I am an emeritus professor of philosophy, specializing in ethics at the frontiers of science and particularly interested in articulating the middle ground in controversial ethical issues. I have an ethical theory book in its fifth edition and a moral problems book forthcoming in its fifth edition.
This is a contribution to The Monist issue on Philosophy and Style, and in this piece I argue aga... more This is a contribution to The Monist issue on Philosophy and Style, and in this piece I argue against the received view that philosophical style is, at best, irrelevant and, at worst, a detriment to philosophical work. I explore ways in which the stylistic dimensions of philosophical works are not reducible to their cognitive content. The works of Kierkegaard, Wittgenstein, and Heidegger are discussed.
This paper explores the contradictions that result from B. F. Skinner's radical determinism. The... more This paper explores the contradictions that result from B. F. Skinner's radical determinism. The basic argument of the argument is that such determinism is not only unable to justify itself, but unable to provide an epistemic foundation for scientific truth.
An analysis of the notion of education as a commodity and its implications for the ways in which ... more An analysis of the notion of education as a commodity and its implications for the ways in which we can philosophize in the classroom.
Computers & Society. ACM special interest group on computers and society (SIGCAS), Mar 2002
Afcer analyzing five values (honesty; fairness; trust; respect;
and responsibility) that are con... more Afcer analyzing five values (honesty; fairness; trust; respect;
and responsibility) that are constitutive of academic
integrity, this paper considers moral challenges to academic
integrity char are posed by the World Wide Web
in three areas: student integrity, faculty integrity, and
institutional integrity.
in the 1844 manuscripts and the notes on Mill's Elements of Political Economy, Marx provides the ... more in the 1844 manuscripts and the notes on Mill's Elements of Political Economy, Marx provides the basis for both a theory of the alienated character of play and leisure in capitalist society and an indication of the characteristics of unalienated play and leisure. In the first section of this paper, I construct Marx's implicit theory of alienated play and leisure in capitalist society, expanding on certain aspects of the problem which have become especially important in contemporary American society and briefly sketching the relationship between alienated work and alienated leisure activity (play). The second section contains a development of Marx's notion of unalienated leisure and play, also based primarily on his early writings, in which the unity of work and play in unalienated praxis will be emphasized. It will be shown that Marx's position involves an overcoming of the dichotomy between work and play found in capitalist society and a rethinking of the traditional categories in terms of which work and play as forms of human activity are understood. This discussion leads to the question of whether there is any meaningful distinction between work and play in their unalienated forms. In the third section, I consider some possible reasons for rejecting the view of the identity of unalienated work and play, including some which Marx himself seems to have had in mind when writing Das Kapital. It will be shown that these objections can be successfully met when one takes into consideration the dialectical notion of human needs present in Marx's early writings.
In this paper I argue that <i>ad hominem</i> arguments are not necessarily fallacious, and explor... more In this paper I argue that <i>ad hominem</i> arguments are not necessarily fallacious, and explore a number of examples. In addition, I argue that one's stance on such fallacies is intimately related to one's more fundamental philosophical orientation.
This separation of work and leisure is questionable for several reasons, and in the following pag... more This separation of work and leisure is questionable for several reasons, and in the following pages I would like to txplore some of the problems cobnected with this separation. The basic question here is this: as long as there is a division between work and leisure, can either one become fully meaningful and fully human? I shall argue that they cannot, maintaining 1. that the alleged necessary senility of work is based on an inadequate understanding of the nature of human needs, 2. that the separation of work and leisure
results not only in alienated labor but in the trivialization of leisure, and 3. that those positions which maintain a strict division between work and leisure destroy the dialectical relationship between the intrinsic and extrinsic meaning, purposes and values of human acts and thereby prevent leisure from transforming the everyday world. Work and play are not two kinds of activity which are necessarily separate: but rather two different aspects of human acti\'ity. This activity, when encountered in its fullness, goes beyond the traditional categories of work and play. Only then we see the full implications and limitations of understanding and categorizing human activity as either work or play will we be able to advance beyond the difficulties encountered in the contemporary discussions of this problem and move toward transcending the dichotomy which exists between work and play on both the theoretical and the practical levels.
Moral Dilemmas Philosophical and Psychological Issues in the Development of Moral Reasoning, 1985
This paper argues for the positive importance of the emotions in the moral life and their cogniti... more This paper argues for the positive importance of the emotions in the moral life and their cognitive dimension in this context. Once the importance of the emotions is recognized, we then explore the way in which emotions can be educated.
I outline the standard interpretation of \Vittgenstein's remarks on forms of life, consider the t... more I outline the standard interpretation of \Vittgenstein's remarks on forms of life, consider the textual basis for such a reading of Wittgenstein, present a more consistent reading of the texts, place the problem of forms of life within a wider philosophical context, and show the ways in which it is indeed possible to say that a form of life is wrong. In the process, I shall note some important similarities between Wittgenstein's actual position, Quine's
analysis of scientific knowledge, and Hans-Georg Gadamer's claims about the fusion of horizons.
In a series of articles Paul Edwards criticized Heidegger's analysis of being-toward-death, maint... more In a series of articles Paul Edwards criticized Heidegger's analysis of being-toward-death, maintaining that Heidegger's position is false, meaningless, or trivial. I defend Heidegger's analysis of being-toward death, showing both its meaningfulness and its importance.
This paper presents a critique of Max Hocutt's attempt to defend a naturalistic Skinnerian accoun... more This paper presents a critique of Max Hocutt's attempt to defend a naturalistic Skinnerian account of ethics in which "the good" is extensionally equivalent to "the positively reinforcing." I offer several reasons for rejecting such an account.
