In this book Terence Parsons revives the older tradition of taking such objects at face value. Using various modern techniques from logic and the philosophy of language, he formulates a metaphysical theory of nonexistent objects. The theory is given a formalization in symbolism rich enough to contain definite descriptions, modal operators, and epistemic contexts, and the book includes a discussion which relates the formalized theory explicitly to English.

The following quotation, from Frank Jackson, is the beginning of a typical exposition of the debate between those metaphysicians who believe in temporal parts, and those who do not: The dispute between three-dimensionalism and four-dimensionalism, or more precisely, that part of the dispute we will be concerned with, concerns what persistence, and correllatively, what change, comes to. Three-dimensionalism holds that an object exists at a time by being wholly present at that time, and, accordingly, that it persists if it is (...) wholly present at more than one time. For short, it persists by enduring. Four-dimensionalism holds that an object exists at a time by having a temporal part at that time, and it persists if it has distinct temporal parts at more than one time. For short, it persists by perduring. In the light of these comments, some readers will perhaps find the question that forms the title of this paper a little puzzling. They may have learned to use the terms ‘fourdimensionalism’ ‘perdurantism’ and ‘belief in temporal parts’ interchangeably; or perhaps even to define one in terms of the other. Such a usage, however, is inapposite. We might imagine a Flatland-like world of two spatial dimensions and one temporal, whose philosophers are divided between a theory of persistence on which they persist by having temporal parts, and a theory on which they persist by being wholly located in each of several times. This is just the same issue we face, but at least the label ‘four-dimensionalism’ seems inapposite: the four-dimensionalist Flatlanders believe in only three dimensions! (shrink)

In _"Masterpiece" Studies_ Kermit Champa offers new ways to interpret modernism that have previously been closed off by the application of the reigning art-historical methodologies to the study of the modernist achievement. He focuses on four separate phenomena—Manet's last Salon painting, _Bar at the Folies-Bergèr_e;_ L'Oeuvre_, Zola's novel about the realist/impressionist movement; Van Gogh's problematic versions of a single painting, _La Berceuse_; and the immanent "series" phenomenon of Monet's work of the period. Champa reveals the importance of music, in (...) particular Wagner's music, as a paradigm for later nineteenth-century French painting. He also shows the crucial significance of the concept of the masterpiece as thematized by Zola in his novel for our understanding of certain aspects of the art of Manet, Monet, and Van Gogh. Employing postformalist methodology, the book explores the conversation between works of art produced in close succession and elaborates an aesthetic context for that conversation. Champa also shows how paintings and fictional representations of paintings can announce their points in common, and it is out of this exploration that he radically redefines what constitutes "context.". (shrink)

This paper explores the tensions that arise when one considers the relevance of institutionalized philosophy to social, political, and environmental change. It considers the time it takes to think deeply, critically, creatively, against the urgent need for protest in the streets, for persuasion of our political representatives, for profound alterations to what we consume. Since philosophy in the academy can reek of disproportionate privilege and self-protection and norms that govern institutionalized philosophy often drive away some of the most curious minds (...) and diverse perspectives, this paper considers: if our philosophical work does not help in substantial ways to address social, political, and environmental crises, can we, in good conscience, continue it? To think through this question, this paper will share a video-based assignment on “activism” that helps me, and hopefully students in my classes, navigate, but not resolve, this tension. (shrink)

The transcendental aesthetic -- Arithmetic and the categories -- Remarks on pure natural science -- Two studies in the reception of Kant's philosophy of arithmetic: postscript to part I -- Some remarks on Frege's conception of extension -- Postscript to essay 5 -- Frege's correspondence: postscript to essay 6 -- Brentano on judgment and truth -- Husserl and the linguistic turn.

I discuss a problem for modal realism raised by John Divers and others. I argue that the problem is real enough but that Divers’ “advanced modalising” solution is inadquate. The problem can only be solved by 1) holding that modal realism is only contingently true, 2) embracing a kind of Meinongianism about ontological commitment, or 3) abandoning the project of “analysing modality”.

