<p>This thesis comprises an investigation into a very well known and perennial philosophical debate over the interpretive status of our most well confirmed scientific theories, known as "scientific realism." I do not defend ...

It has become increasingly common to explain the behavior of animals—from sperm whales to songbirds—in terms of culture. But what is animal culture, what is its relationship to other biological concepts and to human ...

<p>A classic question in moral philosophy asks "Why be moral?" In other words, what reason or motive do people have to act in accordance with the requirements of morality? In the tradition of Thomas Hobbes and David Hume, ...

In the past several years, the impact of intellectual property rights (IPRs) on access to medicines and medical technologies has come under increased scrutiny. Motivating this are highly publicized cases where IPRs appear ...

We do not want arbitrariness in our moral judgments. In the first half of my thesis, I will discuss moral luck and the problem it poses for assigning moral responsibility in a non-arbitrary manner. Once I have discussed ...

Nietzsche’s dual interest in philosophy and poetry has major ramifications for the both the style and content of Nietzsche’s philosophy. Though most modern philosophical texts consider clarity of argument to be a prime ...

<p>Naturalism faces problems caused by a lack of agreement about whether there is or can be a meaningful and useful conception of naturalism as a general research position. Without a widely agreed upon account of what ...

<p>In Platonic Modes of Explanation, I examine Plato's treatment of Form, matter, and telos in his theory of explanation. To focus my investigation of Plato's theory, I adopt an unorthodox approach: that of using Aristotle's ...

<p>While both intuitive knowledge (<italic>scientia intuitiva</italic>) and reason (<italic>ratio</italic>) are adequate ways of knowing for Spinoza, they are not equal. "The greatest virtue of the mind" and "the greatest ...

<p>The principle of respect for other persons is commonly invoked in contemporary liberalism as justification for the claim that a conscientious citizen in a liberal democracy is morally obligated to refrain from supporting ...