metaphysics
Realisms: a polemic (Part 1)
“Realism” is a word that gets tossed around the university like a koosh ball. This concept — if there is a concept — is used with varying degrees of plausibility. We’re told that we are obliged to believe in moral realism (unlikely), realism in theology (unstable and speculative), realism about the external world and the [...]
Meditation 99 “Life is a Dream.”
Meditation 99: Life is a Dream
Metaphors draw two unlikely suspects together in an illuminating way. The metaphor “Achilles is a lion” is not literally true, unless I have a lion named “Achilles.” Yet it draws attention to the courage and strength of the hero with a punch that straight prose lacks. “X is brave and [...]
Being a Man II: Manly Metaphysics
In my previous post on this subject, I considered that being a man might be merely a matter of meeting certain social norms. In short, perhaps being a man simply amounts to determining the standards set by the group in question and meeting them.
However, perhaps there is more to being a man than that. Perhaps [...]
Debating Meat III: Cartesian Cutlets
In my previous post on this subject, I discussed the theology of eating meat. My main focus was on the Christian view of the matter as exemplified by the writings of Thomas Aquinas and Augustine. I now turn to look at the metaphysical view put forth by Rene Descartes and how this relates to the [...]
Am I Still a Runner?
While philosophers most often wrestle with academic problems that generally do not impact their personal lives, sometimes we do consider such matters. Sometimes we are forced to do so.
I wrote my dissertation on the problem of universals. To make a long story short (and less dull), the gist of the problem is solving what it [...]
Can God Be Perfect if We Exist Apart from Him?
As I do every Spring Semester, I am once more teaching Modern Philosophy. While the Modern era was marked by the rise of what is now taken to be modern science, it was also a time of great faith. Philosophers such as Descartes and scientists such as Newton advanced arguments for God’s existence and considered [...]
Zombies
When Halloween draws close, I watch my favorite horror films and among these are the classic and new zombie films. Interestingly, philosophers have written quite a bit about zombies. Unfortunately, the zombies that philosophers tend to write about are not as cool as the zombies of the horror genre.
The philosophical zombies are beings who look [...]
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