Normally this is not how we think material objects work. I, for example, am a material object that is located in multiple places: this place to my left where my left arm is, and this, distinct, place to my right, where my right arm is. But I am only partially located in each place. My left arm is a part of me that fills exactly the place to my left, and my right arm is a distinct part of me that (...) fills exactly the place to my right. I am located in multiple places by virtue of having distinct parts in those places. So entension is not happening to me — I do not entend. (shrink)

Assessing the success or failure of a work of architecture typically requires determining its function. However, architectural criticism often founders on apparently intractable disputes concerning the 'true' function of particular works. In this essay, I propose that the proper function of an architectural work is a matter of empirical fact, and can be determined by examining the history of the relevant architectural type. I develop this claim by appeal to the so-called 'etiological theory of function'.

The nature of psychoanalysis seems contradictory - deeply personal, subjective and intuitive, yet requiring systematic theory and principles of technique. The objective quality of psychoanalytic knowledge is paradoxically dependent on the personal engagement of the knower with what is known. In The Dove that Returns, The Dove that Vanishes , Michael Parsons explores the tension of this paradox. As they respond to it, and struggle to sustain it creatively, analysts discover their individual identities. The work of outstanding clinicians such (...) as Marion Milner and John Klauber is examined in detail. The reader also encounters oriental martial arts, Greek Tragedy, the landscape painting of John Constable, a Winnicottian theory of creativity and a discussion of the significance of play in psychoanalysis. From such varied topics evolves a deepening apprehension of the nature of the clinical experience. Illustrated throughout with clinical examples, The Dove that Returns, The Dove that Vanishes will prove valuable to those in the field of psychoanalysis, and to those in the arts and humanities who are interested in contemporary psychoanalytic thinking. (shrink)

Here is a puzzle from the Stoic, Chrysippus: There was once a man called Dion, who was unfortunate enough to have his foot annihilated. Thereafter, he was known as Theon. Theon is identical to what was left over after Dion’s foot was removed. That is, Theon is that part of Dion that does not include his foot. If all this is true, then Theon is a proper part of Dion. That is, he is a part of Dion, but not identical (...) to Dion. But if that’s right, then, surprisingly, Dion didn’t survive the loss of his foot. (shrink)

I denne teksten blir følgende spørsmål tatt opp til drøfting: Er det å ta medisinsk teknologi i bruk for å selektere et døvt barn mer etisk problematisk enn det motsatte; å bruke teknologien for å sikre seg et hørende barn? På bakgrunn av fire premisser konkluderer jeg med at både seleksjon for døvhet og for hørsel er tilnærmet like etisk problematisk. De fire premissene er 1) at seleksjonskriteriet sykdom eller skade bør erstattes av autentisitetsbetraktninger, 2) at døve og hørende har (...) samme potensial for autentisk livsutfoldelse, selv om det ikke kan avvises at døvhet kjennetegnes ved manglende hørsel, 3) at seleksjon innebærer fravalg av liv som har autentisk potensialitet enten som døv eller hørende, og 4) at dette fravalget involverer en etisk kostnad. Konklusjonen har enkelte andre implikasjoner og en restproblematikk som belyses avslutningsvis. (shrink)

It is a well-known fact of mathematical logic, by now developed in considerable detail, that formalized mathematical theories can be ordered by relative interpretability, and the "strength" of a theory is indicated by where it stands in this ordering. Mutual interpretability is an equivalence relation, and what I call an ordering is a partial ordering modulo this equivalence. Of the theories that have been studied, the natural theories belong to a linearly ordered subset of this ordering.

Politics pervades every aspect of our lives as human beings. As Aristotle said, we are "political animals.

On ethics and gender -- Feminism as an ethics of gender -- Is ethics a man's subject? -- The matter of bodies -- The subject of language -- The power of agency -- Engendering ethics -- Conceiving of difference -- Subjected in hope -- For love of God.

