training Kenya for self-reliance. The study found out that the empowerment process is dual in nature, individual student and state development. The individual development has been emphasizing skill development at the expense of economic and values. It is therefore necessary to embrace multidimensional orientations in reforming education and financing education and training that do not enslave the trainees after graduation. Article visualizations:

Newton the Alchemist: Science, Enigma, and the Quest for Nature's "Secret Fire"

Newton the Alchemist: Science, Enigma, and the Quest for Nature's "Secret Fire"

Rationality of the Digital Interactivity: Focusing on the Analysis of the Metaphysical Structure

Rationality of the Digital Interactivity: Focusing on the Analysis of the Metaphysical Structure

Un lenguaje que no dice nada (y que no se calla jamás). La influencia de Nietzsche en la teoría literaria de Michel Foucault

Para mostrar las principales influencias del pensamiento de Nietzsche sobre la teoría literaria de Michel Foucault, este artículo revisa las siguientes cuatro inversiones: en primer lugar, la del modelo comunicativo de Lasswell; segundo, la del platonismo; tercero, la del hegelianismo; cuarto y último, la de schopenhauerianismo, (esta última, tanto en lo que respecta a la metafísica como a la estética). Nos ha parecido que, por contraste con estos referentes, no solo la influencia de Nietzsche sobre Foucault, sino también la posición de este último en relación al fenómeno literario, se clarifican notablemente.

J. Mcdowell and Accusation of Idealism - critique about metaphysical implication and world-view in Mind and Wolrd - Lee

J. Mcdowell and Accusation of Idealism - critique about metaphysical implication and world-view in Mind and Wolrd - Lee

IMPLICATIONS OF ARISTOTLE’S THEORY OF EDUCATION TO TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN KENYA

Since ancient civilizations, education and training has been regarded as the tool for individual and societal development. All developing nation thus have embraced education and training as part of state agenda in realizing better citizenry and societal growth. In Kenya various efforts in reforming Technical education and training in order to reorient training to the countries developmental agenda and empowering the youth for employability have been undertaken from time to time in order to review the relevance of education and training in Kenya. This paper attempts to analyze Aristotle’s metaphysical, ethical and epistemological principles with the view to render salient ideas that contribute to the formulation of worthwhile theories of education in the context of Kenya’s 21st century realities. In addition, Aristotle’s views “experiential learning” and “lifelong learning” are analyzed. Consequently, it is evident that contemporary education in Kenya is inadequate in several ways. It is therefore recommended that education in Kenya should embrace a multidimensional orientation that ensures the physical development, mental development and moral development for realization of individual empowerment. Article visualizations:

Theopoetics from Below: A South African Black Christological Encounter with Radical Theology

ABSTRACT Given the evidence of Black suffering more than two and half decades after apartheid, this paper proceeds on the premise that theology cannot continue as business per usual. It attempts to stage a critical and creative encounter between the radical theology of the philosopher, John D. Caputo and the liberation Christology of the South African theologian, Takatso Mofokeng. It demonstrates both the commonalities and limits of their respective accounts and suggests that radical theology and liberation Christology supplement each other in critically-constructive ways. Liberation Christology’s criticism of power, institution, and Western modes of theological discourse, which it shares with radical theology, supplements the latter’s somewhat abstract account of “the event” with the particularity of Black experience. Radical theology, on the other hand, offers Black Christology a way to be critical of its own metaphysical claims, as well as its tendency to mimic the oppressor in its categories of positive identification.

For the Love of Metaphysics: Nihilism and the Conflict of Reason from Kant to Rosenzweig by Karin Nisenbaum

For the Love of Metaphysics: Nihilism and the Conflict of Reason from Kant to Rosenzweig by Karin Nisenbaum