Lectures by Timi Isaac O'Neill
US and British spy agencies routinely try to gain access to personal data from Angry Birds and ot... more US and British spy agencies routinely try to gain access to personal data from Angry Birds and other mobile applications, a report says. A National Security Agency (NSA) document shows location, websites visited and contacts are among the data targeted from mobile applications. 1
Philosophically, the search to understand our selfhood is, as you would expect a contested journe... more Philosophically, the search to understand our selfhood is, as you would expect a contested journey. It is a path that has many a twist and turn and no shortage of diversions and cul-desacs. The history of this question is as long and diverse as philosophy itself. In many ways it can be linked to the mind/body dualism in the sense that the body/society is either secondary to or equal to the mind/spirit. For Pythagoras (570 -495 BCE) the human is made up of a good, divine soul and a mutinous body in need of being mastered. Plato suggested that body was the third and weakest part of the person. The first, and strongest part is the mind, and the second part is the sprit. Aristotle (384 -322 BCE) insisted that the soul is present everywhere in the human body as its "life principle" -and therefore cannot be conceived as separate from the body. The body and soul need each other because only through the body can the soul function. For Louis Althusser (1918 -1990), we need to understand the self in terms of ideology, 'the individual is interpellated as a (free) subject in order that he submit freely to the commandments of the Subject, i.e. in order than he shall (freely) accept his subjection, i.e., in order that he shall make the gestures and actions of his subjection 'all by himself.' 1 In section one of this lecture I will explore briefly the arguments that suggest that it is best to seek selfhood when isolated from the outside world, then and only then can one arrive at a correct answer. In section two, I will counter this with ideas that attempt to prove that selfhood is a product of social factors and is therefore historically defined and contingent.
The proposition of this lecture states that the poststructuralist "de-centring" of the subject is... more The proposition of this lecture states that the poststructuralist "de-centring" of the subject is an attempt to dismantle the monomyth that meaning originates from a rational, stable, autonomous structured self, revealing it to be nothing other than a "discursive fiction" 1 . This destabilizes traditional political and philosophical ideals that place both the self and modern epistemology (based on rationality) at the centre of the human. In its place, we are given the image of fluid, free-floating subjectivities;
Drafts by Timi Isaac O'Neill
The themes of ‘freedom’ and ‘resistance’ have histories and philosophical arguments that can be m... more The themes of ‘freedom’ and ‘resistance’ have histories and philosophical arguments that can be mapped across human history. This thesis uses these thematic concerns to explore the work of Irish artist Samuel Beckett. In so doing, this piece challenges the reader to re-evaluate Beckett’s work away from being a modernist artwork detached from time and context. Instead, what we need to see in Beckett is his relentless desire to reveal a brutally damaged 20th century that saw individuals exposed to extreme political ideas that led in many cases to physical and mental abuse. To aid this highly contextualised view of his work, this thesis employs the works of Berlin, Hegel, Marx and Adorno to give a deeper understanding of the philosophical context or to provide prisms through which a modern-day reader might understand Beckett’s narrative form.
This piece illustrates how, by encapsulating philosophical concepts of freedom and resistance, Beckett’s literature not only offers a glimpse into how he saw the world, but also why Jean Paul Sartre argued that he needed to focus on how “a fictional technique always relates back to the novelist’s metaphysics.”
Papers by Timi Isaac O'Neill
Journal of Business Ethics, 2020
Rights claims are ubiquitous in modernity. Often expressed when relatively weaker agents assert c... more Rights claims are ubiquitous in modernity. Often expressed when relatively weaker agents assert claims against more powerful actors, especially against states and corporations, the prominence of rights claims in organizational contexts creates a challenge for virtue-based approaches to business ethics, especially perspectives employing MacIntyre’s practices–institutions schema since MacIntyre has long been a vocal critic of the notion of human rights. In this article, I argue that employee rights can be understood at a basic level as rights conferred by the rules constitutive of practices. As such, employee rights correspond to the obligations of practitioners to treat fellow practitioners according to the standards of excellence and requirements of justice. Thus, one way that managers can ensure that their core practice is well-functioning is to recognize employee rights. One implication of this argument is that managers should adopt a more positive stance toward labor unions, inso...
