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Philosophical Theories (philosophical + theory)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Humanities and Social Sciences85%

Selected Abstracts

The Illusory Theory of Colours: An Anti-Realist Theory

DIALECTICA, Issue 3 2006
Barry Maund
Despite the fact about colour, that it is one of the most obvious and conspicuous features of the world, there is a vast number of different theories about colour, theories which seem to be proliferating rather than decreasing. How is it possible that there can be so much disagreement about what colours are? Is it possible that these different theorists are not talking about the same thing? Could it be that more than one of them is right? Indeed some theorists, e.g. Leo M. Hurvich, D. L. McAdam and K. Nassau, say that the term ,colour' is used to identify a range of different properties, e.g. pigments, properties of light, and sensations. Such a view has its attractions, but it raises the question of what it is that unites these various concepts , what is it that would make them all concepts of colour? What is it that justifies using the same terms, ,yellow', ,blue', ,pink', mauve', and so on? This paper aims to address this question, arguing that its answer supports the conclusion that the best theory of colour is a form of anti-realism: the Illusory theory of colours. There are two parts to this thesis, one negative, the other positive. The negative part is that there are no colours, as they are ordinarily conceived. The positive part is that, nevertheless, the world is such that ,it is as if there are such colours'. Such a theory has important implications. One is that it doesn't fall neatly into the usual taxonomy of philosophical theories. In particular, it does not deserve the label ,eliminativist'. Another is that it allows some space for the views expressed by Hurvich, McAdam and Nassau, but not quite in the sense that they intend. [source]

Teaching and Learning Metaphor

ENGLISH IN EDUCATION, Issue 3 2003
Matthew Pollard
Abstract In this study I look at recent work done by psychologists in the field of metaphor comprehension as well as longer-established philosophical theories. I suggest that there is a great deal that English teachers can gain by having a broader understanding of metaphor. I look at how Year 7 pupils, in particular, can benefit a great deal from such notions. [source]

The Model Theoretic Argument, Indirect Realism, and the Causal Theory of Reference Objection

PACIFIC PHILOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2003
Steven L. Reynolds
This new argument is reviewed and defended. Putnam's new focus on philosophical theories of perception (instead of metaphysical realism) makes better sense of his previous responses to the objection from the causal theory of reference. It is argued that the model-theoretic argument can also be construed as an argument that holders of a causal theory of reference should adopt direct realism in the philosophy of perception. [source]

Philosophical Issues Arising from Experimental Economics

PHILOSOPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2007
Zachary Ernst
Human beings are highly irrational, at least if we hold to an economic standard of ,rationality'. Experimental economics studies the irrational behavior of human beings, with the aim of understanding exactly how our behavior deviates from the Homo economicus, as ,rational man' has been called. Insofar as philosophical theories depend upon rationality assumptions, experimental economics is the source of both problems and (at least potential) solutions to several philosophical issues. This article offers a programmatic and highly biased survey of some of these issues, with the hope of convincing the reader that experimental economics is well-deserving of careful study by philosophers. [source]

Yoga and fetishism: reflections on Marxist social theory

THE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE, Issue 4 2006
Joseph S. Alter
Classical social theory , including Marxist social theory , is based on a critique of the relationship between religion and society. The philosophical underpinning of this is the question of consciousness and the projection of consciousness onto things. Drawing on contemporary anthropological and philosophical theories of fetishism, this article engages with Marx's critique of religion and the recovery of social value by way of an analysis of yoga. Two interrelated claims are made. First, yoga represents a paradigm shift in the historical development of religious consciousness. A critical analysis of this development extends the fetishization of social relations in things to the level of self-consciousness in the body. Second, a critique of yoga's fetishization of the body and consciousness extends and expands Marx's critique of obscured social value and enables a more holistic ecological politics concerning the value of life. [source]

WHEN IS PARSIMONY A VIRTUE?

THE PHILOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY, Issue 235 2009
Michael Huemer
Parsimony is a virtue of empirical theories. Is it also a virtue of philosophical theories? I review four contemporary accounts of the virtue of parsimony in empirical theorizing, and consider how each might apply to two prominent appeals to parsimony in the philosophical literature, those made on behalf of physicalism and on behalf of nominalism. None of the accounts of the virtue of parsimony extends naturally to either of these philosophical cases. This suggests that in typical philosophical contexts, ontological simplicity has no evidential value. [source]

Equity and pragmatism in judgement-making about the placement of sibling groups

CHILD & FAMILY SOCIAL WORK, Issue 4 2006
Anne Hollows
ABSTRACT This paper considers the influences on professional judgements about large sibling group placement. The paper attempts to explain how social workers' awareness of the significance of sibling relationships operates in the process of making judgements and decisions about placement. It undertakes a detailed phenomenological analysis of the process in five cases involving large sibling groups. Drawing on philosophical theories of equity and pragmatism, it proposes a theoretical approach to addressing the issues in practice. [source]