Philosophical Essays

The following essays, notes, questions and comments are representative of the work completed in partial satisfaction of the requirements for a Graduate Degree in Philosophy at Georgetown University, Washington DC. Except where noted, the content of these manuscripts is original to the author. Such originality has, in some cases, lead to a certain imprecision in presentation, and compels me to seek the reader’s indulgence so far as intelligibility permits.

Preface

Courses

Detailed Chronology

• Fundamentals of Political Theory (PHIL-505-01, Fall 1991)
  
  • Aristotle and Natural Inequiality (October 1991)
    
  • On the Nature of Thomistic and Aristotelian Humanity (November 1991)
    
  • Culture and Public Spiritedness in the Good Regime in Machiavelli and Aristotle (October 1992)
    
  • From Natural Equality to the Artificial Man (December 1992)
    
  • For the Love of Wisdom (January 1993)
    
  
  
• Philosophy of Language: Reference and Singular Terms (PHIL-725-01, Fall 1991)
  
  • Making Sense of Reference (January 1994)
    
  
  
• Proseminar: Epistemology (PHIL-706-01, Fall 1991)
  
  • Analyticity Revisited (September 1991)
    
  • When Reliabilities Conflict (October 1991)
    
  • Proto-Linguistic Concepts, Pre-Linguistic Conceptual Mechanisms, and red (December 1991)
    
  
  
• Descartes (PHIL-470-01, Spring 1992)
  
  • Simple Knowers (March 1992)
    
  • On the Origin and Nature of Ideas (Summer 1992)
    
  • The Contingency of Truth in the Cartesian World (Summer 1992)
    
  
  
• Epistemology, Politics and Society (PHIL-783-01, Spring 1992)
  
  • Can Utilitarianism Survive a Normative Metaphysical Landscape? (February 1992)
    
  • A Play on Truth (November 1993)
    
  • Apologia: The Good in Second Order Criticism (January 1994)
    
  • Who are we to say? (December 1994)
    
  
  
• Moral Psychology (PHIL-720-01, Spring 1992)
  
  • Undermining Determinism, Two readings of Strawson’s attempt to salvage the moral life (March 1992)
    
  • “Not Me.” (April 1992)
    
  • Why Care? Sakes and Stakes in the Justice/Care Debate (August 1994)
    
  
  
• Aristotle’s Ethics (PHIL-742-01, Spring 1993)
  
  • Know Well Your Friends, Friendship and self-knowledge in Aristotle’s Ethics (December 1994)
    
  
  
• Feminist Philosophy (PHIL-789-01, Spring 1993)
  
  • Notes, Thoughts, and Questions (January to May 1993)
    
  • Radical Gender Imprisonment (March 1993)
    
  • The Second Self, Rape and Slenderness: Gendered Identity in Crisis (December 1993)
    
  
  
• Meaning (PHIL-620-01, Spring 1994)
  
  • What’s in a Name? (August 1994)
    
  
  
• Proseminar: Metaphysics (PHIL-767-01, Spring 1994)
  
  • Part I: Time (January/February 1994)
    
  • Part II: Identity (March 1994)
    
  • Part III: Mind (April 1994)
    
  • Part IV: Freedom (May 1994)