Augustine's Mathematical Realism
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Analytic Philosophy and the Fall and Rise of the Kant–Hegel Tradition
Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-87272-0 - Analytic Philosophy and the Return of Hegelian Thought Paul Redding Excerpt More information INTRODUCTION: ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY AND THE FALL AND RISE OF THE KANT–HEGEL TRADITION Should it come as a surprise when a technical work in the philosophy of language by a prominent analytic philosopher is described as ‘an attempt to usher analytic philosophy from its Kantian to its Hegelian stage’, as has 1 Robert Brandom’s Making It Explicit? It can if one has in mind a certain picture of the relation of analytic philosophy to ‘German idealism’. This particular picture has been called analytic philosophy’s ‘creation myth’, and it was effectively established by Bertrand Russell in his various accounts of 2 the birth of the ‘new philosophy’ around the turn of the twentieth century. It was towards the end of 1898 that Moore and I rebelled against both Kant and Hegel. Moore led the way, but I followed closely in his foot- steps. I think that the first published account of the new philosophy was 1 As does Richard Rorty in his ‘Introduction’ to Wilfrid Sellars, Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind, with introduction by Richard Rorty and study guide by Robert Brandom (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1997), pp. 8–9. 2 The phrase is from Steve Gerrard, ‘Desire and Desirability: Bradley, Russell, and Moore Versus Mill’ in W. W. Tait (ed.), Early Analytic Philosophy: Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein (Chicago: Open Court, 1997): ‘The core of the myth (which has its origins in Russell’s memories) is that with philosophical argument aided by the new logic, Russell and Moore slew the dragon of British Idealism ...An additional aspect is that the war was mainly fought over two related doctrines of British Idealism ...The first doctrine is an extreme form of holism: abstraction is always falsification. -
Medieval Western Philosophy: the European Emergence
Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change Series I, Culture and Values, Volume 9 History of Western Philosophy by George F. McLean and Patrick J. Aspell Medieval Western Philosophy: The European Emergence By Patrick J. Aspell The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy 1 Copyright © 1999 by The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy Gibbons Hall B-20 620 Michigan Avenue, NE Washington, D.C. 20064 All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Aspell, Patrick, J. Medieval western philosophy: the European emergence / Patrick J. Aspell. p.cm. — (Cultural heritage and contemporary change. Series I. Culture and values ; vol. 9) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Philosophy, Medieval. I. Title. III. Series. B721.A87 1997 97-20069 320.9171’7’090495—dc21 CIP ISBN 1-56518-094-1 (pbk.) 2 Table of Contents Chronology of Events and Persons Significant in and beyond the History of Medieval Europe Preface xiii Part One: The Origins of Medieval Philosophy 1 Chapter I. Augustine: The Lover of Truth 5 Chapter II. Universals According to Boethius, Peter Abelard, and Other Dialecticians 57 Chapter III. Christian Neoplatoists: John Scotus Erigena and Anselm of Canterbury 73 Part Two: The Maturity of Medieval Philosophy Chronology 97 Chapter IV. Bonaventure: Philosopher of the Exemplar 101 Chapter V. Thomas Aquinas: Philosopher of the Existential Act 155 Part Three: Critical Reflection And Reconstruction 237 Chapter VI. John Duns Scotus: Metaphysician of Essence 243 Chapter -
“Silence Is Your Praise” Maimonides' Approach To
Rabbi Rafael Salber “Silence is your praise” Maimonides’ Approach to Knowing God: An Introduction to Negative Theology Rabbi Rafael Salber The prophet Isaiah tells us, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways. 73 The content of this verse suggests the inability of mankind to comprehend the knowledge and thoughts of God, as well as the 73 Isaiah 55: 8- 9. The context of the verse is that Isaiah is conveying the message to the people of Israel that the ability to return to God (Teshuvah) is available to them, since the “traits” of God are conducive to this. See Moreh Nevuchim ( The Guide to the Perplexed ) 3:20 and the Sefer haIkkarim Maamar 2, Ch. 3. 65 “Silence is your praise”: Maimonides’ Approach to Knowing God: An Introduction to Negative Theology divergence of “the ways” of God and the ways of man. The extent of this dissimilarity is clarified in the second statement, i.e. that it is not merely a distance in relation, but rather it is as if they are of a different category altogether, like the difference that exists between heaven and earth 74 . What then is the relationship between mankind and God? What does the prophet mean when he describes God as having thoughts and ways; how is it even possible to describe God as having thoughts and ways? These perplexing implications are further compounded when one is introduced to the Magnum Opus of Maimonides 75 , the Mishneh Torah . -