Evan Y. Snyder, Lawrence M. Hinman, Michael W. Kalichman, "Can science resolve the ethical impasse in stem cell research?" Nature Biotechnology, Volume 24, Number 4 (April 2006), pp. 397-400., 2006
This paper examines one way in which science may be able to resolve the ethical impasse surroundi... more This paper examines one way in which science may be able to resolve the ethical impasse surrounding the use of human embryonic stem cells in research and therapy.
a short version of this paper was published in Glocalisation: Bridging the Global Nature of Information and Communication Technology and the Local Nature of Human Beings Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference (Global e-SCM Research Center, Meiji University, 2007)., 2007
For the last ten years, Tim Berners-Lee and others have been advocating the development of a set ... more For the last ten years, Tim Berners-Lee and others have been advocating the development of a set of standards that, taken together, have come to be known as the Semantic Web. The goal of the semantic web is fundamentally to make the web “machine readable,” that is, to allow computers crawling the web to recognize the kinds of data they are encountering. Although humans can easily recognize a phone number or address when they see one, computers typically cannot do this with a sufficiently high level of reliability. Making the Web machine-readable is done through a sophisticated system of meta-tags, and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3.org) has been gradually articulating these standards in ever-increasing detail.
In the following remarks, I would like to explore some of the ethical issues raised by this proposal, particularly as they relate to search engines. The focus on search engines is a natural fit here, since both search engines and the semantic web are responses to the problem of how best to access the desired portion of the incredibly vast amount of information on the web. As the amount of information on the web grows daily, it becomes proportionately difficult to sift through all the irrelevant information and to retrieve only that information which is relevant.
Keynote Adresss, Australian Association for Professional and Applied Ethics, 2007. Australian Journal of Professional and Applied Ethics (vol. 9, number 2, Sept., 2007)
Although a handful of works discuss the role of imagination in the moral life, they are comparati... more Although a handful of works discuss the role of imagination in the moral life, they are comparatively few and far between. Moral imagination is a largely neglected topic in moral philosophy. In the following remarks, I would like to sketch out a view of its importance, the reasons for its neglect, and the specific ways in which it is crucial to living a flourishing moral life.
IRIE, International Review of Information Ethics, Vol. 3 (6/2005), 19-25, 2005
"Search engines play an increasingly pivotal role in the distribution and eventual construction o... more "Search engines play an increasingly pivotal role in the distribution and eventual construction of knowledge,
yet they are largely unnoticed, their procedures are opaque, and they are almost completely devoid of independent
oversight. In this paper the author examines three areas in which we encounter difficult and persistent
ethical issues in search engine technology: The problem of algorithm and the lack of transparency of the
search process, the problem of privacy with regards of the possibility to monitor search histories, and the
problem of local censorship. The given findings lead to the conclusion that the development of structures of
accountability for search engines is an important task for the near future.
Introduction ............. 20
The Public Function and Responsibility of Search Engines........................................................................ 21
The Problem of the Algorithm ................................................ 22
The Politics of Searching: Privacy and Liberty ................... 23
Local Standards in a Global Village ....................... 23
Conclusion ............... 25"
ICRA2009, The 2009 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May 17, 2009. Kobe, Japan, 2009
Several countries—including Japan and South Korea, and now Norway—have already made formal commit... more Several countries—including Japan and South Korea, and now Norway—have already made formal commitments to encourage the use of social robots to assist in the care of the elderly; others are sure to follow. Such policies raise interesting and important ethical questions for those who design such robots, for policy makers who guide their deployment, and for those who face the prospect of interacting with them during the final years of their lives. The answers to these questions are not immediately evident, and they raise fundamental questions about the role of technology in our lives. I shall argue for the wise and judicious use of robots in this context and caution against some of the dangers inherent in this situation.
International Philosophical Quarterly, Vol. XXIII, No. 1 (March, 1983), 77-89.
''Scientists and humanists should consider together," Edward Wilson suggested in Sociobiology: Th... more ''Scientists and humanists should consider together," Edward Wilson suggested in Sociobiology: The New Synthesis, "the possibility that the time has come for ethics to be removed temporarily from the hands of philosophers and biologized. There are strong indications that Wilson himself has not only considered this possibility, but has also to some extent undertaken this task. Not only are there a number of explicit as well as implicit moral judgments and comments on the foundations of moral theory in Sociobiology, but in his more recent work, On Human Nature, Wilson returns to these themes within a broader context. Taken together, these two works provide a good introduction to what such a "biologicized" ethic would be like. They reveal, moreover, a fundamental ambiguity in Wilson's own understanding of what is involved in the task of biologizing ethics. Such an ambiguity reveals, if not the continuing need for philosophers, at least an undiminished need for philosophical reflection.
After an initial consideration of the basic ambiguity in Wilson's position, I shall take up some of the consequences of this insofar as they are manifested in Wilson's understanding of the nature of moral theory, his analysis of specific moral concepts such ar. altruism, and his own reflections on the future relationship between ethics and sociobiology. I shall conclude with a brief indication of the necessary limits of any attempt to provide an ethic
bt-m~dc pay•bl• to THE MONIST •nd addressed to THE MO:--llST. P.O. Box 600. La S•lle. llllnois6 l... more bt-m~dc pay•bl• to THE MONIST •nd addressed to THE MO:--llST. P.O. Box 600. La S•lle. llllnois6 l301 . Corr.,pondtnct conctml"3 m•nusaip,. should bt-•ddru,.,d to Eugtnr Fr .. m•n . Editor. TliE MONIST,
This is a contribution to The Monist issue on Philosophy and Style, and in this piece I argue aga... more This is a contribution to The Monist issue on Philosophy and Style, and in this piece I argue against the received view that philosophical style is, at best, irrelevant and, at worst, a detriment to philosophical work. I explore ways in which the stylistic dimensions of philosophical works are not reducible to their cognitive content. The works of Kierkegaard, Wittgenstein, and Heidegger are discussed.
This paper explores the contradictions that result from B. F. Skinner's radical determinism. The... more This paper explores the contradictions that result from B. F. Skinner's radical determinism. The basic argument of the argument is that such determinism is not only unable to justify itself, but unable to provide an epistemic foundation for scientific truth.
An analysis of the notion of education as a commodity and its implications for the ways in which ... more An analysis of the notion of education as a commodity and its implications for the ways in which we can philosophize in the classroom.
