Divine Action, Determinism, and the Laws of Nature
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At Least in Biophysical Novelties Amihud Gilead
The Twilight of Determinism: At Least in Biophysical Novelties Amihud Gilead Department of Philosophy, Eshkol Tower, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838 Email: [email protected] Abstract. In the 1990s, Richard Lewontin referred to what appeared to be the twilight of determinism in biology. He pointed out that DNA determines only a little part of life phenomena, which are very complex. In fact, organisms determine the environment and vice versa in a nonlinear way. Very recently, biophysicists, Shimon Marom and Erez Braun, have demonstrated that controlled biophysical systems have shown a relative autonomy and flexibility in response which could not be predicted. Within the boundaries of some restraints, most of them genetic, this freedom from determinism is well maintained. Marom and Braun have challenged not only biophysical determinism but also reverse-engineering, naive reductionism, mechanism, and systems biology. Metaphysically possibly, anything actual is contingent.1 Of course, such a possibility is entirely excluded in Spinoza’s philosophy as well as in many philosophical views at present. Kant believed that anything phenomenal, namely, anything that is experimental or empirical, is inescapably subject to space, time, and categories (such as causality) which entail the undeniable validity of determinism. Both Kant and Laplace assumed that modern science, such as Newton’s physics, must rely upon such a deterministic view. According to Kant, free will is possible not in the phenomenal world, the empirical world in which we 1 This is an assumption of a full-blown metaphysics—panenmentalism—whose author is Amihud Gilead. See Gilead 1999, 2003, 2009 and 2011, including literary, psychological, and natural applications and examples —especially in chemistry —in Gilead 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014a–c, and 2015a–d. -
Western Philosophy Rev
Designed by John Cornet, Phoenix HS (Ore) Western Philosophy rev. September 2012 The very process of philosophy has been a driving force in the tranformation of the world. From the figure who dwells upon how to achieve power, to the minister who contemplates the paradox of the only truth (their faith) yet which is also stagnent, to the astronomers who are searching the stars for signs of other civilizations, to the revolutionaries who sought to construct a national government which would protect the rights of the minority, the very exercise of philosophy and philosophical thought is at a core of human nature. Philosophy addresses what are sometimes called the "big questions." These include questions of morality and ethics, ideology/faith,, politics, the truth of knowledge, the nature of reality, and the meaning of human existance (...just to name a few!) (Religion addresses some of the same questions, but while philosophy and religion overlap in some questions, they can and do differ significantly in the approach they take to answering them.) Subject Learning Outcomes Skills-Based Learning Outcomes Behavioral Expectations and Grading Policy Develop an appreciation for and enjoyment of Organize, maintain and learn how to study from a learning, particularly in how learning should subject-specific notebook Attendance, participation and cause us to question what we think we know Be able to demonstrate how to take notes (including being prepared are daily and have a willingness to entertain new utilizing two-column format) expectations perspectives on issues. Be able to engage in meaningful, substantive discussion A classroom culture of respect and Students will develop familiarity with major with others. -
What Is That Thing Called Philosophy of Technology? - R
HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY – Vol. IV - What Is That Thing Called Philosophy of Technology? - R. J. Gómez WHAT IS THAT THING CALLED PHILOSOPHY OF TECHNOLOGY? R. J. Gómez Department of Philosophy. California State University (LA). USA Keywords: Adorno, Aristotle, Bunge, Ellul, Feenberg, Habermas, Heidegger, Horkheimer, Jonas, Latour, Marcuse, Mumford, Naess, Shrader-Frechette, artifact, assessment, determinism, ecosophy, ends, enlightenment, efficiency, epistemology, enframing, ideology, life-form, megamachine, metaphysics, method, naturalistic, fallacy, new, ethics, progress, rationality, rule, science, techno-philosophy Contents 1. Introduction 2. Locating technology with respect to science 2.1. Structure and Content 2.2. Method 2.3. Aim 2.4. Pattern of Change 3. Locating philosophy of technology 4. Early philosophies of technology 4.1. Aristotelianism 4.2. Technological Pessimism 4.3. Technological Optimism 4.4. Heidegger’s Existentialism and the Essence of Technology 4.5. Mumford’s Megamachinism 4.6. Neomarxism 4.6.1. Adorno-Horkheimer 4.6.2. Marcuse 4.6.3. Habermas 5. Recent philosophies of technology 5.1. L. Winner 5.2. A. Feenberg 5.3. EcosophyUNESCO – EOLSS 6. Technology and values 6.1. Shrader-Frechette Claims 6.2. H Jonas 7. Conclusions SAMPLE CHAPTERS Glossary Bibliography Biographical Sketch Summary A philosophy of technology is mainly a critical reflection on technology from the point of view of the main chapters of philosophy, e.g., metaphysics, epistemology and ethics. Technology has had a fast development since the middle of the 20th century , especially ©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS) HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY – Vol. IV - What Is That Thing Called Philosophy of Technology? - R. -