Gottlob Frege Patricia A
Gottlob Frege Patricia A. Blanchette This is the penultimate version of the essay whose final version appears in the Oxford Handbook of Nineteenth-Century German Philosophy, M. Forster and K. Gjesdal (eds), Oxford University Press 2015, pp 207-227 Abstract Gottlob Frege (1848-1925) made significant contributions to both pure mathematics and philosophy. His most important technical contribution, of both mathematical and philosophical significance, is the introduction of a formal system of quantified logic. His work of a more purely- philosophical kind includes the articulation and persuasive defense of anti-psychologism in mathematics and logic, the rigorous pursuit of the thesis that arithmetic is reducible to logic, and the introduction of the distinction between sense and reference in the philosophy of language. Frege’s work has gone on to influence contemporary work across a broad spectrum, including the philosophy of mathematics and logic, the philosophy of language, and the philosophy of mind. This essay describes the historical development of Frege’s central views, and the connections between those views. Introduction Friedrich Ludwig Gottlob Frege was born on November 8, 1848 in the Hanseatic town of Wismar. He was educated in mathematics at the University of Jena and at the University of Göttingen, from which latter he received his doctorate in 1873. He defended his Habilitation the next year in Jena, and took up a position immediately at the University of Jena. Here he spent his entire academic career, lecturing in mathematics and logic, retiring in 1918. His death came on July 26, 1925 in the nearby town of Bad Kleinen.1 Frege is best known for three significant contributions to philosophy. -
Bertrand Russell in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Russell's philosophical evolution led him into a broad program of research where he applied the resources of mathematical logic to theoreti cal inquiry. In the neorealist and neopositivist stages of Russell's evolution this program led to the formulating of his Theory of Knowledge, and from then on he again recognized the independent significance of philosophical problems. 3 Russell created the concept of logical atomism and he founded logical analysis. Bertrand Russell in the The working out of philosophical questions in mathematics occupies a large place in his works. One of the paradoxes in set theory (Russell's Great Soviet Encyclopedia: Paradox) led him to the formation of the original version of axiomatic set theory4 (see also Theory of Types) and to the consequent attempt at l a translation from Russian reducing mathematics to logic. Russell and Whitehead coauthored the 3 vol ume work "Principia Mathematica" (1910-1913). They systematized and developed the deductive-axiomatic formation of logic (see Logicism). USSELL2 Bertrand (18.5.1872, Trelleck, Wales--2.2.1970, Penrhyndeu Russell developed the original Theory of Descriptions. R draeth, Wales), English philosopher, logician, mathematician, sociolo In his sociological views Russell was close to Psychologism. Accord gist, public figure. Between 1910 and 1916 Russell was a professor at ing to him, at the foundations of the historical process and the behaviour Cambridge University, where he graduated in 1894. He was professor at of people lie instincts, passions. Russell said that from a combination various universities in Great Britain and the U.S. In 1908 he became a of factors determining historical change it is impossible to pick out the member of the Royal Society. -
St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas on the Mind, Body, and Life After Death
The University of Akron IdeaExchange@UAkron Williams Honors College, Honors Research The Dr. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Honors Projects College Spring 2020 St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas on the Mind, Body, and Life After Death Christopher Choma [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects Part of the Christianity Commons, Epistemology Commons, European History Commons, History of Philosophy Commons, History of Religion Commons, Metaphysics Commons, Philosophy of Mind Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Please take a moment to share how this work helps you through this survey. Your feedback will be important as we plan further development of our repository. Recommended Citation Choma, Christopher, "St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas on the Mind, Body, and Life After Death" (2020). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 1048. https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/1048 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by The Dr. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Honors College at IdeaExchange@UAkron, the institutional repository of The University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, USA. It has been accepted for inclusion in Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects by an authorized administrator of IdeaExchange@UAkron. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. 1 St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas on the Mind, Body, and Life After Death By: Christopher Choma Sponsored by: Dr. Joseph Li Vecchi Readers: Dr. Howard Ducharme Dr. Nathan Blackerby 2 Table of Contents Introduction p. 4 Section One: Three General Views of Human Nature p. -