Computers & Society. ACM special interest group on computers and society (SIGCAS), Mar 2002
Afcer analyzing five values (honesty; fairness; trust; respect;
and responsibility) that are con... more Afcer analyzing five values (honesty; fairness; trust; respect;
and responsibility) that are constitutive of academic
integrity, this paper considers moral challenges to academic
integrity char are posed by the World Wide Web
in three areas: student integrity, faculty integrity, and
institutional integrity.
in the 1844 manuscripts and the notes on Mill's Elements of Political Economy, Marx provides the ... more in the 1844 manuscripts and the notes on Mill's Elements of Political Economy, Marx provides the basis for both a theory of the alienated character of play and leisure in capitalist society and an indication of the characteristics of unalienated play and leisure. In the first section of this paper, I construct Marx's implicit theory of alienated play and leisure in capitalist society, expanding on certain aspects of the problem which have become especially important in contemporary American society and briefly sketching the relationship between alienated work and alienated leisure activity (play). The second section contains a development of Marx's notion of unalienated leisure and play, also based primarily on his early writings, in which the unity of work and play in unalienated praxis will be emphasized. It will be shown that Marx's position involves an overcoming of the dichotomy between work and play found in capitalist society and a rethinking of the traditional categories in terms of which work and play as forms of human activity are understood. This discussion leads to the question of whether there is any meaningful distinction between work and play in their unalienated forms. In the third section, I consider some possible reasons for rejecting the view of the identity of unalienated work and play, including some which Marx himself seems to have had in mind when writing Das Kapital. It will be shown that these objections can be successfully met when one takes into consideration the dialectical notion of human needs present in Marx's early writings.
In this paper I argue that <i>ad hominem</i> arguments are not necessarily fallacious, and explor... more In this paper I argue that <i>ad hominem</i> arguments are not necessarily fallacious, and explore a number of examples. In addition, I argue that one's stance on such fallacies is intimately related to one's more fundamental philosophical orientation.
This separation of work and leisure is questionable for several reasons, and in the following pag... more This separation of work and leisure is questionable for several reasons, and in the following pages I would like to txplore some of the problems cobnected with this separation. The basic question here is this: as long as there is a division between work and leisure, can either one become fully meaningful and fully human? I shall argue that they cannot, maintaining 1. that the alleged necessary senility of work is based on an inadequate understanding of the nature of human needs, 2. that the separation of work and leisure
results not only in alienated labor but in the trivialization of leisure, and 3. that those positions which maintain a strict division between work and leisure destroy the dialectical relationship between the intrinsic and extrinsic meaning, purposes and values of human acts and thereby prevent leisure from transforming the everyday world. Work and play are not two kinds of activity which are necessarily separate: but rather two different aspects of human acti\'ity. This activity, when encountered in its fullness, goes beyond the traditional categories of work and play. Only then we see the full implications and limitations of understanding and categorizing human activity as either work or play will we be able to advance beyond the difficulties encountered in the contemporary discussions of this problem and move toward transcending the dichotomy which exists between work and play on both the theoretical and the practical levels.
Moral Dilemmas Philosophical and Psychological Issues in the Development of Moral Reasoning, 1985
This paper argues for the positive importance of the emotions in the moral life and their cogniti... more This paper argues for the positive importance of the emotions in the moral life and their cognitive dimension in this context. Once the importance of the emotions is recognized, we then explore the way in which emotions can be educated.
I outline the standard interpretation of \Vittgenstein's remarks on forms of life, consider the t... more I outline the standard interpretation of \Vittgenstein's remarks on forms of life, consider the textual basis for such a reading of Wittgenstein, present a more consistent reading of the texts, place the problem of forms of life within a wider philosophical context, and show the ways in which it is indeed possible to say that a form of life is wrong. In the process, I shall note some important similarities between Wittgenstein's actual position, Quine's
analysis of scientific knowledge, and Hans-Georg Gadamer's claims about the fusion of horizons.
In a series of articles Paul Edwards criticized Heidegger's analysis of being-toward-death, maint... more In a series of articles Paul Edwards criticized Heidegger's analysis of being-toward-death, maintaining that Heidegger's position is false, meaningless, or trivial. I defend Heidegger's analysis of being-toward death, showing both its meaningfulness and its importance.
This paper presents a critique of Max Hocutt's attempt to defend a naturalistic Skinnerian accoun... more This paper presents a critique of Max Hocutt's attempt to defend a naturalistic Skinnerian account of ethics in which "the good" is extensionally equivalent to "the positively reinforcing." I offer several reasons for rejecting such an account.
Evan Y. Snyder, Lawrence M. Hinman, Michael W. Kalichman, "Can science resolve the ethical impasse in stem cell research?" Nature Biotechnology, Volume 24, Number 4 (April 2006), pp. 397-400., 2006
This paper examines one way in which science may be able to resolve the ethical impasse surroundi... more This paper examines one way in which science may be able to resolve the ethical impasse surrounding the use of human embryonic stem cells in research and therapy.
a short version of this paper was published in Glocalisation: Bridging the Global Nature of Information and Communication Technology and the Local Nature of Human Beings Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference (Global e-SCM Research Center, Meiji University, 2007)., 2007
For the last ten years, Tim Berners-Lee and others have been advocating the development of a set ... more For the last ten years, Tim Berners-Lee and others have been advocating the development of a set of standards that, taken together, have come to be known as the Semantic Web. The goal of the semantic web is fundamentally to make the web “machine readable,” that is, to allow computers crawling the web to recognize the kinds of data they are encountering. Although humans can easily recognize a phone number or address when they see one, computers typically cannot do this with a sufficiently high level of reliability. Making the Web machine-readable is done through a sophisticated system of meta-tags, and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3.org) has been gradually articulating these standards in ever-increasing detail.