Conference Presentations by Timi Isaac O'Neill
The Paris Conference on Education (PCE2024), 2024
In today’s ever-increasing technological society, postgraduate design education demands the culti... more In today’s ever-increasing technological society, postgraduate design education demands the cultivation of vital skills, including creativity, critical thinking, and adaptability. This paper takes a novel position by investigating the results of integrating Mikhail Tal's chess philosophy into design ontology and pedagogy. Tal was renowned for his unorthodox and innovative style, which I argue offers a unique perspective that can enrich the design education landscape. To explore the connection between Tal's chess philosophy and design ontology, I employed a diary study method.
This approach captured the personal insights and experiences of both design educators and students over an academic semester. Participants maintained diaries, documenting their thoughts, reflections, and experiences regarding the integration of Tal's chess philosophy into their design education and practice. Mikhail Tal's chess philosophy is characterized by audacity and imagination, featuring key principles of Creativity and Imagination, Risk and Reward, Dynamic Adaptation. The research Incorporated Tal's chess philosophy into design education thus allowing educators to:
- Cultivate Creativity: Encourage students to think beyond boundaries, fostering innovative design solutions.
- Encourage Risk-Taking: Help students develop the courage to take calculated risks, learning from both success and failure.
- Enhance Adaptability: Equip staff and students with the ability to adapt design strategies to evolving project requirements and constraints.
Integrating Tal's chess philosophy into teaching sessions, equipped postgraduate students with skills and perspectives that directly benefit their design practice. Through the dairies and their designs, students were better prepared to navigate the complexity and uncertainty inherent in contemporary design projects.
The European Conference on Education, 2024
In the ever-evolving landscape of art and design education, we find ourselves at the intersection... more In the ever-evolving landscape of art and design education, we find ourselves at the intersection of tradition and innovation. The theme of "Meta-disruption," as articulated in my course manifesto provides opportunities to explore and challenge the transformative potential of AI and immersive technology in our field. This theme not only sets the stage for a dynamic discourse but also serves as the foundation for a constructivist research approach. Drawing upon the principles embedded in the manifesto, our research seeks to empower Chinese postgraduate art and design practice students to navigate this rapidly changing landscape effectively. We embrace the concept of "Hybrid Creativity," recognizing the symbiotic relationship between human and AI-generated artistic expressions.
The Asian Conference on Education, 2022
Abstract:
As an Irish, Jewish academic, I became acutely aware of how prevalent hidden colonialis... more Abstract:
As an Irish, Jewish academic, I became acutely aware of how prevalent hidden colonialist assumptions relating to knowledge were inextricably connected to teaching practices here in the UK. I found that these assumptions masqueraded as tradition. I was reminded of Gadamer’s thoughts when he wrote “It is the tyranny of hidden prejudices that makes us deaf to what speaks to us in tradition.” This tyrannical form of thinking has become more evident as I recently started teaching Chinese students about art and design. It became apparent very quickly, that the assumptions of the teaching were to instruct the students on how western systems of thinking, reflection, and practice were meant to be absorbed as they were the dominant best practices. It was a clear subordination of the east in favour of the west. My resistance to these dominant practices took the form of teaching all content as examples of indigenous storytelling. This approach, which was underpinned by postcolonialist writings, was aimed as a method to encourage the Chinese students to not only relate to these philosophical ideas as cultural stories that attempted to make meaning of a world but also to begin to re-examine their own stories and storytelling practices. The results were quite remarkable in that we began to see changes in how these students researched and produced a range of art and design works. The main methodologies used were autoethnographic and narrative inquiry methodologies.
The Paris Conference on Education (PCE2023), 2023
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of storytelling on achieving pa... more Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of storytelling on achieving participant immersion in immersive environments. Given that immersive technology blurs the boundary between physical and virtual worlds (Lee, Shan, & Chen, 2013)., this study aimed to examine whether the presence and interactivity of a researcher as a storyteller would facilitate the participants’ journey successfully between the real and immersive states. To achieve this, a case study was conducted involving two groups of 5 participants who were immersed in a virtual room to experience the protests of the Yellow Vests Protests in Paris. One group was accompanied by a storyteller/researcher who guided them through the experience and narrated a scenario to them to remember in the immersed space. The participants were given roles such as undercover police or journalist. Eye tracking technology and video that were employed to record and document data revealed that the ‘characters’ reacted very differently to the space. Early results have shown that the experimental group who experienced the immersive environment with a storyteller/researcher reported a higher level of immersion compared to the control group. These findings could have significant implications for the design of educational immersive environments. By incorporating a storyteller/researcher, educational designers could create more engaging and memorable experiences that enhance learning outcomes. The research suggests that to accompany participants into the immersive world and narrating a story helps reduce the perceived presence of technological attributes. (Mütterlein, 2018).
