Papers by Terence Rajivan Edward
IJRDO Journal of Social Science and Humanities, 2024
This paper responds to two seemingly contradictory views that Jeanette Edwards identifies in an a... more This paper responds to two seemingly contradictory views that Jeanette Edwards identifies in an article on the impact of new reproductive technologies in the northwest of England. I argue that they are probably not contradictory. But I do so by modifying how the views are formulated and reflect on the significance of this for anthropology at home.
IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2023
This paper considers five counterexamples to Mary Douglas's definition of dirt, or attempted coun... more This paper considers five counterexamples to Mary Douglas's definition of dirt, or attempted counterexamples, one of which is extracted from a scene from George Eliot's novel Middlemarch and another from Marilyn Strathern's essay on anthropology at home.
IJRDO - Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, 2023
In this paper, I consider the objection to British structural-functionalism that it is unable to ... more In this paper, I consider the objection to British structural-functionalism that it is unable to deal with the significance of individuals. There are various ways in which individuals may pose a problem for it. I identify four ways, one of which is novel. This way is when someone does not appear to meet the official role requirements in an organization, which gives rise to the question of whether the anthropologist should posit an alternative structure of roles for the organization.
IJRDO - Journal of Educational Research, 2023
Why do a conceptual analysis on a word that we already know how to use? Marilyn Strathern provide... more Why do a conceptual analysis on a word that we already know how to use? Marilyn Strathern provides some information on garden cities and suburbs which suggests a novel solution to me.
IJRDO Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, 2023
Joseph Raz criticizes John Rawls for a procedure supporting a non-adaptable constitution. This pa... more Joseph Raz criticizes John Rawls for a procedure supporting a non-adaptable constitution. This paper considers how a non-adaptable constitution can seem not so counterintuitive and also when.
IJRDO - Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, 2022
Apparently, the Western philosophical tradition has (wrongly) preferred speech over writing, so c... more Apparently, the Western philosophical tradition has (wrongly) preferred speech over writing, so claims Jacques Derrida. In this paper, I consider whether utilitarianism involves such a preference. There are at least two arguments against the claim.
Asian Journal of Advances in Research, 2022
I draw a distinction between traditional literary interpretation, which makes assertions which su... more I draw a distinction between traditional literary interpretation, which makes assertions which suitably informed readers are expected to accept on the basis of a kind of intuition, and subversive interpretation, which aims to present a counterintuitive interpretation of a text which fits with the evidence. Traditional literary interpretation faces objections of being unscientific and undemocratic. Subversive interpretation may appear as a solution, but it is so difficult to successfully use this approach that it is questionable whether it solves the objection of being undemocratic.
IJRDO Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, 2022
In this paper, I respond to Scholes's question of whether The Freewoman, The New Freewoman, and T... more In this paper, I respond to Scholes's question of whether The Freewoman, The New Freewoman, and The Egoist, all of which were edited by Dora Marsden, were one journal or three.
IJRDO - Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, 2022
Economics uses rational actor models, but what about anthropology? I present an interpretation of... more Economics uses rational actor models, but what about anthropology? I present an interpretation of the influential anthropologist Marilyn Strathern according to which she engages in a kind of rational actor modelling, but a kind that is different from economic modelling.
Ethos: Dialogues in Philosophy and Social Sciences , 2019
Some formulations of the surprise paradox involve a pair of unnecessary and
controversial assumpt... more Some formulations of the surprise paradox involve a pair of unnecessary and
controversial assumptions. After casting doubt on these assumptions, I propose a solution to the paradox.
IJRDO Journal of Biological Science , 2019
The professor of psychopathology Simon Baron-Cohen claims that males are on average stronger at s... more The professor of psychopathology Simon Baron-Cohen claims that males are on average stronger at systematizing than empathizing and females are on average stronger at empathizing than systematizing. Systematizing is defined as the drive to construct or understand systems. In this paper, I observe that Baron-Cohen overlooks certain examples of systems, examples which lead to doubts about his thesis.
Philosophical Pathways, 2019
There are attempts to define torture which say that a person is only being tortured if the pain i... more There are attempts to define torture which say that a person is only being tortured if the pain inflicted upon them is pain that they have not consented to. In this very brief paper, I recommend that we define torture without this condition.
Philosophical Pathways, 2018
The professor of psychopathology Simon Baron-Cohen is well-known for his thesis that males are on... more The professor of psychopathology Simon Baron-Cohen is well-known for his thesis that males are on average better at systematizing than empathizing and females are on average better at empathizing than systematizing. In this paper, I note an ambiguity in how he defines systematizing.
E-Logos, 2018
This paper evaluates Jonathan Quong's attempt to defend a version of political liberalism from th... more This paper evaluates Jonathan Quong's attempt to defend a version of political liberalism from the asymmetry objection. I object that Quong's defence relies on a premise that has not been adequately supported and does not look as if it can be given adequate support.
Philosophical Pathways, 2018
I identify an assumption that the students should not rely on: if the teacher believes that the e... more I identify an assumption that the students should not rely on: if the teacher believes that the exam would not be a surprise on a certain day, the teacher will not give the exam on that day. The reason I present for not making this assumption does not involve doubting the moral goodness of the teacher. But it does involve making a value judgment.
Filozofia, 2017
The students’ argument against the possibility of a surprise exam assumes that the following woul... more The students’ argument against the possibility of a surprise exam assumes that the following would not occur: the teacher decides to give the exam on a certain day; the teacher believes that the exam would be a surprise on that day; but, actually, the exam would not be a surprise on that day. I give a reason to reject this assumption, and I point out that an attempt to reformulate the surprise exam paradox in order to allow for the assumption does not result in an acceptable argument.
Abstracta, 2017
This paper discusses an explanation, offered by Tim Ingold, for why social and cultural anthropol... more This paper discusses an explanation, offered by Tim Ingold, for why social and cultural anthropologists have so far paid little attention to the materials from which artefacts are composed. The explanation is that these anthropologists accept a certain argument. According to the argument, what an anthropologist should focus on when examining an artefact are those qualities that make it part of a culture, and this is not the materials from which the artefact is composed. I show that Ingold has not made a compelling case against this argument, but also that it is not sound.
Symposion, 2016
It is tempting to interpret Marilyn Strathern as saying that the concept of nature is a social co... more It is tempting to interpret Marilyn Strathern as saying that the concept of nature is a social construction, because in her essay " No nature, no culture: the Hagen case " she tells us that the Hagen people do not describe the world using this concept. However, I point out an obstacle to interpreting her in this way, an obstacle which leads me to reject this interpretation. Interpreting her in this way makes her inconsistent. The inconsistency is owing to a commitment that she shares with previous British anthropologists, a commitment which points to an incompatibility between two intellectual traditions.
E-Logos, 2016
This paper presents an objection to Rawls's use of the original position method to argue against ... more This paper presents an objection to Rawls's use of the original position method to argue against implementing utilitarian rules. The use of this method is pointless because a small subset of the premises Rawls relies on can be used to infer the same conclusion.
Philosophical Pathways, 2016
Some philosophers assert that astrology is a false theory. The simplest way to argue against all ... more Some philosophers assert that astrology is a false theory. The simplest way to argue against all astrology is to identify a proposition that any kind of astrology must be committed to and then show that this proposition is false. In this paper I draw attention to some misconceptions about which propositions are essential to astrology.
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Papers by Terence Rajivan Edward
controversial assumptions. After casting doubt on these assumptions, I propose a solution to the paradox.
controversial assumptions. After casting doubt on these assumptions, I propose a solution to the paradox.