Peirce’s system may be identified as one of a family of “organic memory” theories which flourished during the period in which he developed it, especially in the Monist journals which published much of his late work. “Organic memory” theories were vigorously opposed in their own day and are remembered in our own, if at all, only in connection with discredited theories such as racial memory and Lamarckian inheritance. When read in the context of their own time, however, “organic memory” theories (...) stand revealed as among modernity’s first attempts at a still-unrealized, post-nominalist re-foundation of science. Being thus closely related to Peirce’s own project both in time and in spirit, they deserve to be understood on their own terms. The synthesis of these theories in the book Das Gesetz der Serie (1919) by the Austrian biologist Paul Kammerer (1880-1926), a prominent representative of organized Monism's European branch, provides insight into the systematic unity of the various aspects of Peirce's thought, especially the close relationship between pragmatism and what is now called “emergence.”. (shrink)

DIVBased on a series of lectures delivered in 1840, Thomas Carlyle’s On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History considers the creation of heroes and the ways they exert heroic leadership. From the divine and prophetic to the poetic to the religious to the political, Carlyle investigates the mysterious qualities that elevate humans to cultural significance. By situating the text in the context of six essays by distinguished scholars that reevaluate both Carlyle’s work and his ideas, David (...) Sorensen and Brent Kinser argue that Carlyle's concept of heroism stresses the hero’s spiritual dimension. In Carlyle’s engagement with various heroic personalities, he dislodges religiosity from religion, myth from history, and truth from “quackery” as he describes the wondrous ways in which these “flowing light-fountains” unlock the heroic potential of ordinary human beings. /div. (shrink)

The neuregulin gene encodes a series of polypeptide growth factors that can influence the growth state of target vertebrate cells in culture. Recently, three studies have explored the in vivo function of the neuregulin signaling system in mice by disrupting the genes encoding the neuregulin ligand(1) and two of its receptors, ErbB2(2) and ErbB4(3). Each of the genes is essential for development, and aberrations in cardiac and neural development are particularly prominent in mutant embryos. The observed defects, together with the (...) localization of expression of the neuregulin signaling components within these tissues, highlight a paracrine mechanism for neuregulin‐mediated intercellular communication. (shrink)

Stimulation of mitogenesis by the epidermal growth factor (EGF) operates through a pathway involving the receptor, the small G‐protein Ras and protein kinases of the MAP kinase cascade. It is proposed that two of the critical steps of that pathway utilize localization of components to the plasma membrane where Ras is located: recruitment of the nucleotide exchange protein Sos to the phosphorylated EGF receptor via a complex with the SH2/SH3‐containing protein Grb2 and recruitment of the protein kinase Raf to activated (...) Ras. Moreover, it is then proposed that Raf associates with the cytoskeleton at the membrane as it is being activated. Other signaling elements, including class I receptor kinases, nonreceptor tyrosine kinases and tyrosine phosphatases, are known to function at specific cellular sites. These observations have led us to propose that localization of signaling components, and particularly sites at membrane‐microfilament interfaces, play critical roles in cellular regulation. (shrink)

In this paper some of the history of the development of arithmetic in set theory is traced, particularly with reference to the problem of avoiding the assumption of an infinite set. Although the standard method of singling out a sequence of sets to be the natural numbers goes back to Zermelo, its development was more tortuous than is generally believed. We consider the development in the light of three desiderata for a solution and argue that they can probably not all (...) be satisfied simultaneously. (shrink)

The function of REM, or any other stage of sleep, can currently only be conjectured. A rational evaluation of the role of REM in memory processing requires systematic testing of hypotheses that are optimally derived from a complete synthesis of existing knowledge. Our view is that the large number of studies supporting a relationship between REM-related brain activity and memory is not easily explained away. [Vertes & Eastman].

Ntroduction : Christianity, Christ, and Machiavelli's The prince -- Christianity's siren song -- Christ's defective political foundations -- Hope is not enough -- The prince of war -- Machiavelli's unchristian virtue -- Christ's ruinous political legacy -- The harrowing redemption of Italy -- Conclusion : Machiavelli's gospel.

