Showing papers in "Open Journal of Philosophy in 2017"

Democratic Centralism in Revolutionary China: Tensions within a People’s Democratic Dictatorship

Abstract: Democratic centralism was a revolutionary strategy to reorganize society in China after 1949; it was the key governing aspect of Mao Zedong’s “people’s democratic dictatorship.” This essay explores the tensions between democracy and centralization in the practice of democratic centralism in 1950s Shanghai. Youth and workers groups reports reveal a high degree of commitment to open debate, elections, self-organization, and new forms of leadership. Other priorities, however—a strong central state regime—would come to dominate and, after 1957, centralism and unity cancelled democracy.

What Is “African Bioethics” as Used by Sub-Saharan African Authors: An Argumentative Literature Review of Articles on African Bioethics

Abstract: The term “African bioethics” is more often used by some Sub-Saharan African (SSA) authors to denote an African framework of resolving pertinent moral dilemmas arising in the interface of human persons with biomedical sciences, as juxtaposed against what is deemed “Western bioethics paradigms/theories, considered otherwise as a form of “moral/ethical imperialism”; and considered foreign to SSA tradition(s). This article is a literature review of articles on African bioethics to clarify what actually is meant epistemologically by African bioethics vis a vis, Western bioethics, as well as ascertain whether African bioethics as used by SSA authors is wishful thinking, yet to be realised in actuality.

The Scientific Evidence That “Intent” Is Vital for Healthcare

Abstract: THINKING cannot occur without electrons, a point philosophically, scientifically and irrefutably confirmed for all, by the Electroencephalogram (EEG). However for 100 years, electrons and their ilk have scrupulously obeyed the Uncertainty Principle. Probability rules. The way human beings reason is by concluding that if event B is seen to follow cause A, it will do so again tomorrow—electrons don’t even support this today. Hume’s critique of causality which Kant failed to refute, gains traction from Quantum Mechanics. Despite needing to insert the word “probably” into every human reasoning, healthcare demonstrates an element of unexpected stability. The label “intent” is expanded to cover this anomaly, endeavouring to highlight how living cells cope with the impact of this unknowability, this Uncertainty. Mental health follows suit, though here the uncertainty comes additionally from “blockage” of the frontal lobes consequent upon trauma/terror. The collapse of today’s psychiatry is pathognomonic, and medically solipsistic. The role of “intent”, and its close relative, consent, are offered as remedies, not only for mental disease, relabelled here “social defeat”, but also for the global disease of violence, culminating in the biggest health threat of them all, thermonuclear war.

What Is Number

Abstract: What is number? This question is difficult to answer Because the number is one of the most basic concepts, it is difficult to define the natural number with other concepts Still, this problem is worth trying to answer Now, everything is digitized and processed on computer The importance of the number is increasing day by day Now is time to consider what number is Throughout the history of humankind, the ancient Greeks considered this question most profoundly In particular, Plato defined the natural number one The natural number one is equal, invariable and indivisible These properties are intuitively acceptable However, we have never seen or touched the natural number one itself How can we know it? Socrates said that we know it before birth This claim is called anamnesis In this paper, we use a method, in which Socrates’ anamnesis is studied by the contemporary science From a modern viewpoint, we could take Socrates’ anamnesis to mean that the natural number one is written in our genes This article considers whether there is a biological entity corresponding to the natural number one As a result, we find that a life itself is the prototype of the natural number one, and then properties of life make a critical base of DNA similar to the natural number one through natural selection A life is an integrated and indivisible system, which resists the law of entropy Furthermore, the basic properties of life enable natural selection, which conserves genetic information despite the law of entropy The source of the power, which enables life to resist the law of entropy, is the genetic information In conclusion, a life is a prototype of the natural number one Furthermore, a life recognizes nature using natural numbers and resists the law of entropy using natural numbers

Mental Alienation and African Identity: Exploring Historical Perspectives in Response to the Crises of African Societies

Abstract: This paper argues that the colonially-motivated alienation of the African mind, which plays a major role in the moral crisis, corruption, war and anarchy on the African continent, makes the possibility of a true African identity uncertain. Writers often premise African identity on historical, cultural and psychological factors but these factors now appear to be weak constituents of this identity because of severe crisis facing the moral and communitarian foundations on which this identity rests. The present problem of the African state is dual-natured. First is that her rich moral heritage of dignity, discipline, diligence, faithfulness, honesty and sound integrity is being eroded. Second is that the spate of intolerance sweeping across some parts of Africa, resulting from unmitigated acceptance of alien western doctrines inappropriate for her culture, grossly infests her systems with a high level of intolerance and anarchy capable of making her social order like Hobbes’ state of nature in which human life is “nasty, brutish and short.” These situations, worst still, have horridly affected the meaningful and constructive development of the continent and rank her people among the poorest in the world, despite her rich natural and human resources. Using the critical and argumentative methods of empirical, conceptual and historical analysis, this paper explores the rich moral background of the Yorubas, among other cultures, as case study, and urges a return to the moral ideals that once dominated and characterized African states.