In the following remarks, I would like to explore some of the ethical issues raised by this proposal, particularly as they relate to search engines. The focus on search engines is a natural fit here, since both search engines and the semantic web are responses to the problem of how best to access the desired portion of the incredibly vast amount of information on the web. As the amount of information on the web grows daily, it becomes proportionately difficult to sift through all the irrelevant information and to retrieve only that information which is relevant.
Keynote Adresss, Australian Association for Professional and Applied Ethics, 2007. Australian Journal of Professional and Applied Ethics (vol. 9, number 2, Sept., 2007)
Although a handful of works discuss the role of imagination in the moral life, they are comparati... more Although a handful of works discuss the role of imagination in the moral life, they are comparatively few and far between. Moral imagination is a largely neglected topic in moral philosophy. In the following remarks, I would like to sketch out a view of its importance, the reasons for its neglect, and the specific ways in which it is crucial to living a flourishing moral life.
IRIE, International Review of Information Ethics, Vol. 3 (6/2005), 19-25, 2005
"Search engines play an increasingly pivotal role in the distribution and eventual construction o... more "Search engines play an increasingly pivotal role in the distribution and eventual construction of knowledge,
yet they are largely unnoticed, their procedures are opaque, and they are almost completely devoid of independent
oversight. In this paper the author examines three areas in which we encounter difficult and persistent
ethical issues in search engine technology: The problem of algorithm and the lack of transparency of the
search process, the problem of privacy with regards of the possibility to monitor search histories, and the
problem of local censorship. The given findings lead to the conclusion that the development of structures of
accountability for search engines is an important task for the near future.
Introduction ............. 20
The Public Function and Responsibility of Search Engines........................................................................ 21
The Problem of the Algorithm ................................................ 22
The Politics of Searching: Privacy and Liberty ................... 23
Local Standards in a Global Village ....................... 23
Conclusion ............... 25"
ICRA2009, The 2009 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May 17, 2009. Kobe, Japan, 2009
Several countries—including Japan and South Korea, and now Norway—have already made formal commit... more Several countries—including Japan and South Korea, and now Norway—have already made formal commitments to encourage the use of social robots to assist in the care of the elderly; others are sure to follow. Such policies raise interesting and important ethical questions for those who design such robots, for policy makers who guide their deployment, and for those who face the prospect of interacting with them during the final years of their lives. The answers to these questions are not immediately evident, and they raise fundamental questions about the role of technology in our lives. I shall argue for the wise and judicious use of robots in this context and caution against some of the dangers inherent in this situation.
International Philosophical Quarterly, Vol. XXIII, No. 1 (March, 1983), 77-89.
''Scientists and humanists should consider together," Edward Wilson suggested in Sociobiology: Th... more ''Scientists and humanists should consider together," Edward Wilson suggested in Sociobiology: The New Synthesis, "the possibility that the time has come for ethics to be removed temporarily from the hands of philosophers and biologized. There are strong indications that Wilson himself has not only considered this possibility, but has also to some extent undertaken this task. Not only are there a number of explicit as well as implicit moral judgments and comments on the foundations of moral theory in Sociobiology, but in his more recent work, On Human Nature, Wilson returns to these themes within a broader context. Taken together, these two works provide a good introduction to what such a "biologicized" ethic would be like. They reveal, moreover, a fundamental ambiguity in Wilson's own understanding of what is involved in the task of biologizing ethics. Such an ambiguity reveals, if not the continuing need for philosophers, at least an undiminished need for philosophical reflection.
After an initial consideration of the basic ambiguity in Wilson's position, I shall take up some of the consequences of this insofar as they are manifested in Wilson's understanding of the nature of moral theory, his analysis of specific moral concepts such ar. altruism, and his own reflections on the future relationship between ethics and sociobiology. I shall conclude with a brief indication of the necessary limits of any attempt to provide an ethic
bt-m~dc pay•bl• to THE MONIST •nd addressed to THE MO:--llST. P.O. Box 600. La S•lle. llllnois6 l... more bt-m~dc pay•bl• to THE MONIST •nd addressed to THE MO:--llST. P.O. Box 600. La S•lle. llllnois6 l301 . Corr.,pondtnct conctml"3 m•nusaip,. should bt-•ddru,.,d to Eugtnr Fr .. m•n . Editor. TliE MONIST,
ETHICS: A PLURALISTIC APPROACH TO MORAL THEORY, FIFTH EDITION provides a comprehensive yet clear ... more ETHICS: A PLURALISTIC APPROACH TO MORAL THEORY, FIFTH EDITION provides a comprehensive yet clear introduction to the main traditions in ethical thought, including virtue ethics, utilitarianism, and deontology. Additionally, the book presents a conceptual framework of ethical pluralism to help readers understand the relationship among various theories. Lawrence Hinman, one of the most respected and accomplished professionals in ethics and philosophy education today, presents a text that gives readers plentiful opportunities to explore ethical theory and their own responses to them, using fascinating features such as the "Ethical Inventory" sections that appear at the beginning and the end of the text. End-of-chapter discussion questions, and the use of current issues and movies help students retain what they've learn and truly comprehend the subject matter
Ethics is about flourishing, about developing both the personal characteristics and the social co... more Ethics is about flourishing, about developing both the personal characteristics and the social conditions that allow individuals to live full, satisfying lives together. When it functions at its best, ethics is largely invisible: individuals live good lives together, trusting one another and cooperating in ways that would be impossible without such internalized social norms. Ideally, individuals impose ethical restraints on themselves first and foremost, and only in exceptional cases are such restraints imposed from the outside. Ethics quickly becomes noticeable when things go wrong.
This op-ed argues in support of Brittany Maynard's use of Oregon's Death with Dignity law. The p... more This op-ed argues in support of Brittany Maynard's use of Oregon's Death with Dignity law. The philosophically interesting question raised is: who/what killed Ms. Maynard. Although the proximate cause was the life-ending medication she took, in the larger context it was clearly the cancer that was taking her life.
A consideration of the problem of how the Germans could have followed Hitler in implementing the ... more A consideration of the problem of how the Germans could have followed Hitler in implementing the Holocaust. An examination of Hannah Arendt's treatment of Adolf Eichmann and the subsequent work of Stanley Milgram and Phil Zimbardo on obedience to authority.