ABSTRACT Although Kairos in Greek mythology is often depicted as the winged son of Zeus who grants to those who lay hold of his single lock of hair their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, in traditional African American culture, particularly when it comes to speech, Kairos is essentially family. Given how much African American speakers depend on seizing the moment to invoke spiritual connections, emit laughter, and profess the truth, Kairos, or what we might call CPT (“Colored People’s Time”), can be summoned almost (...) at will. One of the African American discourses this article will use to illustrate this point is Call and Response, a verbal exchange in which speakers and listeners attune to one another and to the timeliness of an event. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was such an event, but it wouldn’t have been so were it not for the timely responding of his favorite gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson. (shrink)

The Protestant ethic — a moral code stressing hard work, rigorous self-discipline, and the organization of one's life in the service of God — was made famous by sociologist and political economist Max Weber. In this brilliant study (his best-known and most controversial), he opposes the Marxist concept of dialectical materialism and its view that change takes place through "the struggle of opposites." Instead, he relates the rise of a capitalist economy to the Puritan determination to work out anxiety over (...) salvation or damnation by performing good deeds — an effort that ultimately discouraged belief in predestination and encouraged capitalism. Weber's classic study has long been required reading in college and advanced high school social studies classrooms. (shrink)

MUC1 and MUC4 are the two membrane mucins that have been best characterized. Although they have superficially similar structures and have both been shown to provide steric protection of epithelial surfaces, recent studies have also implicated them in cellular signaling. They act by substantially different mechanisms, MUC4 as a receptor ligand and MUC1 as a docking protein for signaling molecules. MUC4 is a novel intramembrane ligand for the receptor tyrosine kinase ErbB2/HER2/Neu, triggering a specific phosphorylation of the ErbB2 in the (...) absence of other ErbB ligands and potentiating phosphorylation and signaling through the ErbB2/ErbB3 heterodimeric receptor complex formed in the presence of neuregulin. In contrast, MUC1 has a highly conserved cytoplasmic tail, which binds β‐catenin, a key component of adherens junctions and a regulator of transcription, in a process that is tightly regulated by MUC1 phosphorylation. The specific localization of these membrane mucins to the apical surfaces of epithelial cells suggests that their signaling functions may be important as sensor mechanisms in response to invasion or damage of epithelia. BioEssays 25:66–71, 2003. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (shrink)

O‐glycosylation is the post‐translational process whereby carbohydrate is added to hydroxylated amino acids of proteins. The major O‐glycosylation pathway in animal cells is involved in the synthesis of oligosaccharides linked by N‐acetylgalactosamine to serine or threonine residues in ‘mucin‐type’ proteins or their analogs. In this review, we discuss the evidence for the cellular localization of the biosynthetic steps in this pathway and propose a simplified, consensus version. We also propose variations of the simple pathway to account for its heterogeneity and (...) variability in different cell types and differentiation states. (shrink)

Microfilament interactions with the plasma membranes of animal cells appear to vary with cell type and localization. In the erythrocyte, actin oligomers are associated with the membrane via spectrin and ankyrin. The ends of stress fibers in cultured cells, such as fibroblasts, are attached to the plasma membrane at focal adhesion sites and may involve the protein vinculin as a linking protein. In intestinal brush border microvilli a 110,000 dalton protein links the microfilament bundles to sites on the microvillus. A (...) transmembrane complex containing actin stably associated with a cell surface glycoprotein can be isolated from ascites tumor cell microvilli and can be obtained still associated with microfilaments by gentle extraction and gradient centrifugation of the microvilli. These varied interaction mechanisms are believed to be needed to satisfy the different structural and dynamic requirements of the particular systems. (shrink)

The Walker model raises a number of questions, particularly about the nature of the sleep states involved in consolidation enhancement. While REM sleep, Stage 2 sleep, and Stage 3/4 sleep have been implicated in procedural learning, we still do not understand which types of learning are involved with specific sleep states. Several possible ideas for future research are suggested.

In this article, I foreground the role of relationality in Husserl’s later reflections on ethics and self-constitution, with a particular interest in Husserl’s account of sacrifice. I exposit how Husserl’s account of self-constitution and the conflict of absolute values between competing vocations offers a solution to Brentano’s rendering of the obligation to “choose the best among the ends attainable.” I explore the numerous instances in which Husserl uses the parent-child relation to illustrate the absolute value of our relation to an (...) individual and how this absolute value triumphs over other seemingly rational maxims. Although problematic in several ways, Husserl’s account of motherhood grounds his notion of self-constitution in particular relations with others, rather than in a general category of nation or humanity. I conclude by considering how his emphasis on phenomenological constitution and his approach to value and sacrifice may inform future projects in phenomenological relational ethics. (shrink)