Death and Modern Science: The Hidden Connections, Profound Implications, and a Question of Hope

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to provide a few examples of how several branches of science have interesting and even profound implications for our understanding of death. The method will be to analyze some established principles from biology, astrophysics, mathematics and quantum mechanics. There are four results: First, the death and biodegradable bodies of Earth’s animals played a significant role in the evolution of the human species. In this ironic sense, we owe our lives to death. Second, unnatural death can be frame-dependent. A person can be alive and well in his proper reference frame despite having died an unnatural death in an external frame. Third, if the multiverse theory is not valid, then the death of the universe is inevitable and irreversible. This is tantamount to the law of increasing entropy. Fourth, events do not go out of existence with the passage of time. Rather, what is lost to the past is the high probability associated with detecting present events. In other words, the high amplitude of present events washes out detection of past events like the daytime sun washes out the stars. Since the unconscious mind does not detect energetic sensory data, it may be timeless as many have suggested. If so, it need not depend upon high amplitude events, thus giving some credence to paranormal psychology. Moreover, the death of the organic brain in its inertial frame of reference may not be synchronized with the death of the unconscious, thus admitting to something like an afterlife. In conclusion, scientists should conduct further research as a follow-up to this early paper in order to gain a deeper understanding of death, an event that is inevitable for us all and has profound consequences.

The Open Mind: A Phenomenology

Abstract: What does it mean to keep an “open mind”? In casual conversation it’s a popular phrase with enough common sense to negate much need for debate about what the speaker means Someone with an open mind might be considered considerate, equanimous, empathetic, a good listener, curious, or flexible in opinion In Western culture an open-minded person might be receptive to new ideas, possibilities, and interpretations, suggesting that they successfully maintain an engaged yet dynamic mental relationship to various subjects or challenges Yet in science’s nascent study of consciousness, the notion of a mind “opening” is complicated by the field’s inability to clearly articulate what a mind is, let alone how, or into what, it might open It is the purpose of this research to present the biological significance of “open-mindedness” in order to discuss possible phe-nomenological implications pertaining to neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) In his seminal book The Open Work, Umberto Eco describes “openness” as a phenomenon of conscious organization that “locates the infinite at the very core of the finite,” and “invites us to conceive, feel, and thus see the world as possibility” Utilizing the methods of MDA analysis, my critical phenomenological inquiry extends Eco’s lens of cultural semiotics into quantum biology to provide key insights for understanding the aesthetic role of field dynamics in qualia physics—as interpretive events (ie, watching a film, tasting a dessert, or drawing) In particular, pairing Eco’s semiotic analyses of openness with Hameroff and Penrose’s OR Theory concerning cognitive qualia-producing architectures such as microtubules, raises how sensations (ie, interpretive events) between organisms and the ZPF are—as Antero Alli conceives—absorbed, integrated, and transmitted through quantum SED information states proposed by Joachim Keppler Therefore, we can say that living systems are those systems that have adapted their material capabilities (including fundamental principles of self-organization and complexity in common cognitive architectures like awareness and attention) to perceive and interpret coherently That is to say—biology has evolved to make meaning through its very aliveness Our conscious ability to open our minds in order to interpret and communicate our sensations, thoughts, and complete experiences, therefore reveals a radically multidimensional bio-geometry and biolinguistics based on a phenomenological field dynamics Eco’s work constructs Via an aesthetic information theory, Eco describes as, “a practical level of poetics that acts as programmatic projects for creation” The writings of Rumi, Husserl, Dewey, Emerson, Merleau-Ponty, Hegel, and others confer depth to the emergent mechanics of perception found throughout biotic systems Eco’s ideas thereby provoke discourse on the role of openness within recent theoretical works by Jeremy England, Anirban Bandyopadhyay, Robert Lanza, Deepak Chopra, Ervin Laszlo, Giulio Tononi, Stuart Kauffman, Walter J Freeman, Robin Carhart-Harris, Mark P Mattson, Robert R McCrae, Selen Atasoy, Katherine Peil, Terence Deacon, and David Chalmers Unlike models of consciousness that arise from closed, local computation, I argue that the phenomenon of open mindedness unifies cultural and scientific concepts of consciousness as life’s integrative force