May 12, 2017 Department of Philosophy Undergraduate Course Descriptions
UB Spring Session January 30 - May 12, 2017 Department of Philosophy Undergraduate Course Descriptions PHI 101 Introduction to Philosophy K. Cho M, W, F, 9:00 AM-9:50 AM Class # 24095 This is an introductory philosophy course with a compact and yet global design. Instead of the frequently adopted but seldom fully utilized textbooks averaging 630 pates we have chosen a text with only 130 ages but packed with content that is literally “Global”. Text: John Dewey, Confucius and Global Philosophy, by Joseph Grange, 2004, SUNY Press; Plus Occasional Handouts in class. The choice of the two names Dewey and Confucius is more symbolic. Nobody would think these two embody the Western half and The Eastern half of the world; philosophy it is rather in terms of “working connections” they reveal to each other that we perceive them as representatives of our age it its needs. Dewey was certainly a typical American philosopher, who like no one else. Advanced the cause of Pragmatism. But he was also the American philosopher who was the most open to the world. He lectured in Beijing and promoted talented Chinese scholars who came to seek his guidance. And who remembers today that Dewey was thoroughly at home in Kant’s, Kant's Critique and was a skilled Hegelian dialectician? “Breathing is an affair as much as it is an affair of the air”. Or “Walking is an affair of legs as much as it is an affair of the earth.” In these simple words, Dewy translated the speculative language of German Idealism and made philosophy an affair of living. -
Causality and Determinism: Tension, Or Outright Conflict?
1 Causality and Determinism: Tension, or Outright Conflict? Carl Hoefer ICREA and Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Draft October 2004 Abstract: In the philosophical tradition, the notions of determinism and causality are strongly linked: it is assumed that in a world of deterministic laws, causality may be said to reign supreme; and in any world where the causality is strong enough, determinism must hold. I will show that these alleged linkages are based on mistakes, and in fact get things almost completely wrong. In a deterministic world that is anything like ours, there is no room for genuine causation. Though there may be stable enough macro-level regularities to serve the purposes of human agents, the sense of “causality” that can be maintained is one that will at best satisfy Humeans and pragmatists, not causal fundamentalists. Introduction. There has been a strong tendency in the philosophical literature to conflate determinism and causality, or at the very least, to see the former as a particularly strong form of the latter. The tendency persists even today. When the editors of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy asked me to write the entry on determinism, I found that the title was to be “Causal determinism”.1 I therefore felt obliged to point out in the opening paragraph that determinism actually has little or nothing to do with causation; for the philosophical tradition has it all wrong. What I hope to show in this paper is that, in fact, in a complex world such as the one we inhabit, determinism and genuine causality are probably incompatible with each other. -
Trinity, Subordination, and Heresy: a Reply to Mark Edwards
2020 TheoLogica An International Journal for Philosophy of Religion and Philosophical Theology S. I. CONCILIAR TRINITARIANISM DOI: https://doi.org/10.14428/thl.v4i2.52323 Trinity, Subordination, and Heresy: A Reply to Mark Edwards R. T. MULLINS University of Edinburgh [email protected] Abstract: In this article, I offer some analytic reflections on Mark Edward's paper, "Is Subordinationism a Heresy?" I shall discuss the desiderata for a conciliar Trinitarian theology, the divine essence, and the different notions of subordination that Edwards identifies. Then I shall consider two arguments that certain accepted, conciliar notions of subordination lead to heretical notions of subordination. Thus raising the worry that conciliar Trinitarian theology might involve some internal incoherence between the homoousios doctrine and the subordination of the Son and Holy Spirit to the Father. Keywords: Trinity, subordination, eternal generation, analytic theology Mark Edwards has provided us with an excellent overview of the different notions of Trinitarian subordination throughout parts of church history. Some readers will be surprised to find that certain notions of subordination are affirmed in conciliar Trinitarian thought, whilst others are not. I for one greatly appreciate the clarity that Edwards brings to this issue in his essay. His essay is not intended to be historically exhaustive, but rather offers snapshots into different time periods. Edwards starts his survey with the biblical material before moving on to the debates leading up to the Council of Nicaea, and the continuation of those debates in the aftermath of the Council. After this, Edwards takes a glance at the Protestant Reformation, and then offers an interesting discussion of the Trinitarian thought of John Milton, Ralph Cudworth, and George Bull. -
