This page is a comprehensive, alphabetical list of the essays on this site. All of the essays here can be found through the structurally linked tree of this website, but this page is intendend to provide more direct access to each of them.
Below each linked essay title is the opening paragraph of that particular essay. Some of the essays are better than others in terms of their maturity and quality, though I did not include any I thought were not worth reading.
Breaking the Cartesian Circle: An Analysis of Descartes’ System of Knowledge, by Anthony Peter Iannini, 1999
Essay Length: Long | Subject: Modern Philosophy, Descartes
Introduction: Throughout his writings, Descartes attempts to form a coherent system of attaining knowledge and certainty about both past and present perceptions of the world. The Cartesian Circle refers to the apparent circularity with which Descartes lays down the initial portions of this philosophical system in the Meditations and in the Principles of Philosophy. Before outlining the argument of the Cartesian Circle, I will examine two crucial aspects of Descartes’ philosophical system: Certainty and God. Then, I will illustrate my interpretation of the Cartesian Circle and what I define as Cartesian Paralysis. Finally, I will provide an interpretation which seeks to ‘break’ the circular reasoning attributed to Descartes.
Davidson, Language and Thought, by Anthony Peter Iannini, 2001
Essay Length: Long | Subject: Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Linguistic Meaning
In this essay, I shall attempt to examine the issues involved in answering the following two related questions by posited by Donald Davidson, "What is the connection between thought and language?" and ". . .can there be thought without speech?" (1984, p. 155). My examination of the issues surrounding these two questions in light of the work of Davidson will be primarily divided into two sections.
Early Vision as a Symbolic and
Computational Process, by Anthony Peter Iannini, 2000
Essay Length: Very Short | Subject: Neuroscience, Cognitive Studies
A technical essay on the nature of early vision, one
of the conceptual stages of visual perception. Zenon Pylyshyn, in his book Computation and Cognition, objects to the
computational analysis of low-level or early vision systems presented by David Marr.
Pylyshyn’s argument states that if the domain and range of a function are finite or
non-combinatorial, then it qualifies as an instantiated function. The complexity of the
function, says Pylyshyn, is irrelevant in the sense that it may be a complex property of
the functional architecture that does not have any semantically valued or representational
content. Above all, the system at hand must go through representational levels in order to
be a computational, rather than a transductive, function.
Functionalism and Absent Qualia, by Anthony Peter Iannini, 2001
Essay Length: Extremely Long | Subject: Philosophy of Mind, Consciousness
1. Introduction: Functionalism, one of the most prominent contemporary philosophical and psychological theories of mind, has been objected to on the grounds that it does not incorporate or capture the nature of phenomenal consciousness. This problem is more generally indicative of the perceived failure of objective theories of mind, which describe cognition in information-processing terms, to capture the quality of subjective experience. In what follows, I will demonstrate that certain arguments which attempt to show the possibility of missing phenomenal consciousness in functionalist descriptions of the mind are successful. Usually, the success of such arguments is thought to show a deficiency in functionalist accounts of the mind. However, I will claim the opposite. I shall argue that functionalism, and any objective theory of mind, is safe from arguments which rely on the possibility of missing or absent phenomenal consciousness.
Infallible Foundations and Perceptual Beliefs, by Anthony Peter Iannini, 1999
Essay Length: Short | Subject: Epistemology, Philosophy of Knowledge
The question at hand is whether or not beliefs about basic perceptions, such as those concerning pain and color, can be, for a rational individual, infallible— which is defined as the inability to be false. I will attempt to defend the following proposition in the context of some common counter-examples:
Intrinsic vs. Derived intentionality, by Anthony Peter Iannini, 2000
Essay Length: Short | Subject: Epistemology, Philosophy of Knowledge
Intentional states in systems are (broadly defined) those states which are about or represent something. There has been, for some time, a debate concerning the ways in which an intentional state in some system can come to represent what it is intended to represent. The general distinction that has arisen lies between what has been called intrinsic, natural, or original representational systems and derived or conventional representational systems.