Nietzsche’s Best Life: The Ten Greatest Attributes of the Ubermensch, & a Comparison to Aristotle’s Virtuous Person

Abstract: The paper first outlines the 10 primary attributes of the Ubermensch, Nie-tzsche’s ideal person, with numerous quotations. Those attributes are self-determination, creativity, becoming, overcoming, discontent, flexibility, self-mastery, self-confidence, cheerfulness, and courage. The paper then compares Nietzsche’s Ubermensch with Aristotle’s virtuous person. Nietzsche describes more of an attitude towards life and a process of living which are similar to a means as compared to Aristotle’s objective character traits which are goals or ends in themselves. The paper concludes that Nietzsche does a better job of describing the best human life—one that is dynamic, passionate, and unique; consisting of self-growth and creativity; and filled with new experiences, insights, and adventures.

Does Matter Matter? Should We Mind the Mind? —Can Philosophy Be Reduced to Neurophysiology?

Abstract: The neural network in the human brain underlies the conceptual network in the mind. Sensations and primary and secondary concepts in the conceptual network correspond to integrative structures and lower-and higher-level associative structures in the neural network, respectively. Both networks co- evolve during biological evolution (phylogenesis) and individual development (ontogenesis). Subjective psyche and (self-) consciousness emerge when the cognitive center in the human brain becomes recurrently directed on itself (receives signals from itself, forms its own representation within itself). Matter (external world) corresponds to the region of the neural (conceptual) network that is not directed on itself, while the mind (self-consciousness) corresponds to the region of the neural (conceptual) network that is directed on itself. The very sharp separation/opposition within our psyche of the external word (physical reality) and internal world (content of our consciousness) results from the special kind of functional complexity of the human brain. We have only a very vague idea about what is “out there” in the “real” external world, as we have direct access only to our conceptual network. Matter does not matter and we should not mind the mind as much as we usually do. Generally, all of the main philosophical problems can essentially be reduced to human neurophysiology.

Ibn ‘Arabi and Spinoza on God and the World

Abstract: This paper is a comparative analysis of Ibn ‘Arabi’s and Spinoza’s interpretation of God’s existence and its relation with the world. The focus will be on the ontology of these two thinkers from different intellectual traditions, elucidating their tripartite system in order to find out whether the reality of the world in its relationship to God is denied or affirmed. To vindicate the similarities between the ontological views of Ibn ‘Arabi and Spinoza this paper argues in light of God’s simplicity and causality that the existence of the world can be understood by denying and affirming its identity with God.

An Atheist’s Eternity

Abstract: If death is a deep sleep, then eternity is as one night—Plato. This philosophical letter offers atheism a solace for death based on recent support for the multiverse—a set of multiple universes. Contemporary physics aligns smoothly with the doctrine of the eternal return suggested by Nietzsche et al., and offers an alternative to the doom and gloom of nonreligious existentialists.

An Argument for Libertarian Free Will: Hard Choices Based on either Incomparable or Equally Persuasive Reasons

Abstract: This articles proposes that the best explanation for hard choices, which are choices made when there are either incomparable options or equally appealing options, is the presence of libertarian free will; and that the two main alternatives, determinism and random choice, do not provide us with very compelling explanations. In the case of determinism, this is because the reasons supporting each option do not dictate or necessitate that we choose that option, and therefore any decision is necessarily underdetermined by the reasons for each option. Random choice fares no better since any choice made when the options are incomparable or equally appealing is supported by reasons and therefore is not random at all. As such, we should believe in free will. The article further reviews some of the current neuroscientific studies and explains how they do not show the absence of free will. The paper further argues that science likely could never prove that we do not have free will since showing that any decision is reflected or caused by our brain neurons firing does not show that the ultimate decision was not arrived at after a free will consideration of the issues. Lastly, the article suggests that the best way to view free will is as an attribute and ability that is always present, and as such there is no such thing as partial free will. Accordingly, we are fully responsible for the decisions we make and the actions we take. However, external and internal influences, especially those that lurk in our subconscious and of which we are not consciously aware, do mitigate our blameworthiness and praiseworthiness for those decisions.

IDEAS OF JUSTICE: Relevance of Weber’s Approach

Abstract: A book so overall critical as The Idea of Justice by A. Sen requires a Popper inspired examination. The results are that his rejection of Rawls is flawed and that he entirely lacks meta-ethics. The continental Weberian approach to normative enquiry has been severely neglected by many scholars in the Anglo-Saxon tradition, trying in vain to identify the true nature of justice. Instead of searching for a Platonic idea of justice, one should examine today’s conflicts over justice looking to the ultimate values of people.