Recent analytically-oriented attempts to provide an adequate account of the cognitive dimension o... more Recent analytically-oriented attempts to provide an adequate account of the cognitive dimension of the emotions have generally had difficulty (1) in overcoming a 'component' approach to the emotions, wherein their cognitive dimension is seen in terms of presupposed implicitly propositional beliefs, and (2) in providing a philosophically satisfactory account of the way in which the emotions could be said to be true or false. Heidegger's analysis of the emotions in Being and Time offers, I argue, an insightful and philosophically sophisticated account of the cognitive status of the emotions which recognizes both the way in which (1) emotions offer an important mode of disclosing the world which is not reducible to a set of presupposed beliefs about the world and (2) emotions may be true (disclosive, revealing, turning us toward their objects) or false (concealing, distorting, turning us away from their objects). Heidegger's analysis of the emotions contains valuable contributions to the ongoing discussion of the emotions, despite Heidegger's tendency to focus rather exclusively on emotions, such as Angst,which play a key role in his argument in Being and Time. American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division, 1982.
Most philosophers would argue that metaphors cannot be both irreducibly metaphorical (i.e., not s... more Most philosophers would argue that metaphors cannot be both irreducibly metaphorical (i.e., not simply equivalent to a series of literal comparison statements) and true in a philosophically interesting sense (i.e., apart from the occasional metaphorical claim which by chance is also literally true); consequently, metaphors are excluded from the domain of knowledge, since being true is a necessary characteristic of genuine knowledge. Instead of revising our understanding of metaphor to make it more closely correspond to our idea of truth and thereby open the way to an appreciation of the epistemic status of metaphors, I argue that our idea of truth is itself often a metaphor. The two dominant traditional theories of truth, the correspondence and coherence theories, both rest upon fundamental metaphors apart from which they are untenable. Once the fundamentally metaphorical character of these theories is appreciated, the objection that metaphors cannot enter into the domain of knowledge because they cannot meet the standards of either the correspondence or coherence theories of truth loses its force. If metaphors cannot be true, then philosophy itself would be forced to abnegate its claim to truth. American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division, 1984.
In his analysis of the incentives of pure practical reason, Kant refers to the feeling of respect... more In his analysis of the incentives of pure practical reason, Kant refers to the feeling of respect as "a positive feeling which is not of empirical origin." According to commentators such as Wolff, the introduction of such a feeling contradicts the thrust of Kant's entire argument. In this paper, I present an interpretation of Kant's analysis of the feeling of respect which avoids the pitfalls usually associated with this notion. Furthermore, I argue that the feeling of respect is but one of a number of feelings, which here are called transcendental feelings, whose occurrence can only be adequately described and explained through reference to a rational agent and whose justification is that they are necessary conditions of the very possibility in engaging in certain specifically human activities. Additional examples of such feelings, drawn from the work of Husserl and Heidegger, are discussed. Presented at the Western Division APA, 1983.
Despite the fact that many of us participate in it daily, gossip has
received virtually no philos... more Despite the fact that many of us participate in it daily, gossip has received virtually no philosophical scrutiny. In this paper, I provide a working definition of gossip, consider briefly the reasons why one gossips, and then turn to an assessment of the moral aspects of gossiping. While there are some good consequentalist reasons against gossiping in certain cases, the stronger considerations against gossip come primarily from the realm of virtue ethics. The necessary exclusion of the person being gossiped about from the conversation .raises serious questions about respect for that person. Moreover, the predominantly negative character of the evaluations given in gossip is good reason for being suspicious of the character of the gossiper, especially of the habitual gossiper. Magnaminity, fairness, and compassion seem to be some of the virtues which are usually absent from gossip; mean-spiritedness, an unjustified sense of moral superiority, and ill-will toward those being gossiped about seem to be frequently associated with gossip.
Recent discussions of preferential policies in hiring university faculty have in general been con... more Recent discussions of preferential policies in hiring university faculty have in general been confined to an analysis of this issue within the context of racism and sexism within our own society. This is certainly proper enough, since it is precisely in relation to these pressing problems that preferential hiring policies have their strongest justification; yet it leaves virtually unexplored an area of preferential treatment found in a number of religiously-affiliated or religiously-oriented universities today: preferential treatment based on religious beliefs. I wish to consider here the question of whether-and, if so, in what ways--it is legitimate to take a person's religious convictions into account in university personnel decisions.
Beginning with an analysis of Alison Lurie's Foreign Affairs, I explore a number of claims about ... more Beginning with an analysis of Alison Lurie's Foreign Affairs, I explore a number of claims about the hermeneutical dimension of the moral life.
Emotions have all too often been excluded from the domain of epistemic assessment. Yet there are ... more Emotions have all too often been excluded from the domain of epistemic assessment. Yet there are a number of important ways in which feelings can be either right or wrong, even true or false. This paper examines seven of the ways in which emotions can be wrong or false and, by implication, ways in which they can be right or true: (1) they can be based on false beliefs, (2) they can contain invalid inference, (3) they can refer to the wrong object, (4) they can be feigned, (5) they can be self-deceptive, (6) they can be conceptually confused, and (7) they can distort our perception of a situation. Special attention is paid to the implications of these various criteria for our under standing of the task of educ a ting the emotions.
