Levinas and the defination of philosophy: An ethical approach

Emmanuel Levinas’ thought seems to be strictly neither rational, phenomenological nor ontological, and it thus intentionally exposes itself to the asking of the question ‘why call it philosophy at all’? While we may have trouble containing Levinas’ thought within our traditional philosophical boundaries, I argue that this gives us no reason to exclude him from philosophy proper as a mere poser, but rather provides the occasion for reflection on just what it means, in an ethical manner, to call something ‘philosophical’. Instead of asking whether or not philosophy can ‘contain’ Levinas’ thought, I contend that it would be more ethical to instead re-phrase the question in terms of ‘sociality’. When we do this, I argue, we can indeed justifiably call Levinas’ thought philosophy.

Submission for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by published work at Aston University

COLLECTION OF PUBLISHED WORKS. DUE TO COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION AT ASTON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES WITH PRIOR ARRANGEMENT.

Chaucer and the Disconsolations of Philosophy: Boethius, Agency, and Literary Form in Late Medieval Literature

This study argues that Chaucer's poetry belongs to a far-reaching conversation about the forms of consolation (philosophical, theological, and poetic) that are available to human persons. Chaucer's entry point to this conversation was Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy, a sixth-century dialogue that tried to show how the Stoic ideals of autonomy and self-possession are not simply normative for human beings but remain within the grasp of every individual. Drawing on biblical commentary, consolation literature, and political theory, this study contends that Chaucer's interrogation of the moral and intellectual ideals of the Consolation took the form of philosophical disconsolations: scenes of profound poetic rupture in which a character, sometimes even Chaucer himself, turns to philosophy for solace and yet fails to be consoled. Indeed, philosophy itself becomes a source of despair. In staging these disconsolations, I contend that Chaucer asks his readers to consider the moral dimensions of the aspirations internal to ancient philosophy and the assumptions about the self that must be true if its insights are to console and instruct. For Chaucer, the self must be seen as a gift that flowers through reciprocity (both human and divine) and not as an object to be disciplined and regulated.

Chapter one focuses on the Consolation of Philosophy. I argue that recent attempts to characterize Chaucer's relationship to this text as skeptical fail to engage the Consolation on its own terms. The allegory of Lady Philosophy's revelation to a disconsolate Boethius enables philosophy to become both an agent and an object of inquiry. I argue that Boethius's initial skepticism about the pretentions of philosophy is in part what Philosophy's therapies are meant to respond to. The pressures that Chaucer's poetry exerts on the ideals of autonomy and self-possession sharpen one of the major absences of the Consolation: viz., the unanswered question of whether Philosophy's therapies have actually consoled Boethius. Chapter two considers one of the Consolation's fascinating and paradoxical afterlives: Robert Holcot's Postilla super librum sapientiae (1340-43). I argue that Holcot's Stoic conception of wisdom, a conception he explicitly links with Boethius's Consolation, relies on a model of agency that is strikingly similar to the powers of self-knowledge that Philosophy argues Boethius to posses. Chapter three examines Chaucer's fullest exploration of the Boethian model of selfhood and his ultimate rejection of it in Troilus and Criseyde. The poem, which Chaucer called his "tragedy," belonged to a genre of classical writing he knew of only from Philosophy's brief mention of it in the Consolation. Chaucer appropriates the genre to explore and recover mourning as a meaningful act. In Chapter four, I turn to Dante and the House of Fame to consider Chaucer's self-reflections about his ambitions as a poet and the demands of truth-telling.

The Transplanters' Certificates and the Historiography of Cromwellian Ireland

This article is concerned with a key source for the transplantation to Connacht known as the 'transplanters' certificates'. It explores how those documents were used and interpreted by scholars both before and after their destruction in 1922 and employs the surviving evidence to reassess their significance.

Enriching the Historiography of Religious Education: Insights from Oral Life History

This article seeks to exemplify the extent to which oral life history research can enrich existing historiographies of English Religious Education (RE). Findings are reported from interviews undertaken with a sample of key informants involved in designing and/or implementing significant curriculum changes in RE in the 1960s and 1970s. The interviews provided insights into personal narratives and biographies that have been marginal to, or excluded from, the historical record. Thematic analysis of the oral life histories opened a window into the world of RE, specifically in relation to professional identity and practice, curriculum development, and professional organizations, thereby exposing the operational dynamics of RE at an (inter-)personal and organizational level. The findings are framed by a series of methodological reflections. Overall, oral life histories are shown to be capable of revealing that which was previously hidden and which can be confirmed and contrasted with knowledge gleaned from primary documentary sources.

Concise Encyclopaedia of Philosophy of Language, ed. P.V. Lamarque, Pergamon 1997, ISBN: 978-0080429915 and, Readings in the Philosophy of Language, ed. P. Ludlow, The MIT Press, 1997, ISBN: 978-0262621144 [Book review]

Abstract not available

History of philosophy, from Thales to the present time.

Vol II. has title: History of modern philosophy. With additions by the translator, an appendix on the English and American philosophy, by Noah Porter...and an appendix on Italian philosophy, by Vincenzo Botta.