Revelation and Reflection on Mankind by Modern Physics—Part I

Abstract: Confronted to unlimited three-dimensional spaces and possible higher-dimensional spaces, a hypothetical thinking is proposed in this paper by applying the basic form of dialectics, through physics, theology and many other field of studies, to advocate mankind to abandon internal conflicts in order to form a united planetary civilization.

Time Logic on the Move

Abstract: Things exist logically as understandable through time; such logic is called “time logic” that includes both logically dead and alive. This essay features time logic on the move, personal concrete, coherent open, and inter-changing into music.

Buddhism, Christianity, Actuality

Abstract: We here proceed in five steps, Buddhism in bits, Christianity in bits, their disasters, our disasters in existence, and then concrete actuality mysterious Firstly, Buddhism takes things as mere collections of elements and thereby tries to convey the transcendent truth of Nirvana in this mundane-samsara world Secondly, Christianity is based on ambiguous facts and elusive history, and is thereby undermined Thirdly, Buddhist dissolution and Christianity in vain devastate their sheer existence Fourthly, our own existence itself is devastated due to their disasters Fifthly, such mess is caused by trying to definitely express the inexpressible but definite actuality Still, both features of actuality—definite and inexpressible—tell of its monstrous objectivity (definite and indefinable) and monstrous subjectivity (lost and not-lost) All such twists show the fascinating time logic dancing alive in history All this concludes with dreams caught by our viscera to resolve our monsters

Ecofeminist Theologies Challenge Domination

Abstract: Because power and control offer a sense of superiority to the ruler, both women and nature are dominated. In analyzing domination and its various forms, all share certain features: 1) A radical exclusion, making the “other” known as both inferior and separate. 2) Homogenization differences and diversity within the otherness is disregarded and domination appears as natural. 3) Women and nature act as backgrounds to the main, masculine activities; slaves exist as background to the dominant group. 4) Incorporation means to identify the other in relation to man as central. 5) Instrumentalism means that social worth is derived instrumentally according to the desires of the ruler. This substructure provides an analytical tool. Ecofeminist Theology seeks a theology beyond dualisms.1

Hume, Newton and Malebranche on Causation

Abstract: Hume, Newton and Malebranche have been made out to be an odd couple, united in the belief that prior Aristotelian and Cartesian analyses of causation are inadequate; yet differing in the correctives they offer to relieve those earlier misconceptions. Malebranche famously appeals to God to validate his occasionalist account of causation. Newton appeals to God to explain forces like gravity which is revealed by necessary laws like the Law of Universal Gravitation. Hume, on the other hand, seeks to explain causation as a natural phenomenon that can be explained by his theory of belief formation. This paper argues that the difference between Malebranche and Hume runs much deeper than their substantive analyses of causation; they also differ about experimental reasoning and natural philosophy in which Newton makes room for God as an integral part of natural philosophy but not experimental science whereas Malebranche thinks of God as an essential part of experimental science. More specifically, this paper hopes to make original contributions by arguing 1) that although Hume does not think of the grand laws of nature (from Galileo and Newton) as necessities but rather as mere universal regularities, like “the sun will rise tomorrow” and “all men must dye”, he carefully makes room for a unique place for the grand laws of physics by distinguishing quotidian regularities from those grand laws by virtue of their specificity and comprehensiveness. This paper also argues 2) that Hume conceived of the grand laws of nature as operating in ideal circumstances, which explains why it is that apparent exceptions to those laws do not undermine them. The paper argues in conclusion that 3) Hume is not “Malebranche minus God”, that 4) Newton is not in a better position than Hume to contemplate nature’s twists and turns and finally that 5) to imagine a time at which the sun does not rise or a man who simply does not ever die is not to imagine a weird and inexplicable anomaly but rather to imagine that the entire course of nature has changed.

Many-Worlds, Self, and Dreams

Abstract: The many-worlds interpretation offers a fundamental explanation to the seemingly bizarre quantum theory; however, it lacks empirical significance. In this work I put forward the concepts of “nousor” and “counterpart”, and the notion of self structure scheme, by which I argue that the existence of other parallel worlds could be revealed by dream, and those counterparts in different worlds can exchange information through the special nousor to ensure the oneness of counterparts. Many worlds and all lives there follow the rules of correspondence, convergence, limitation, as well as love and hate. Based on the proposed theory, I analyze not only deja vu phenomenon, but also actual dreams and sleepwalking, to assist us to understand the concept of self. A large database of humanity’s dreams should be constructed for helping predict disruptions both individually and environmentally.