Philosophy of Natural Law
4YFPMWLIHMR-RWXMXYXI W.SYVREP7IT PHILOSOPHY OF NATURAL LAW Justice K. N. Saikia Former Judge Supreme Court of India. Director General National Judicial Academy By philosophy of law, for the purpose of this article, is meant the pursuit of wisdom, truth and knowledge of law by use of reason. In other words, philosophy of law means the ratlonal investigation and study of the basic ideal and principles of law. The philosophy of natural law is the subject of this article. Longing for a Higher Law - In the human bosom there has always been a longing for a higher law than those made by the community itself. The divine theory of law, the theory of natural law, and the principles of natural justice are some theories or notions found in fulfilment of this longing. Divine laws are those ascribed to God. Divine rights of kings were supposed to have been derived from God. Laws which are claimed to be God-made, may not be amendable by man; and their reasoning and provisions also not to be ques- tioned by man. Greek thinkers from Homer to the Stoics, and reflections of Plato and Aristotle mainly provide the beginning of systematic legal thinking. In Homer, law is embodied in the themistes which the kings receive from Zeus as the divine source of all earthly justice which is still identical with order and authority. Solon the great Athenian lawgiver appeals to Dike, the daughter of Zeus, as a guarantor of justice against earthly tyranny, violation of rights and social injustice. The Code of Hamurapi was handed over by the Sun god. -
Action Verbs
ACTION VERBS Accepts To receive as true; to regard as proper, normal, inevitable Accounts To give a report on; to furnish a justifying analysis or explanation Accumulates To collect; to gather Achieves To bring to a successful conclusion Acknowledges To report the receipt of Acquires To come into possession of Activates To mobilize; to set into motion Acts To perform a specified function Adapts To suit or fit by modification Adjusts To bring to a more satisfactory state; to bring the parts of something to a true or more effective position Administers To manage or direct the execution of affairs Adopts To take up and practice as one's own Advises To recommend a course of action; to offer an informed opinion based on specialized knowledge Advocates To recommend or speak in favor of Affirms To assert positively; to confirm Aligns To arrange in a line; to array Allots To assign as a share Alters To make different without changing into something else Amends To change or modify for the better Analyzes To separate into elements and critically examine Answers To speak or write in reply Anticipates To foresee and deal with in advance Applies To put to use for a purpose; to employ diligently or with close attention Appoints To name officially Appraises To give an expert judgment of worth or merit Approves To accept as satisfactory; to exercise final authority with regard to commitment of resources Arranges To prepare for an event; to put in proper order Ascertains To find out or discover through examination; to find out or learn for a certainty -
LES ENLUMINURES,LTD Les Enluminures
LES ENLUMINURES,LTD Les Enluminures 2970 North Lake Shore Drive 11B Le Louvre des Antiquaires Chicago, Illinois 60657 2 place du Palais-Royal 75001 Paris tel. 1-773-929-5986 fax. 1-773-528-3976 tél : 33 1 42 60 15 58 [email protected] fax : 33 1 40 15 00 25 [email protected] BONIFACE VIII (1294-1303), Liber Sextus, with the Glossa Ordinaria of Johannes Andreae and the Regulae Iuris In Latin, illuminated manuscript, on parchment [France, likely Avignon, c. 1350] 228 folios, parchment, complete (1-910, 10 8, 1112, 12 8, 13-1412, 15-1910, 2011, 199 is a folio detached, 21-2210, 234, 225 and 227 are detached folios), quires 21 to 23 bear an old foliation that goes from 1 to 22 and are distinctive both by their mise-en-page and their texts, horizontal catchwords for quires 1-9 and 21-22, vertical for quires 10-20, ruling in pen: for the Liber Sextus 2 columns of variable length with surrounding glosses (57-60 lines of gloss; justification 295/325 x 195/200 mm); in quires 21-23, 2 columns (52-54 lines, justification 310 x 185), written in littera bononiensis by several hands, smaller and more compressed for the gloss, of middle size, more regular and larger for the Regulae iuris, decoration of numerous initals in red and blue, that of quires 1 and 5 is a little more finished, the initials there are delicately calligraphed with penwork in red with violet and blue with red, large 4 ILLUMINATED INITIALS on ff. 2r and 4r, a little deteriorated in blue, pale green, pink, orange, and gold and silver on black ground with white foliage, containing rinceaux and animals, the first surmounted by a rabbit; at the beginning of the text a large initial with penwork and foliage, ending in a floral frame separating the text from the gloss, with an erased shield in the lower margin. -
Free Will Vs. Determinismvs