History of Philosophy Outlines from Wheaton College (IL)
Property of Wheaton College. HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY 311 Arthur F. Holmes Office: Blanch ard E4 83 Fall, 1992 Ext. 5887 Texts W. Kaufman, Philosophical Classics (Prentice-Hall, 2nd ed., 1968) Vol. I Thales to Occam Vol. II Bacon to Kant S. Stumpf, Socrates to Sartre (McGraW Hill, 3rd ed., 1982, or 4th ed., 1988) For further reading see: F. Copleston, A History of Philosophy. A multi-volume set in the library, also in paperback in the bookstore. W. K. C. Guthrie, A History of Greek Philosophy Diogenes Allen, Philosophy for Understanding Theology A. H. Armstrong & R. A. Markus, Christian Faith and Greek Philosophy A. H. Armstrong (ed.), Cambridge History of Later Greek and Early Medieval Philosophy Encyclopedia of Philosophy Objectives 1. To survey the history of Western philosophy with emphasis on major men and problems, developing themes and traditions and the influence of Christianity. 2. To uncover historical connections betWeen philosophy and science, the arts, and theology. 3. To make this heritage of great minds part of one’s own thinking. 4. To develop competence in reading philosophy, to lay a foundation for understanding contemporary thought, and to prepare for more critical and constructive work. Procedure 1. The primary sources are of major importance, and you will learn to read and understand them for yourself. Outline them as you read: they provide depth of insight and involve you in dialogue with the philosophers themselves. Ask first, What does he say? The, how does this relate to What else he says, and to what his predecessors said? Then, appraise his assumptions and arguments. -
The Nous: a Globe of Faces1
THE NOUS: A GLOBE OF FACES1 Theodore Sabo, North-West University, South Africa ([email protected]) Abstract: Plotinus inherited the concept of the Nous from the Middle Platonists and ultimately Plato. It was for him both the Demiurge and the abode of the Forms, and his attempts at describing it, often through the use of arresting metaphors, betray substantial eloquence. None of these metaphors is more unusual than that of the globe of faces which is evoked in the sixth Ennead and which is found to possess a notable corollary in the prophet Ezekiel’s vision of the four living creatures. Plotinus’ metaphor reveals that, as in the case of Ezekiel, he was probably granted such a vision, and indeed his encounters with the Nous were not phenomena he considered lightly. Defining the Nous Plotinus’ Nous was a uniquely living entity of which there is a parallel in the Hebrew prophet Ezekiel. The concept of the Nous originated with Anaxagoras. 2 Although Empedocles’ Sphere was similarly a mind,3 Anaxagoras’ idea would win the day, and it would be lavished with much attention by the Middle and Neoplatonists. For Xenocrates the Nous was the supreme God, but for the Middle Platonists it was often the second hypostasis after the One.4 Plotinus, who likewise made the Nous his second hypostasis, equated it with the Demiurge of Plato’s Timaeus.5 He followed Antiochus of Ascalon rather than Plato in regarding it as not only the Demiurge but the Paradigm, the abode of the Forms.6 1 I would like to thank Mark Edwards, Eyjólfur Emilsson, and Svetla Slaveva-Griffin for their help with this article. -
Gottlob Frege: on Sense and Reference Professor Jeeloo Liu [Introduction]
Phil/Ling 375: Meaning and Mind [Handout #13] Gottlob Frege: On Sense and Reference Professor JeeLoo Liu [Introduction] I. Language and the World ___ How does language depict reality? Does reality have the same structure as the structure of language? For instance, the basic linguistic structure is a subject and a predicate, and the basic structure of the world is a particular and a universal (e.g. “Socrates is wise”). The subject usually is something of the world and we describe some property it has or does not have. A is F is true is A is really F, is false when A is not F. II. Different Elements of Language Singular terms: Terms that designate particular things Proper names Indexicals: now, today, here, I… Demonstratives: that, this… Pronouns (singular): he, she,… Definite descriptions (the so-and-so): Indefinite (singular) descriptions (a so-and-so) General terms: Terms that designate a kind of things or a certain property Mass nouns ___ natural kind terms (‘water,’ ‘tiger,’ ‘lemon’) ___ non-natural kind terms (‘bachelor’, ‘contract,’ ‘chair’) Adjectives (predicates): colors, shapes, etc. III. Traditional Theories of Meaning Prior to Frege [A] The Ideational Theory ___ The meaning of a linguistic expression is the speaker’s idea that is associated with the expression. [B] Mill’s Theory [the Object Theory] ___ The meaning of a singular term is the thing designated by that term; ___ the meaning of a name is just what the name stands for; the name does not have any other meaning e.g. ‘Socrates’ means Socrates e.g. ‘Dartmouth’ e.g. -