Nāgārjuna’s Emptiness and Pyrrho’s Skepticism, by Anthony Peter Iannini, 2001
Essay Length: Short | Subject: Buddhism, Philosophy of Religion
In this essay, I shall attempt to illuminate interesting parallels between the Madhyamaka Buddhist concept of emptiness and the ancient Greek Pyrrhonist concept of skepticism. I engage in this comparison for two reasons. Firstly, I will argue that common strands of thought exist in Madhyamaka Buddhist and Pyrrhonist philosophy─ two schools which were founded far apart in both space and time. Secondly, and most importantly, I will examine and clarify the concept of emptiness by pointing out subtle differences between it and the concept of skepticism. I shall begin with a discussion of the development of emptiness in Buddhism.
On Plato's Cave,
by Anthony Peter Iannini, 1999
Essay Length: Short | Subject: Ancient Philosophy, Greek, Plato
Introduction: In Book VII of the Republic, Plato creates an image of a cave in which society
lives. There are two main factions in the cave; the prisoners and the puppet-handlers. The
prisoners, chained and bound to chairs, watch shadows dance on the cavern wall in front of
them for their entire lives. These prisoners see only reflections and hear echoes. Their
reality is what is before them, a dimly lit world of distorted objects on the unchanging
surface of the cavern wall. Behind the prisoners, on a walkway, are the puppet-handlers.
They walk in procession, holding their objects in front of a light-giving fire, presenting
the shadows to the prisoners. The prisoners, so completely bound and
chained, can not see the source of the shadows in front of them, because they can not turn
around.
On Science and Religion, by Anthony Peter Iannini, 2001
Essay Length: Extremely Long | Subject: Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Science
This is a rather extensive examination of
science and religion, in light of critical realism- which tries to relate and make
compatible the two realms of human endeavor. In recent times, there has been an attempt to reconcile and relate the natures of both
science and religion in such a way that the two can be seen as compatible rather than
conflicting. The nature of such a discussion between science and religion depends largely
upon (i) the context in which the an analysis of the two institutions takes place,
and (ii) the definitions of the words ‘science’ and ‘religion’.
The context of the discussion must be one in which science and religion are compatible and
the definitions of both ‘science’ and ‘religion’ must be made clear so
that there is no confusion between concepts. The focus of this discussion will be to make
clear the context and definitions that allow for compatibility by examining (1) the
historical evolution of science and religion, (2) the philosophical ideas surrounding the
nature of each, and (3) an examination of the post-modern interpretations of both science
and religion. Before examining the context in which science and religion can be seen as
using the same fundamental human cognitive resources for attaining knowledge about
reality, it is imperative that the question be asked— why, historically, have science
and religion been viewed as diametrically opposed to one another?
Pericles and The Athenian Democracy, by Anthony Peter Iannini, 1999
Essay Length: Short | Subject: Ancient History, Greek History, Athens
Pericles (495-429 BC) has long been associated with the birth of Athenian
democracy (1). as the successor of Ephialtes in 462/1 BC, Pericles continued the policies
of the radical democrats. His remarkable role as a leader and as an Athenian patriot gave
him the power to implement reforms during the 450?s BC that brought Athens to the height
of democracy. But the leadership of Pericles did not go unopposed. He was openly
criticized for his arrogant manner, commanding tone, and resemblance to the tyrant
Peisistratus. Pericles was also challenged for his use of public funds, which came from
the treasury of the Delian League. In spite of his opposition, Pericles was able to
consistently maintain his position as leader of Athens until his death in 429 BC, three
years after the beginning of the Peloponnesian War.
That God Exists in an Ideal World, by Anthony Peter Iannini, 2000
Essay Length: Medium | Subject: Medieval Philosophy, Metaphysics, God
The argument for the existence of god put forth by St. Anselm (1033-1109) in the Proslogion is objected to by Gaunilo, the monk of Marmoutier in his Reply on Behalf of the Fool. Anselm’s argument, which came to be known as the ontological argument (due to Kant) has been the focus of metaphysical analysis since its inception in the eleventh century. In this paper, I will present (1) an outline and summarization of Anselm’s argument, (2) Gaunilo’s argument against Anselm, (3) Anselm’s reply to Gaunilo, (4) an analysis of the debate and an analysis of existence within a wider philosophical context, and (5) a plausible view of reality and existence that allows Anselm's argument to succeed.