the case for free will free will Free will and determinism free will vs. determinismvs. against compatibilist free will determinism against incompatibilist free will the case for free will We’ve been discussing the free will defense as a response to the argument free will from evil. This response assumes something about us: that we have free and determinism will. against compatibilist free will But what does this mean? against incompatibilist free will To say that we have to free will is to say that some of our actions are up to us; it to say that, at least sometimes, we have the ability to choose what we do. Is it true that some of our actions are up to us, and that we sometimes are able to choose what we will do? This is the question we’ll be asking ourselves for the next two weeks. Our discussion will involve us considering the three strongest arguments against the view that we have free will. But before doing that it is worth asking why there is any reason to accept the common view that we do have free will. Are there any arguments in favor of the reality of free will? view that we have free will. the case for free will But before doing that it is worth asking why there is any reason to accept the common view that we do have free will. Are there any free will and determinism arguments in favor of the reality of free will? against compatibilist free will There are. The first argument starts with an apparent fact about moral against responsibility: it seems (at least to a first approximation) that we are incompatibilist free will only responsible for actions which we freely perform. -
On Reading the Bible As Scripture, Encountering the Church
Perichoresis Volume 18.5 (2020): 67–86 DOI: 10.2478/perc-2020-0029 ON READING THE BIBLE AS SCRIPTURE, ENCOUNTERING THE CHURCH * STEVEN NEMES Fuller Theological Seminary ABSTRACT. As an exercise in the ‘theology of disclosure’, the present essay proposes a kind of phenomenological analysis of the act of reading the Bible as Scripture with the goal of bringing to light the theoretical commitments which it implicitly demands. This sort of analysis can prove helpful for the continuing disputes among Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox insofar as it is relevant for one of the principal points of controversy between them: namely, the rela- tionship between Scripture, Tradition, and Church as theological authorities. It proceeds by analyzing both the objective and subjective ‘poles’ of the act, and it illuminates the presence of the Church and her Tradition on both sides. The Church—i.e., the community of God’s peo- ple—is both that which is immediately encountered in the text, as well as the factor which ena- bles scriptural reading in the first place. The article terminates with an application of the in- sights of the preceding discussion to the controversy about icons. KEYWORDS: phenomenology of Scripture, Tradition, Bible, ecclesiology, icons Preliminary Remarks on the Phenomenology of Scripture The quincentenary of the Protestant Reformation invites careful reflection on persistent divisions which characterize Christian existence in the modern world. Though typically the disputes between Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox are often addressed hermeneutically, through the careful inter- pretation of particular critical passages, there is a prior question to be an- swered, one which promises fruit for the resolution of the seemingly inter- minable exegetical debates. -
Emergence in Psychology: Lessons from the History of Non-Reductionist Science
Paper Human Development 2002;45:2-28 Human Development Emergence in Psychology: Lessons from the History of Non-Reductionist Science R. Keith Sawyer Washington University, St.louis, Mo., USA KeyWords Cognitive science. Emergence. History. Reductionism. Socioculturalism Abstract Theories of emergence have had a longstanding influence on psychological thought. Emergentism rejects both reductionism and holism; emergentists are scientific materialists, and yet argue that reductionist explanation may not always be scientifically feasible. I begin by summarizing the history of emergence in psy- chology and sociology, from the mid-19th century through the mid-20th century. I then demonstrate several parallels between this history and contemporary psy- chology, focusing on two recent psychological movements: socioculturalism and connectionist cognitive science. Placed in historical context, both sociocultural ism and connectionism are seen to be revivals of 19th and early 20th century emergen- tism. I then draw on this history to identify several unresolved issues facing socio- culturalists and connectionists, and to suggest several promising paths for future theory. Copyright @ 2002 S. Karger AG, Base! 1. Introduction Emergentism is a form of materialism which holds that some complex natural phe- nomena cannot be studied using reductionist methods. My first goal in this paper is to identify the historical roots of two emergentist paradigms in contemporary psychology: sociocultural psychology and cognitive science. My second goal is to draw on this histo- ry to explore several unresolved issues facing these contemporary paradigms. Sociocul- tural psychologists are sociological emergentists; they hold that group behavior is consti- KARG E R <92002 S. Karger AG, Basel R. Keith Sawyer, Washington University .OOI8-716X/02/0451-0()()2$18.50/0 Department of Education, Campus Box 1183 Fax+41613061234 St.