【Philosophy】African philosophy cannot be a thing
This essay unpacks several arguments about the metaphilosophic nature of African philosophy and charts a way through the problems these arguments enco... [more]
【Philosophy】Fusion Philosophy and Epistemic Injustice
I use the concept of epistemic injustice to think through the practice and methodology of comparative, or fusion, philosophy. I make two related claim... [more]
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Before the dogcatcher's van: History and subjectivity in Francis Barker
In this article, I offer an overview of the work of Francis Barker, paying particular attention to his diagnosis and critique of modern (bourgeois) subjectivity. I examine Barker's commentary on the violence that attended the birth of the modern, and on
Reflexivity and interpretive sociology: The case of analysis and the problem of nihilism
This paper addresses the problem of reflexivity in modern social inquiry in general and in sociology in particular. This problem is inherited from Weber's very conception of sociology, is transformed by phenomenology and ethnomethodology, deepened by the
Rorty, Sorge and truth
Rorty's assessment of the origins of the analytic/continental divide is discussed and criticized on several grounds. Rorty's plea in favour of the philosophical quietism implicit in the pragmatists' dismissal of metaphysics rests on an uncritical faith
Amateurs and professionals in one county: Biology and natural history in late Victorian Yorkshire
My goals in this paper are twofold: to outline the refashioning of amateur and professional roles in life science in late Victorian Yorkshire, and to provide a revised historiography of the relationship between amateurs and professionals in this era. Some
Representing epistemic uncertainty by means of dialectical argumentation
We articulate a dialectical argumentation framework for qualitative representation of epistemic uncertainty in scientific domains. The framework is grounded in specific philosophies of science and theories of rational mutual discourse. We study the formal
On understanding: Maxwell on the methods of illustration and scientific metaphor
In this paper I examine the notion and role of metaphors and illustrations in Maxwell\'s works in exact science as a pathway into a broader and richer philosophical conception of a scientist and scientific practice. While some of these notions and metho
Paul Tillich's perspectives on ways of relating science and religion
Where do Paul Tillich's views of the relationship between religion and science fit in Ian Barbour's four classifications of conflict, independence, dialogue, and integration? At different:levels of analysis, he fits in all of them. In concrete religions
Medicine and scholarly knowledge in Portugal during the Renaissance
The present article is concerned with drawing general picture of the influences on medical scholarship in early modern Portugal. We focus on the writings and activities of doctors who graduated and taught in universities, and were physicians to a powerful
The economy of the gift - Paul Ricoeur's significance for theological ethics
Paul Ricoeur's understanding of the relations of faith, love, and hope suggests a unique approach to theological ethics, one that holds fresh promise for bringing together considerations of the good (teleology) and the right (deontology) around the notio
Food and the purification of society:: Dr Paul!Carton and vegetarianism in interwar France
This article examines the life and work of Dr Paul Car-ton (1875-1947), a French physician who promoted 'naturist vegetarianism'. His career and the evolution of his ideas were influenced by his own experience as a young man of treatment for tuberculosi
History of science through Koyre's lenses
Alexandre Koyre was one of the most prominent historians of science of the twentieth century. The standard interpretation of Koyre is that he falls squarely within the internalist camp of historians of science-that he focuses on the history of the ideas t
Noble goals and challenging terrain: Organic and fair trade coffee movements in the global marketpla
Social relations associated with conventional agricultural exports find their origins in long term associations based on business, family, and class alliances. Working outside these boundaries presents a host of challenges, especially where small producer
How to take aim at the heart of the present and remain analytic
In his famous lecture on Kant's essay 'An Answer to the Question What is Enlightenment' Foucault distinguished between two traditions in modern philosophy coming out of Kant's work: 'an analytic of truth' and 'an ontology of present reality [actual
The creative dilemma: The influence of Schiller's aesthetics on the life and work of Otto Rank
The impact of philosophical wisdom on the pioneers of psychoanalytic work is presented in this article, in particular the influence of Schiller's aesthetics on the theoretical and clinical work of Otto Rank. The essay will compare and contrast Schiller'
Some thoughts about the hardest logic puzzle ever
'The Hardest Logic Puzzle Ever' was first described by the late George Boolos in the Spring 1996 issue of the Harvard Review of Philosophy. Although not dissimilar in appearance from many other simpler puzzles involving gods (or tribesmen) who always te