This paper arises within the context of a particular concern,
and perhaps the best way of introdu... more This paper arises within the context of a particular concern, and perhaps the best way of introducing the paper is to place it within the context of the larger philosophical concerns that give direction to this inquiry. The basic question which I would like to pose is whether the emotions are a mode of knowing and, if they are, precisely what kind of knowing is to be found in them. The question which is of particular interest here, and this is the one to which I shall direct most of my attention, is whether--and in what senses--the emotions can be said to be either true or false. Most specifically,I am interested in trying to clarify what would count as instances of true emotions. These increasingly specific questions are posed from within a context of both dissatisfaction and hope. The dissatisfaction stems from my own experience of the ways in which contemporary analytic philosophy has in large measure failed to come to grips with these questions about the cognitive dimension and truth valueof the emotions. I shall briefly address myself to the treatment of these issues in contemporary analytic philosophy in order to show why these questions are difficult even to recognize as legitimate questions within that tradition. The hope springs from my suspicion that Heidegger's analysis of 'the emotions'--the scare quotes here indicate that even· this way of describing the phenomena will be subject to examination--provides us with a philosophically more perspicuous and phenomenologically more illuminating account of them than contemporary analytic philosophers have been able to develop. The body of this paper is an attempt to discover whether such a hope is justified. Yet before turning to this critical analysis of Heidegger's account of the emotions, knowledge, and truth, let us begin with a very brief indication of the way in which the very question of the truth of the emotions gets hidden from view. Presented at the Heidegger XVI Annual Heidegger Conference, May, 1982.
This paper examines the role which is implicitly accorded to
argument in the moral life by standa... more This paper examines the role which is implicitly accorded to argument in the moral life by standard approaches to ethics. The standard view of argument is embedded in a conception of ethics as the search for deductive arguments that ideally will provide definitive and context-free answers to specific moral problems. criticize the presuppositions of this standard In this paper, I view and of fer an alternative account of what ethics is about--an account which stresses the importance of moral vision, the non-interchangeability of moral agents, the illuminative function of basic moral principles, and the heuristic dimension of moral discourse. Not only is such a view philosophically more satisfactory, but it also provides the basis for a more adequate account of teaching ethics in the classroom. Presented at the American Philosophical Association, Easter Division, 1986.
Search engines play an increasingly pivotal role in the distribution and eventual construction of... more Search engines play an increasingly pivotal role in the distribution and eventual construction of knowledge, yet they are largely unnoticed, their procedures are opaque, and they are almost completely devoid of independent oversight. In this paper the author examines three areas in which we encounter difficult and persistent ethical issues in search engine technology: The problem of algorithm and the lack of transparency of the search process, the problem of privacy with regards of the possibility to monitor search histories, and the problem of local censorship. The given findings lead to the conclusion that the development of structures of accountability for search engines is an important task for the near future.
After analyzing five values (honesty; fairness; trust; respect; and responsibility) that are cons... more After analyzing five values (honesty; fairness; trust; respect; and responsibility) that are constitutive of academic integrity, this paper considers moral challenges to academic integrity that are posed by the World Wide Web in three areas: student integrity, faculty integrity, and institutional integrity.
Rarely has a philosopher demanded such a purity of moral motives. Even when he discusses those &q... more Rarely has a philosopher demanded such a purity of moral motives. Even when he discusses those "many spirits of so sympathetic a temper that, without any further motive of vanity or self-interest, they find an inner pleasure in spreading happiness around them and can take delight in the con tentment of others as their own work," Kant maintains that, "in such a case an action of this kind, however right and however amiable it may be, still has no genuinely moral worth."1 Because the action is done from inclination rather than duty, it cannot qualify as a morally good action in Kant's eyes. Indeed, this seems to suggest that from a moral point of view the person who is naturally unsympathetic to others almost has an advantage, at least in terms of the opportunity for moral action, over those who are naturally in clined to altruistic acts. Kant hardly seems to shrink from such a conclusion. His own words best convey his position here.
ions are indeed metonymies, but this is not the end of the story, for at least in some instances ... more ions are indeed metonymies, but this is not the end of the story, for at least in some instances i.e., in cases in which we come to believe in the reality of our own tropes we give them a causal efficacy which they originally did not possess. Indeed, Nietzsche suggests that this is what sets us apart from animals: we are able to place our behavior under "the mastery of abstractions . . . to volatilize perceptual metaphors into a schema."3' This not only allows a much greater degree of organization of our perceptual metaphors than would otherwise have been possible, but also promotes the eventual development of a world of concepts juxtaposed to immediately given sensations. It is a "firmer, more general, better known, more human" world and is thus seen as "regulative and imperative," even though it is only composed of concepts which are "residues of metaphors."32 Thus we forget the 28 111/4, 194(04), p. 69. 29 R, p. 319; cf.111/4, 19(415), p. 74 and 19(236), pp. 8i-8z. 30 UWL, III/z, p. 374 = PN, p. 46. 3' Ibid., p. 375. 32 Ibid., pp. 375-76. I90 LAWRENCE M. HINMAN This content downloaded from 157.55.39.181 on Thu, 29 Sep 2016 06:01:42 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms metaphorical origins of our own concepts, imbue them with an independence and causal efficacy which they did not originally possess, order them in accordance with schemata which are themselves of metaphorical origins, and then place ourselves under the domination of that world which was originally of our own construction. Our metaphors thereby acquire an independence and power insofar as they are no longer taken as metaphors but rather as the measure of reality itself; in becoming dead metaphors, they come to rule us. "A language," as one recent writer on metaphor has suggested, "is nothing but a necropolis for dead metaphors."33 Thus we see the full scope of Nietzsche's claim that language is fundamentally metaphorical and that truth is but a "mobile army of metaphors, metonyms, and anthropomorphisms." If we think of metaphor as a "carrying over" from one sphere to another, we see metaphor permeating the process of knowing. Starting from the immediate data of sensation (the nerve stimulus, according to Nietzsche), there is a "carrying over" in two directions. On the one hand, a metonymical carrying over from those data to an imagined external cause of them, a "thing-in-itself" which is the imputed cause of our sensations of it; on the other hand, a metaphorical carrying over of those nerve stimuli into images. The process continues in both directions. As we then make another metaphorical transition from images to words, so we organize the external world into particular kinds of objects which are put into pigeonholes fashioned by our own vocabulary. Finally, as we move from words to concepts, we see these individual external objects as manifestations of a world of essences. In treating each of these transitions as metaphorical, Nietzsche wants to underscore the fact that these involve movements between radically different spheres of reality and that it is meaningless to talk about a "literal" translation from one level to another. Yet there is a second sense in which this entire process involves a "carrying over." Insofar as we carry over some aspects of an experience (and omit others) and thereby come to treat similar experiences as though they were equal, we order our experiences metaphorically; in other words, the categories and concepts in terms of which we order experience have no more epistemic justification than other metaphors, except for the fact that we have forgotten their metaphorical origins and let them harden into normative measures of reality itself. 33 "'As,' or The Limits of Metaphor," New Literary History, VI, i (Autumn, 1974), p.