Aristotle on Thinking ( Noêsis )
Aristotle on Thinking ( Noêsis ) The Perception Model DA III.4-5. Aristotle gives an account of thinking (or intellect—noêsis ) that is modeled on his account of perception in Book II. Just as in perception, “that which perceives” ( to aisthêtikon ) takes on sensible form (without matter), so in thinking “that which thinks” ( to noêtikon ) takes on intelligible form (without matter). Similarly, just as in perception, the perceiver has the quality of the object potentially, but not actually, so, too, in understanding, the intellect is potentially (although not actually) each of its objects. Problem This leaves us with a problem analogous to the one we considered in the case of perception. There we wondered how the perceiver of a red tomato could be potentially (but not actually) red (prior to perceiving it), and yet become red (be actually red) in the process of perceiving it. Here the question is how the intellect that thinks about a tomato (or a horse) is potentially a tomato (or a horse), and then becomes a tomato (or a horse) in the process of thinking about it. The problem about thinking seems more severe: for although there is a sense in which the perceiver becomes red (the sense organ becomes colored red), there does not seem to be a comparable sense in which the intellect becomes a tomato (or a horse). (1) there is no organ involved, and (2) there does not seem to be room in there for a tomato (let alone a horse). The Differences from Perception As we will see, there are important differences between perceiving and understanding, beyond the fact the one involves taking on perceptible form and the other intelligible form. -
Brsq 0096.Pdf
/,,-,,,.I (hrir"M/W:|J,„'JJ(// Bulk Mail -:::-``.::`:.1:.t` U.S. Postage ci{08O#altruntr%%ditl.i PAID Permit No. 5659 CfldemmJin, ORE 23307 Alexandria, VA MR. DENNIS J. DARLAND /9999 .1965 WINDING HILLS RD. (1304) DAVENPORT IA 52807 T=..:€,,5fa=.`¥ _ atiTst:.:..¥5 3`=3 13LT„j§jLj;,:j2F,f:Lu,i,:,„„„„3.,§§.i;§„L„;j„§{j;;`„„:i THE BHRTRAND RUSSELL SOCIHTY QUARTERLY Newsletter o the Bertrand Russell Socie November 1997 No. 96 FROM THH EDITOR John Shosky ................................... 3 FROM THE PRESIDHNT John R. Lenz ................................... 4 BERTRAND RUSSELL SOCIETY CONFERENCH: 19-21 JUNE 1998 ...................... RUSSELL NEWS: Publications, etc ....................... 6 RUSSELL'S PLATO David Rodier ................................... 7 A BOOK REVIEW John Shosky .................................. 19 MEMORY COMES AND GOES: A Video Review Cliff Henke ................................... 22 THE GREATER ROCHESTER RUSSELL SET Peter Stone ................................... 24 BERTRAND RUSSELL SOCIETY Membership PI.orlles ............................ 25 BERTRAND RUSSELL SOCIETY 1998 Call for Board Nominations .................. 27 BERTRAND RUSSELL SOCIETY Membership pror]]e Form . 29 1 FROM THE EDITOR BHRTRAND RUSSELL SOCIETY John Shosky 1998 Membership Renewal Form ................... 31 American University Wc beSn this issue with a report from the society president, John Lenz. He will announce the preliminary details of the Annual Bertrand Russell Society Corferencc, which will be held June 19-21 at the Ethics Center of the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg. John's report will be followed by "Russell News", which is a column of short blurbs about Russell, works on Russell, society happenings, reports on members, general gossip, and other vital talking points for the informed and discerning society member. In my view, the standard of information one should strive for, in a Platonic sense, is Ken Blackwell, the guru of Russell trivia, realizing that Ken has a considerable head start on all of us. -
Does 2 + 3 = 5? : in Defense of a Near Absurdity
This is a repository copy of Does 2 + 3 = 5? : In Defense of a Near Absurdity. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/127022/ Version: Accepted Version Article: Leng, Mary Catherine orcid.org/0000-0001-9936-5453 (2018) Does 2 + 3 = 5? : In Defense of a Near Absurdity. The Mathematical Intelligencer. ISSN 1866-7414 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00283-017-9752-8 Reuse Items deposited in White Rose Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the White Rose Research Online record for the item. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ Does 2 + 3 = 5? In defence of a near absurdity1 Mary Leng (Department of Philosophy, University of York) James Robert Brown asks, “Is anyone really agnostic about 2 + 3 = 5, and willing only to give assent to PA 2 + 3 = 5?” (where PA stands for the Peano axioms for arithmetic). In fact Brown should qualify his ‘anyone’ with ‘anyone not already hopelessly corrupted by philosophy’, since, as he knows full well, there are plenty of so-called nominalist philosophers – myself included – who, wishing to avoid commitment to abstract (that is, non-spatiotemporal, acausal, mind- and language- independent) objects, take precisely this attitude to mathematical claims.