Philosophy of Mind by David Dennen
Behavior and Philosophy, 2022
Edgar A. Singer Jr. is largely forgotten. Yet in the early twentieth century he was one of the mo... more Edgar A. Singer Jr. is largely forgotten. Yet in the early twentieth century he was one of the most persistent proponents for a theory of "mind as behavior." This essay explores Singer's theory of mind as a form of experimentally-definable behavior. This interpretation of mind is derived from Singer's "philosophy of experiment," which delimits the forms of questions that can have meaningful answers. Valid questions, according to Singer's theory, must appeal to phenomena that are public in some sense and which have verifiable effects on our "mechanical images" of nature (which is not to say that such phenomena are themselves solely mechanical). From this perspective, Singer is able to give behavioral criteria for attributing "mind" to organisms and for such "mental faculties" as purpose, sensation, consciousness, and thought. It might be wondered how Singer's experimental concept of mind compares with B. F. Skinner's better-known concept of private events. Although there are difficulties involved in the interpretation of each, it would seem that Singer and Skinner are largely in agreement, although they emphasize different factors in the behavioral interpretation of mind.
Jordan Peterson: Critical Responses, 2022
The philosopher Michael Bratman (2013) has pointed out that we humans have some remarkable capaci... more The philosopher Michael Bratman (2013) has pointed out that we humans have some remarkable capacities: First, we are able to plan out our actions over long stretches of time. Second, we are able to act, not just on our own, but with others to achieve shared goals. And, third, we are, at least some of the time, able to step back from the ongoing rush of experience and make conscious decisions about how to act. As adults, we are all familiar with these capacities. But where do they come from? How do they actually work? These questions are not so easy to answer. What Is Reality? First of all, action always happens somewhere. Action is in and of the world. As living, desiring creatures, we are thrown into the world where we must act toward the satisfaction of our desires. But the world, ultimately, Jordan Peterson argues, is an unknowable, unfathomable "sea of complexity" (2013, 17). To act, we must simplify the world into a set of more or less useful objects. But the ultimate complexity of the world never really disappears. All the objects in our world are systems of relations that can be viewed at many different "levels of resolution." Consider your coffee mug. Most immediately it is a tool for conveying coffee (or other liquids) into your body. But it is many other things besides. It is an object that has existed and will exist for a certain number of years, days, minutes. It was made by a certain person or company. It has a certain weight, a certain diameter, a certain height. It has a certain level of heat and shock resistance. It contains a certain quantity of quartz and feldspar. It has a certain level of toxicity to human beings (hopefully very low). All these properties, and more, put this simple object into complex relations with other objects and events in the universe. We ignore or are unable to see many of these properties and relations. But they are there and sometimes they matter: One day we heat the mug too long in the microwave oven and it cracks; one day we discover that one of the substances of which the mug is made is in fact highly toxic to humans. Anomaly-something unexpected-is then introduced into our world. A broken mug is not the most threatening kind of anomaly one can imagine. Any mature adult should be able to process such an event and get on with his or her day. But discovering that we have for years been drinking out of a toxic cup may indeed make our world a darker, more threatening, more uncertain place.
video version: https://youtu.be/AMtPrnz762k
video version: https://youtu.be/98qieIfGtlM
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This essay, available here , argues " that there are times when the experience of a passion alone... more This essay, available here , argues " that there are times when the experience of a passion alone gives us overriding confidence in a belief ."
Moral Philosophy by David Dennen
Video version: https://youtu.be/JMZ1ppwIrgg
Discusses the progressive ethics of Edgar A. Singer,... more Video version: https://youtu.be/JMZ1ppwIrgg
Discusses the progressive ethics of Edgar A. Singer, Jr.
Kate Manne’s recent book Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny focuses on a topic not often addressed ... more Kate Manne’s recent book Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny focuses on a topic not often addressed by philosophers: misogyny—and more broadly, patriarchy. In the book Manne describes patriarchy as ‘morally objectionable’ and invites her readers to either ‘draw the same conclusion’ or ‘find reasons on which to base a potentially fruitful disagreement’. This essay considers the arguments according to which patriarchy has been judged immoral by Manne and others. Feminist philosophers have commonly relied on one of two philosophical perspectives to argue against patriarchy: contractarianism and what I call distortionism. I examine both perspectives as they appear in Manne’s writings and also in the writings of Susan Dimock and Carol Gilligan. Both perspectives turn out to have significant weaknesses that undercut their ability to inform our judgment about the moral status of patriarchy. Although it seems reasonable to intuit that patriarchy is immoral, contra Manne we are not yet in a position to philosophically support this intuition.
On Morse Peckham by David Dennen
Several years ago I purchased a used copy of Morse Peckham’s Beyond the Tragic Vision (George Bra... more Several years ago I purchased a used copy of Morse Peckham’s Beyond the Tragic Vision (George Braziller, 1962). The book contains rather unusual marginalia, written in pencil, from a previous owner whose name is not recorded. I have always been intrigued by these particular marginalia. However, they are written in a strange writing style which I was unable to easily decipher (perhaps some form of shorthand, though it does not match any examples of shorthands I have found online). One day I decided to have a go at deciphering it.