in the 1844 manuscripts and the notes on Mill&amp;amp;#39;s Elements of Political Economy, Ma... more in the 1844 manuscripts and the notes on Mill&amp;amp;#39;s Elements of Political Economy, Marx provides the basis for both a theory of the alienated character of play and leisure in capitalist society and an indication of the characteristics of unalienated play and leisure. In the first section of this paper, I construct Marx&amp;amp;#39;s implicit theory of alienated play and leisure in capitalist society, expanding on certain aspects of the problem which have become especially important in contemporary American society and briefly sketching the relationship between alienated work and alienated leisure activity (play). The second section contains a development of Marx&amp;amp;#39;s notion of unalienated leisure and play, also based primarily on his early writings, in which the unity of work and play in unalienated praxis will be emphasized. It will be shown that Marx&amp;amp;#39;s position involves an overcoming of the dichotomy between work and play found in capitalist society and a rethinking of the traditional categories in terms of which work and play as forms of human activity are understood. This discussion leads to the question of whether there is any meaningful distinction between work and play in their unalienated forms. In the third section, I consider some possible reasons for rejecting the view of the identity of unalienated work and play, including some which Marx himself seems to have had in mind when writing Das Kapital. It will be shown that these objections can be successfully met when one takes into consideration the dialectical notion of human needs present in Marx&amp;amp;#39;s early writings.
... We are not, therefore, bound by the principles of Gadamer's hermeneutics to accept hisse... more ... We are not, therefore, bound by the principles of Gadamer's hermeneutics to accept hisself-interpretation as necessarily valid when he ... Although this critique of the false, objectivisticself-understanding of the historical sciences is sufficient to ground Gadamer's rejection of any ...
In recent years, a particular doctrine about forms of life has come to be associated with Wittgen... more In recent years, a particular doctrine about forms of life has come to be associated with Wittgenstein's name by followers and critics of his philosophy alike. It is not a doctrine which Wittgenstein espoused or even, given his understanding of philosophy, one which he could have accepted; nor is it worthy of acceptance on its own merits. I shall here outline the standard interpretation of Wittgenstein's remarks on forms of life, consider the textual basis for such a reading of Wittgenstein, present a more consistent reading of the texts, place the problem of forms of life within a wider philosophical context, and show the ways in which it is indeed possible to say that a form of life is wrong. In the process, I shall note some important similarities between Wittgenstein's actual position, Quine's analysis of scientific knowledge, and Hans-Georg Gadamer's claims about the fusion of horizons.
Advances in our understanding of the control of early human embryonic development could offer sol... more Advances in our understanding of the control of early human embryonic development could offer solutions to the moral dilemmas associated with human embryonic stem cell research.
An analysis of the notion of education as a commodity and its implications for the ways in which ... more An analysis of the notion of education as a commodity and its implications for the ways in which we can philosophize in the classroom.
At times it is rather difficult in a dissertation to say things in a straightforward manner-witho... more At times it is rather difficult in a dissertation to say things in a straightforward manner-without footnotes, without the numerous qualifications that inevitably come to mind for each sentence. It becomes especially difficult when, instead of advancing and defending a thesis, one attempts to express and explore the personal significance of an idea. Comments on such matters simply do not tend to fit into the structure of the dissertation. Thus in Johan Huizinga, Homo Ludens. A Study of the Play-Element in Culture (Boston: Beacon Press, 1966), p. 13. it would be trivial freedom, work without play would be equally alienated, uncreative and forced. Perhaps such a relationship would eventually lead to a situation in which the conditions of the possibility of a true union-of work and play would arise. CHAPTER II PARADIGMATIC FORMS OF PLAY: THE DIONYSIAN, APOLLINIAN, AND TRAGIC situated within the context of, and dependent upon, slavery. The result is that play is condemned to being ineffectual in the world, while work is completely under the domination of necessity, shame and dishonor. The categories of work and play are unmediated and, indeed, mediation is impossible at this stage.
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and responsibility) that are constitutive of academic
integrity, this paper considers moral challenges to academic
integrity char are posed by the World Wide Web
in three areas: student integrity, faculty integrity, and
institutional integrity.
results not only in alienated labor but in the trivialization of leisure, and 3. that those positions which maintain a strict division between work and leisure destroy the dialectical relationship between the intrinsic and extrinsic meaning, purposes and values of human acts and thereby prevent leisure from transforming the everyday world. Work and play are not two kinds of activity which are necessarily separate: but rather two different aspects of human acti\'ity. This activity, when encountered in its fullness, goes beyond the traditional categories of work and play. Only then we see the full implications and limitations of understanding and categorizing human activity as either work or play will we be able to advance beyond the difficulties encountered in the contemporary discussions of this problem and move toward transcending the dichotomy which exists between work and play on both the theoretical and the practical levels.
analysis of scientific knowledge, and Hans-Georg Gadamer's claims about the fusion of horizons.
In the following remarks, I would like to explore some of the ethical issues raised by this proposal, particularly as they relate to search engines. The focus on search engines is a natural fit here, since both search engines and the semantic web are responses to the problem of how best to access the desired portion of the incredibly vast amount of information on the web. As the amount of information on the web grows daily, it becomes proportionately difficult to sift through all the irrelevant information and to retrieve only that information which is relevant.
yet they are largely unnoticed, their procedures are opaque, and they are almost completely devoid of independent
oversight. In this paper the author examines three areas in which we encounter difficult and persistent
ethical issues in search engine technology: The problem of algorithm and the lack of transparency of the
search process, the problem of privacy with regards of the possibility to monitor search histories, and the
problem of local censorship. The given findings lead to the conclusion that the development of structures of
accountability for search engines is an important task for the near future.