The Circle, from Descartes’ Point of View

Abstract: My project is to show that despite relentless criticism from the beginning, Descartes cannot be reasonably faulted in his attempt to relieve systematic doubt or as it is sometimes called, metaphysical doubt. By “cannot be reasonably faulted” I mean that Descartes is not open criticism either for having made assumptions that were unwarranted by standards of his own time or for having made errors in reasoning. The paper seeks to analyze Descartes’ struggle with metaphysical doubt and radical skepticism in relation to issues concerning provability and truth in arithmetic that are addressed by G?del-L?b provability logic.

Paradoxes, Self-Referentiality, and Hybrid Systems: A Constructive Approach

Abstract: Since the discovery of the paradoxes of self-referentiality or self-reference respectively logicians and mathematicians tried to avoid self-reference when constructing formal systems. Yet “real” complex systems like the mind are characterized by self-reference and can accordingly only be modeled by formal systems that are also basically self-referential. In this article I show that and how self-referential computer programs, understood as algorithmic formal systems, are not only possible but also since some time quite common in special branches of computer science. Examples for this argument are neural networks and so-called hybrid systems, i.e. combination of different sub systems. The hybrid system SOCAIN, a combination of a cellular automaton, a neural network and a genetic algorithm is an example for the fruitfulness of using self-reference in a systematic way. In particular, such systems consist of mutually dependent sub systems, i.e. form no static hierarchy.

Spinoza’s Political Theory: Naturalism, Determinism and Institutionalism

Abstract: Spinoza has a formidable reputation as an abstract philosopher in the rationalist school of the 17th century This standard image of him stems from his elegant Ethics, examining men and women with the Euclidean method of axioms, corollaries and implications He launched a fascinating theory about moral naturalism and ethical determinism, much debated by other great philosophers However, he also has two political texts, one on religion and another on political regime They are much more reader friendly and the arguments are simple, following from the foundations in Ethics At least, Spinoza so believed This paper presents systematically the political theory in Tractatus Politicus, which has received too little attention

Research on Chewing Gum: Questions of Ethics

Abstract: Guidelines for clinical research and ethics committees are significant contributions to decision made in science and law. But since research methods need to follow the changes and the development of science, guidelines for clinical research have to be continuously revised. Many innovations are perceived for their intended beneficiaries as benefits. Unfortunately, this is not always true. Therefore two issues should be mandatory in discussions of research ethics committees: 1) What constitutes a harmful intervention? 2) What procedures should be established for obtaining data and evaluating their relevance? These questions are too broad and there are no ethical solutions that can leap off a paper. But an example can be worked on. Dental caries is a public health challenge in any country and chewing gum may have an effect with respect to plaque reduction, at least in a short period of time. But sugar chewing gum cannot be used as a positive control in biomedical researches. However, trials referred herein allocated participants for a sugar chewing gum group. Therefore, the aim of this critical review is to emphasize that such a procedure is an example of a conscious disregard for the consideration which is due to trial participants. Were these desirable researches themselves or they had other purposes?

Islamic Jurisprudence and Unity of Nigeria: A Socio-Historical Reconsideration

Abstract: Nigeria’s journey into nationhood has been steely as it has encountered several horrendous setbacks. The journey started with the amalgamation of 1914. Since then, the uniting groups have engaged themselves in competition for dominance, instead of dialoguing for true unity/union which is necessary for nation building. This has resulted in internecine wars, conflict and crises, in several reins of the country’s life. However with more than one hundred years of this marriage, it is therefore necessary to recast our journey. In recasting this history, we shall call to mind that: 1) The Nigeria foremost nationalists dreamt and laboured to make this country a great nation; 2) it is in the quest for this unity that the civil war of 1967-70 was fought; 3) Nigeria is founded on secularity/secular state ideality. Therefore, it is now time to redefine the basis for this unity, noting that great nations have heterogeneous formations, suggesting that our heterogeneity is not truly a weakness to our nation building goal. Therefore, to hide under the ambit of religion or ethnic myopism to scuttle the labours of our heroes past can never stand the test of quality logic. Hence the introduction and implementations of Sharia as alternative legal code in Nigeria are major steps towards disintegration. This work in adopting socio-historical method of investigation, affirms that the secular state of Nigeria and its maintenance must be given supreme consideration in Nigerian agenda, if she must attain her desired nationhood.