The Paris Conference on Arts & Humanities (PCAH2022), 2022
This paper illustrates how, by employing philosophical concepts of 'freedom' and 'resistance', Sa... more This paper illustrates how, by employing philosophical concepts of 'freedom' and 'resistance', Samuel Beckett's storytelling and his relationship to the Jewish lived experiences of the second ward war, not only offers a glimpse into how he saw the world, but also permits us to test whether Jean Paul Sartre's claim that by focusing on a an author's "a fictional technique always relates back to the novelist's metaphysics." 1 As a Jewish academic these themes of 'freedom' and 'resistance' have a particular resonance with me. The lived experiences of Jews in relation to the histories and philosophical arguments of these contested terms can be tragically mapped across human history. This paper uses these thematic concerns to explore the works of Beckett in his encounters with French Jews in the 2nd world war. In so doing, this piece challenges the reader to re-evaluate Beckett's work and to reposition it away from modernist concerns that detached him from time and place. Rather what we see in Beckett is his relentless desire to reveal through his stories, a brutally damaged 20th century that saw individuals exposed to extreme political ideas that led to physical and mental abuse. To aid this highly contextualized view of his work, this paper employs the works of Isaiah Berlin, Martin Buber, and Theodore Adorno to construct a deeper connection Beckett's historical and philosophical context and to provide a prism through which modern-day readers might understand Beckett's intentions.
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Lectures by Timi Isaac O'Neill
Drafts by Timi Isaac O'Neill
This piece illustrates how, by encapsulating philosophical concepts of freedom and resistance, Beckett’s literature not only offers a glimpse into how he saw the world, but also why Jean Paul Sartre argued that he needed to focus on how “a fictional technique always relates back to the novelist’s metaphysics.”
Papers by Timi Isaac O'Neill
Conference Presentations by Timi Isaac O'Neill
This approach captured the personal insights and experiences of both design educators and students over an academic semester. Participants maintained diaries, documenting their thoughts, reflections, and experiences regarding the integration of Tal's chess philosophy into their design education and practice. Mikhail Tal's chess philosophy is characterized by audacity and imagination, featuring key principles of Creativity and Imagination, Risk and Reward, Dynamic Adaptation. The research Incorporated Tal's chess philosophy into design education thus allowing educators to:
- Cultivate Creativity: Encourage students to think beyond boundaries, fostering innovative design solutions.
- Encourage Risk-Taking: Help students develop the courage to take calculated risks, learning from both success and failure.
- Enhance Adaptability: Equip staff and students with the ability to adapt design strategies to evolving project requirements and constraints.
Integrating Tal's chess philosophy into teaching sessions, equipped postgraduate students with skills and perspectives that directly benefit their design practice. Through the dairies and their designs, students were better prepared to navigate the complexity and uncertainty inherent in contemporary design projects.
As an Irish, Jewish academic, I became acutely aware of how prevalent hidden colonialist assumptions relating to knowledge were inextricably connected to teaching practices here in the UK. I found that these assumptions masqueraded as tradition. I was reminded of Gadamer’s thoughts when he wrote “It is the tyranny of hidden prejudices that makes us deaf to what speaks to us in tradition.” This tyrannical form of thinking has become more evident as I recently started teaching Chinese students about art and design. It became apparent very quickly, that the assumptions of the teaching were to instruct the students on how western systems of thinking, reflection, and practice were meant to be absorbed as they were the dominant best practices. It was a clear subordination of the east in favour of the west. My resistance to these dominant practices took the form of teaching all content as examples of indigenous storytelling. This approach, which was underpinned by postcolonialist writings, was aimed as a method to encourage the Chinese students to not only relate to these philosophical ideas as cultural stories that attempted to make meaning of a world but also to begin to re-examine their own stories and storytelling practices. The results were quite remarkable in that we began to see changes in how these students researched and produced a range of art and design works. The main methodologies used were autoethnographic and narrative inquiry methodologies.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of storytelling on achieving participant immersion in immersive environments. Given that immersive technology blurs the boundary between physical and virtual worlds (Lee, Shan, & Chen, 2013)., this study aimed to examine whether the presence and interactivity of a researcher as a storyteller would facilitate the participants’ journey successfully between the real and immersive states. To achieve this, a case study was conducted involving two groups of 5 participants who were immersed in a virtual room to experience the protests of the Yellow Vests Protests in Paris. One group was accompanied by a storyteller/researcher who guided them through the experience and narrated a scenario to them to remember in the immersed space. The participants were given roles such as undercover police or journalist. Eye tracking technology and video that were employed to record and document data revealed that the ‘characters’ reacted very differently to the space. Early results have shown that the experimental group who experienced the immersive environment with a storyteller/researcher reported a higher level of immersion compared to the control group. These findings could have significant implications for the design of educational immersive environments. By incorporating a storyteller/researcher, educational designers could create more engaging and memorable experiences that enhance learning outcomes. The research suggests that to accompany participants into the immersive world and narrating a story helps reduce the perceived presence of technological attributes. (Mütterlein, 2018).