This book has a dual purpose. It is, on the one hand, simply a study of the writings of Morse Pec... more This book has a dual purpose. It is, on the one hand, simply a study of the writings of Morse Peckham (1914Peckham ( -1993, a largely forgotten scholar of Victorian and Romantic literature (among other things). Peckham, whatever else he may have done with his life, wrote a lot. Although much of what he wrote was published in obscure places, and what is widely available seems not to be much read anymore, I find that his work retains an unusual currency and wide applicability.
The Romanticist and aesthetic theorist Morse Peckham was not normally one to get involved in admi... more The Romanticist and aesthetic theorist Morse Peckham was not normally one to get involved in administrative affairs. There were, however, two periods of his life in which he got drawn into such activities. The first occurred in the early 1950s, when he was asked to oversee a corporation–university partnership between Bell Telephone and the University of Pennsylvania. This program was intended to develop Bell’s corporate leadership by exposing managers to humanistic education. The second occurred in the early 1970s, when Peckham was asked to take on the role of English department chair at the University of South Carolina. He responded to this by circulating a list of (apparently radical) reforms he would have liked to implement. Although both of these administrative involvements ended more or less in failure, they are of interest for at least two reasons. First, they inspired incisive commentary by Peckham on the nature of education and on university–business relations. Second, they bring into focus the difficulties faced by individuals in transforming large, modern organizations.
Morse Peckham seems to be fairly well forgotten at this point in time, for reasons I have attempt... more Morse Peckham seems to be fairly well forgotten at this point in time, for reasons I have attempted to address elsewhere. Suffice to say for now that, like many Romantics, he is most fully appreciated by other Romantics. If you are not sympathetic to the basic Romantic project, a writer like Peckham is liable to seem digressive, abstruse, pedantic, even offensive. If you are of a Romantic spirit, however, I think you will find few critics to be more insightful, lucid, and compassionate.
Philosophy of Science by David Dennen
The philosopher Thomas Nagel has recently criticized ‘materialist neo-Darwinism’ as implausible a... more The philosopher Thomas Nagel has recently criticized ‘materialist neo-Darwinism’ as implausible and insufficient as an explanation of life and mind. He argues that ‘no viable
account’ of how something as complex as a living, reproducing organism could have arisen by physical means alone from a ‘dead environment’ is available. While not dismissing entirely the issue of ‘viability’, I position the recent work of Terrence Deacon as a potential answer to Nagel’s critique. Deacon’s work on the natural, physical origin of life and mind shows how a coherent physicalist explanation of these phenomena can be constructed. Certain implications of this, including the question of whether such an explanation can satisfy our concerns about the purpose and value of existence, are considered in the conclusion.
Cultural History by David Dennen
Ralph Ellison consistently relied on a small set of terms in order to guide his writing practice ... more Ralph Ellison consistently relied on a small set of terms in order to guide his writing practice and his interpretation of literature, history, and society. Following Kenneth Burke, an acquaintance of Ellison, I call this his terministic screen. Perhaps the most important elements of Ellison’s terministic screen are consciousness–conscience and purpose–passion–perception. The first set of terms represents what he saw as our democratic obligations: the pursuit of a progressively clearer consciousness of democratic ideals and a more refined conscientiousness in pursuing these ideals. The second set of terms provided a narrative framework for showing how consciousness and conscience are attained or evaded. This essay analyzes the intellectual history of these terms and how they function in Ellison’s essays and novels. Special attention is given to Ellison’s unfinished second novel.
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Philosophy of Mind by David Dennen
Moral Philosophy by David Dennen
Discusses the progressive ethics of Edgar A. Singer, Jr.
On Morse Peckham by David Dennen
Philosophy of Science by David Dennen
account’ of how something as complex as a living, reproducing organism could have arisen by physical means alone from a ‘dead environment’ is available. While not dismissing entirely the issue of ‘viability’, I position the recent work of Terrence Deacon as a potential answer to Nagel’s critique. Deacon’s work on the natural, physical origin of life and mind shows how a coherent physicalist explanation of these phenomena can be constructed. Certain implications of this, including the question of whether such an explanation can satisfy our concerns about the purpose and value of existence, are considered in the conclusion.
Cultural History by David Dennen
Discusses the progressive ethics of Edgar A. Singer, Jr.
account’ of how something as complex as a living, reproducing organism could have arisen by physical means alone from a ‘dead environment’ is available. While not dismissing entirely the issue of ‘viability’, I position the recent work of Terrence Deacon as a potential answer to Nagel’s critique. Deacon’s work on the natural, physical origin of life and mind shows how a coherent physicalist explanation of these phenomena can be constructed. Certain implications of this, including the question of whether such an explanation can satisfy our concerns about the purpose and value of existence, are considered in the conclusion.