The Function of Physical, by Anthony Peter Iannini, 1997
Essay Length: Short | Subject: Philosophy of Mind, Psychology
A short essay that attempts to show why two materially distinct systems will always have some degree of functional difference. I no longer think this is necessarily true, but the point is interesting because it was my very first instinct to think so. In fact, I currently believe that two systems can be materially distinct (or unequal) and be completely functionally identical. The physical world and its interaction with the concept of “mind” has been thought about since the earliest philosophers began to consider what a thought actually was. Descartes believed that a mind, and thought, was made of a non-physical substance that had no spatial position. Many problems arose.
The Importance of Space and Time in Analogies used for Scientific Education, by Anthony Peter Iannini, 2001
Essay Length: Extremely Short | Subject: Aritificial Intelligence, Computer Science
(This article attempts to explain how we could teach an artificial mind about scientific concepts of space and time by analytically deconstructing the process of analogical reasoning). Analogical reasoning encompasses a number of complex processes that compare representations of different entities for likeness or similarity. The key to understanding analogy is understanding the nature of the similarity between two representations. Structure-mapping theories of analogy (Gentner, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987) are successful because they capture the similarity between such things as 'pressure' and 'temperature' (Gentner, 1989) in situations such as the analogous movement of water in a tube (pressure) and the movement of heat through metal (temperature). In what follows, I will examine and suggest minor refinements to structure-mapping models of analogical reasoning in scientific educational circumstances.
The Primate Mental Climate, by Anthony Peter Iannini, 1999
Essay Length: Very Short | Subject: Evolutionary Psychology, Primate Evolution
An essay that attempts to draw a simple analogy between the social evolutionary environment of primates and a fictional thermal environment in order to clarify a point about increasing pressures that lead to rapid change in the mental capacity of human primate ancestors. My goal is to draw an analogy between thermal climate change and adaptation and social ‘climate’ change and adaptation. I will discuss the change in natural social climate that occurred during primate evolution and the drastic social climate change that occurs during primate transplantation into captivity; in other words, transplantation into a human social climate. The pressures leading to the evolution of the human mind (higher cognitive functions) will be central to my discussion
To Stay
in Omelas, by Anthony Peter Iannini, 2009
Essay Length: Very Short | Subject: Literary Critique, Ethics
In Ursula Le Guin's short story, "The Ones Who Walk Away from
Omelas", a utopian town is depicted where everyone lives in a constant state of
happiness. Le Guin stresses that these people are not simple or ignorant, yet they are
never afflicted with the worry and distress common in the real world. However, the utopian
nature of the town and its prosperity depends on the miserable condition of one small
child. This child lives alone in a little closet, deprived of love and understanding.
Physically, the child is undernourished, and is constantly hungry. Every inhabitant of
Omelas is required to see the child at one point, usually during their early teenage
years, and know of its miserable existence. And, the people know that their utopia would
fall apart if this small child was not utterly deprived. This is where the dilemma arises.
Understanding in the Chinese Room, by Anthony Peter Iannini, 2000
Essay Length: Very Short | Subject: Philosophy of Mind, Artificial Intelligence
(The Chinese Room argument was presented by John Searle as a refutation of what is called "strong" artificial intelligence).
John Searle presents an argument (1) in which a monolinguistic English speaking man is
placed in an isolated room. While in this room, the man is given Chinese symbols to which
he is to respond in Chinese. As he does not understand any Chinese, the man is incapable
of doing this. However, he is given rules in English that tell him how to respond to one
Chinese symbol with another in such a way that it seems as if he actually understands
Chinese to someone outside the room. We could imagine that one of these instruction sheets
would appear similar to the following: If you see X then
send back Y and, if you see QQ then send back PPP, and so on, getting
as complex as possible.