Introduction ............. 20
The Public Function and Responsibility of Search Engines........................................................................ 21
The Problem of the Algorithm ................................................ 22
The Politics of Searching: Privacy and Liberty ................... 23
Local Standards in a Global Village ....................... 23
Conclusion ............... 25"
After an initial consideration of the basic ambiguity in Wilson's position, I shall take up some of the consequences of this insofar as they are manifested in Wilson's understanding of the nature of moral theory, his analysis of specific moral concepts such ar. altruism, and his own reflections on the future relationship between ethics and sociobiology. I shall conclude with a brief indication of the necessary limits of any attempt to provide an ethic
and responsibility) that are constitutive of academic
integrity, this paper considers moral challenges to academic
integrity char are posed by the World Wide Web
in three areas: student integrity, faculty integrity, and
institutional integrity.
results not only in alienated labor but in the trivialization of leisure, and 3. that those positions which maintain a strict division between work and leisure destroy the dialectical relationship between the intrinsic and extrinsic meaning, purposes and values of human acts and thereby prevent leisure from transforming the everyday world. Work and play are not two kinds of activity which are necessarily separate: but rather two different aspects of human acti\'ity. This activity, when encountered in its fullness, goes beyond the traditional categories of work and play. Only then we see the full implications and limitations of understanding and categorizing human activity as either work or play will we be able to advance beyond the difficulties encountered in the contemporary discussions of this problem and move toward transcending the dichotomy which exists between work and play on both the theoretical and the practical levels.
analysis of scientific knowledge, and Hans-Georg Gadamer's claims about the fusion of horizons.
In the following remarks, I would like to explore some of the ethical issues raised by this proposal, particularly as they relate to search engines. The focus on search engines is a natural fit here, since both search engines and the semantic web are responses to the problem of how best to access the desired portion of the incredibly vast amount of information on the web. As the amount of information on the web grows daily, it becomes proportionately difficult to sift through all the irrelevant information and to retrieve only that information which is relevant.
yet they are largely unnoticed, their procedures are opaque, and they are almost completely devoid of independent
oversight. In this paper the author examines three areas in which we encounter difficult and persistent
ethical issues in search engine technology: The problem of algorithm and the lack of transparency of the
search process, the problem of privacy with regards of the possibility to monitor search histories, and the
problem of local censorship. The given findings lead to the conclusion that the development of structures of
accountability for search engines is an important task for the near future.
Introduction ............. 20
The Public Function and Responsibility of Search Engines........................................................................ 21
The Problem of the Algorithm ................................................ 22
The Politics of Searching: Privacy and Liberty ................... 23
Local Standards in a Global Village ....................... 23
Conclusion ............... 25"
After an initial consideration of the basic ambiguity in Wilson's position, I shall take up some of the consequences of this insofar as they are manifested in Wilson's understanding of the nature of moral theory, his analysis of specific moral concepts such ar. altruism, and his own reflections on the future relationship between ethics and sociobiology. I shall conclude with a brief indication of the necessary limits of any attempt to provide an ethic
received virtually no philosophical scrutiny. In this paper, I provide a
working definition of gossip, consider briefly the reasons why one gossips, and then turn to an assessment of the moral aspects of gossiping. While there are some good consequentalist reasons against gossiping in certain cases, the stronger considerations against gossip come primarily from the realm of virtue ethics. The necessary exclusion of the person being gossiped about from the conversation .raises serious questions about respect for that person. Moreover, the predominantly negative character of the evaluations given in gossip is good reason for being suspicious of the character of the gossiper, especially of the habitual gossiper. Magnaminity, fairness, and compassion seem to be some of the virtues which are usually absent from gossip; mean-spiritedness, an unjustified sense of moral superiority, and ill-will toward those being gossiped about seem to be frequently associated with gossip.
and perhaps the best way of introducing the paper is to place it within the context of the larger philosophical concerns that give direction to this inquiry. The basic question which I would like to pose is whether the emotions are a mode of knowing and, if they are, precisely what kind of knowing is to be found in them. The question which is of particular interest here, and this is the one to which I shall direct most of my attention, is whether--and in what
senses--the emotions can be said to be either true or false. Most specifically,I am interested in trying to clarify what would count as instances of true emotions. These increasingly specific questions are posed from within a context of both dissatisfaction and hope. The dissatisfaction stems from my own experience of the ways in which contemporary analytic philosophy has in large measure failed to come to grips with these questions about the cognitive dimension and truth valueof the emotions. I shall briefly address myself to the treatment of these issues in contemporary analytic philosophy in order to show why these questions are difficult
even to recognize as legitimate questions within that tradition. The hope springs from my suspicion that Heidegger's analysis of 'the emotions'--the scare quotes here indicate that even· this way of describing the phenomena will be subject to examination--provides us with a philosophically more perspicuous and phenomenologically more illuminating account of them than contemporary analytic philosophers have been able to develop. The body of this paper is an attempt to discover whether such a hope is justified. Yet before turning to this critical
analysis of Heidegger's account of the emotions, knowledge, and truth, let us begin with a very brief indication of the way in which the very question of the truth of the emotions gets hidden from view. Presented at the Heidegger XVI Annual Heidegger Conference, May, 1982.
argument in the moral life by standard approaches to ethics. The
standard view of argument is embedded in a conception of ethics as the
search for deductive arguments that ideally will provide definitive and
context-free answers to specific moral problems.
criticize the presuppositions of this standard
In this paper, I
view and of fer an
alternative account of what ethics is about--an account which stresses
the importance of moral vision, the non-interchangeability of moral
agents, the illuminative function of basic moral principles, and the
heuristic dimension of moral discourse. Not only is such a view
philosophically more satisfactory, but it also provides the basis for a
more adequate account of teaching ethics in the classroom. Presented at the American Philosophical Association, Easter Division, 1986.