Raport z analizy bibliometrycznej. „Pamiętnik Literacki” i „Diametros – An Online Journal of Philosophy”

Prace realizowane w projekcie "Współczesna polska humanistyka wobec wyzwań naukometrii ze środków Narodowego Programu Rozwoju Humanistyki", numer decyzji 0057/NPHR3/H11/82/2014

What place discourse, what role rigorous argumentation? Against the standard image of Hadot's conception of philosophy as a way of life

After an introduction situating the piece in light of debates surrounding Hadot et al's work on the history of philosophy, Part I of what follows lays out, as briefly as possible, the 'standard view' of Hadot promoted by the texts that have been translated hitherto, and which has attracted Cooper, Nussbaum et al’s criticisms about misrepresenting--or dismissing-the place of rational argument in philosophy 'comme manière de vivre'. In Part II, will we see how several of Hadot’s as-yet-untranslated pieces, led by 'La Philosophie Antique: Une Éthique ou une Pratique?', indicate his own much more qualified perspectives about the place of discourse in ancient philosophy conceived as a way of life. To argue that philosophy included the paranoetic prescription of imaginative, mnemic, and even somatic exercises to rehape subjects' beliefs, habits, and desires is not to deny that these exercises were justified rationally, or based in rigorous theoretical accounts of the human being and its place in the cosmos.

Whole school values and the socially transformative potential of philosophy education

The socially transformative potential of philosophy education (PhE) to support a broadening of students' horizons and a fostering of their ability to deal with difference and diversity is the focus of this article. This article explores this potential through its examination of whole school values and PhE at one primary school in Queensland, Australia. The central argument is that the school's prioritizing of social outcomes within its values framework can be supported by PhE at the classroom level. In making this case, this article draws on interview data from the school principal (“Ms A”), the school's Philosophy Mentor and Grade Four teacher (“Ms B”) and a Year 4 PhE student (“Jacob”). Given the transformative role schools are expected to play in the teaching of values, the centrality of school and teacher values in shaping student learning and the potential of PhE to enhance the social outcomes of schooling, this article provides a warrant for further interrogation of the agenda and values transmitted through this curriculum area.

Problemas y consecuencias del resurgir del pragmatismo norteamericano: 1952-1976

Revisión crítica de la ‘versión heredada’ sobre el resurgir del pragmatismo norteamericano. Aquí sostengo que ésta es una narrativa sobre la historia de la filosofía que puede ser usada para “reivindicar” la continuidad o para “añorar” la pérdida de esa tradición. Presento tres argumentos a favor de mi tesis sobre la versión heredada: i) es insuficiente para explicar el surgimiento del pragmatismo; ii) es un tipo de narrativa que hace plausible una imagen de la filosofía; iii) impide apreciar que la formación del canon obedece a los propósitos de los seguidores del movimiento.

Filosofia e paradigma em Cícero

Cícero é uma das poucas fontes críticas de textos do pensamento helenístico durante o período da Roma republicana. Ele atualiza a filosofia grega e, concomitantemente, reconhece a superioridade do direito romano. O espírito prático e guerreiro do povo romano afastava a filosofia, mas a emergência de novos problemas exigia reflexão. Nas disputas políticas e jurídicas, a retórica era um instrumento indispensável. O reaparecimento de estudos retóricos no século XX permitiu que alguns comentadores reconsiderassem a relação entre a retórica e a filosofia, propiciando algumas reflexões sobre o papel de Cícero na historiografia da filosofia.

La querella de la escolástica hispanoamericana : crisis, polémica y normalización

El artículo expone la visión (positiva o negativa) que se ha tenido de la escolástica hispanoamericana desde el siglo XVI hasta el XX. Además de la época en que la escolástica tiene plena e incuestionada vigencia, el proceso tuvo tres momentos: 1. La crisis de la escolástica en el siglo XVIII; 2. Las polémicas que suscitó su apreciación en los siglos XIX y XX; 3. Una final etapa de "normalización" de los estudios de la filosofía colonial en el último tercio del siglo XX.

'O que é o "subalterno" da filosofia da religião? / What Is the “Subaltern” of the Philosophy of Religion?

The The 18th-19th centuries orientalist preoccupations with mythology and ancient perennis lacked both a critical-theoretical sensitivity to historiography anchored in radical historical consciousness and a deep sense of philosophical argumentation, as distinct from discerning mythic patterns of textual (intra-textual or internal) disputation and its interpretative ramifications from another felicitous perspective, usually theology mitigated by whatever remains ‘modern’ in the arts. Philosophy of Religion on the other hand remained heavily straddled in the rigors of logic, reason, analysis, dialectic, reason, reductio, aggressive refutation, within established frameworks drawing from the other branches of philosophy, namely, again, logic, epistemology, ontology and metaphyics. This paper presents a view 'from below' to demonstrate and argue how philosophy o religion must change in the post-colonial era and pay more attention to indigenous patterns of theological thinking and critiquing of Western enlightenment-centred philosophy of religion. It is in Portuguese though.