This piece illustrates how, by encapsulating philosophical concepts of freedom and resistance, Beckett’s literature not only offers a glimpse into how he saw the world, but also why Jean Paul Sartre argued that he needed to focus on how “a fictional technique always relates back to the novelist’s metaphysics.”
This approach captured the personal insights and experiences of both design educators and students over an academic semester. Participants maintained diaries, documenting their thoughts, reflections, and experiences regarding the integration of Tal's chess philosophy into their design education and practice. Mikhail Tal's chess philosophy is characterized by audacity and imagination, featuring key principles of Creativity and Imagination, Risk and Reward, Dynamic Adaptation. The research Incorporated Tal's chess philosophy into design education thus allowing educators to:
- Cultivate Creativity: Encourage students to think beyond boundaries, fostering innovative design solutions.
- Encourage Risk-Taking: Help students develop the courage to take calculated risks, learning from both success and failure.
- Enhance Adaptability: Equip staff and students with the ability to adapt design strategies to evolving project requirements and constraints.
Integrating Tal's chess philosophy into teaching sessions, equipped postgraduate students with skills and perspectives that directly benefit their design practice. Through the dairies and their designs, students were better prepared to navigate the complexity and uncertainty inherent in contemporary design projects.
As an Irish, Jewish academic, I became acutely aware of how prevalent hidden colonialist assumptions relating to knowledge were inextricably connected to teaching practices here in the UK. I found that these assumptions masqueraded as tradition. I was reminded of Gadamer’s thoughts when he wrote “It is the tyranny of hidden prejudices that makes us deaf to what speaks to us in tradition.” This tyrannical form of thinking has become more evident as I recently started teaching Chinese students about art and design. It became apparent very quickly, that the assumptions of the teaching were to instruct the students on how western systems of thinking, reflection, and practice were meant to be absorbed as they were the dominant best practices. It was a clear subordination of the east in favour of the west. My resistance to these dominant practices took the form of teaching all content as examples of indigenous storytelling. This approach, which was underpinned by postcolonialist writings, was aimed as a method to encourage the Chinese students to not only relate to these philosophical ideas as cultural stories that attempted to make meaning of a world but also to begin to re-examine their own stories and storytelling practices. The results were quite remarkable in that we began to see changes in how these students researched and produced a range of art and design works. The main methodologies used were autoethnographic and narrative inquiry methodologies.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of storytelling on achieving participant immersion in immersive environments. Given that immersive technology blurs the boundary between physical and virtual worlds (Lee, Shan, & Chen, 2013)., this study aimed to examine whether the presence and interactivity of a researcher as a storyteller would facilitate the participants’ journey successfully between the real and immersive states. To achieve this, a case study was conducted involving two groups of 5 participants who were immersed in a virtual room to experience the protests of the Yellow Vests Protests in Paris. One group was accompanied by a storyteller/researcher who guided them through the experience and narrated a scenario to them to remember in the immersed space. The participants were given roles such as undercover police or journalist. Eye tracking technology and video that were employed to record and document data revealed that the ‘characters’ reacted very differently to the space. Early results have shown that the experimental group who experienced the immersive environment with a storyteller/researcher reported a higher level of immersion compared to the control group. These findings could have significant implications for the design of educational immersive environments. By incorporating a storyteller/researcher, educational designers could create more engaging and memorable experiences that enhance learning outcomes. The research suggests that to accompany participants into the immersive world and narrating a story helps reduce the perceived presence of technological attributes. (Mütterlein, 2018).