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4Douglas N. Walton, Arguer's Position: A Pragmatic Study of Ad Hominem Attack, Criticism, Refutation, and Fallacy Reviewed byPhilosophy in Review 5 (9): 405-406. 1985.
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8Philosophers, Argument, and Politics without CertaintyInquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines 18 (1): 95-103. 1998.
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4IsCanadian Journal of Philosophy 8 (2): 305-321. 1978.Alice Ambrose once criticized Moore for treating the proposition ‘There are external objects’ as an empirical one. She said that those who denied that we could know this proposition to be true would not accept any evidence as going against their denial of it, and were not regarding the issue of its truth as empirical. She also maintained that one could not point out an external object in the way in which one could point out a dime or nickel and alleged on these grounds that saying that there are…Read more
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20This paper explores the relationship between narrative and argument in the context of ‘telling our stories’, a common aspect of processes of political reconciliation. Truth commissions and informal workshops often emphasize the telling of stories as a means of providing a sense of the experiences of persons affected by political conflict. Such stories, or narratives, may provide a powerful tool in reconciliation processes, given that they provide a basis for acknowledgement, understanding and em…Read more
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76Forgiveness and RevengeRoutledge. 2002.Forgiveness and Revenge is a powerful exploration of our attitudes to serious wrongdoings and a careful examination of the values that underlie our thinking about revenge and forgiveness. From adulterous spouses to terrorist factions, we are surrounded by wrongdoing, yet we rarely agree which response is appropriate. The problem of how to respond realistically and sensitively to the wrongs of the past remains a perplexing one. Trudy Govier clarifies our thinking on this subject by examining the …Read more
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Robert Dahl, Controlling Nuclear Weapons: Democracy Versus Guardianship Reviewed byPhilosophy in Review 6 (6): 265-268. 1986.
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25Critical Thinking and Education John E. McPeck Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1981. Pp. vi, 170. $13.50, paperDialogue 22 (1): 170-175. 1983.
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32Nuclear Hardware and Power: The War of PerceptionsCanadian Journal of Philosophy 17 (4). 1987.Nations possessing nuclear weapons have seen them as useful for many purposes. These include classic nuclear deterrence, extended nuclear deterrence, the fighting of a nuclear war ‘if deterrence fails,’ and a ‘diplomatic’ use in which the weapons are seen as implements of coercive political power. Concerning all these uses profound ethical questions arise. It is the last use which will be the focus of attention in this paper.I have chosen this subject partly because I believe that it has receive…Read more
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69Logic and Parables: Do These Narratives Provide Arguments?Informal Logic 32 (2): 161-189. 2012.We explore the relationship between argument and narrative with reference to parables. Parables are typically thought to convey a message. In examining a parable, we can ask what that message is, whether the story told provides reasons for the message, and whether those reasons are good reasons. In exploring these questions, we employ as an inves-tigative technique the strategy of reconstructing parables as argu-ments. We then proceed to con-sider the cogency of those argu-ments. One can offer a…Read more
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5Jeffrey C. Goldfarb, The Cynical Society: The Culture of Politics and the Politics of Culture in American Life Reviewed byPhilosophy in Review 12 (1): 25-28. 1992.
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19Two is a Small Number: False Dichotomies RevisitedIn Ralph H. Johnson and David M. Godden J. Anthony Blair Christopher W. Tindale Hans V. Hansen (ed.), Dissensus and the Search for Common Ground, Ossa. 2007.Our acceptance of falsely dichotomous statements is often intellectually distorting. It restricts imagination, limits opportunities, and lends support to pseudo-logical arguments. In conflict situations, the presumption that there are only two sides is often a harmful distortion. Why do so many false dichotomies seem plausible? Are all dichotomies false? What are the alternatives, if any, to such fundamental dichotomies as ‘true/false’, ‘yes/no’, ‘proponent/opponent,’ and ‘accept/reject’?
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8God, the Devil and the Perfect Pizza: Ten Philosophical QuestionsBroadview Press. 1995.Can God’s existence be proven by logic? Are computers smart enough to follow rules—or to cheat? What is an out-of-body experience? How can tables be solid when physicists say they’re made of subatomic particles that are only probability functions? Does science depend on trust? What is conscience? Does it come from God? From religious teaching? Social training? Is it rational to pursue your own self-interest? Can we all survive if we do this? In this collection of stories and dialogues Trudy Govi…Read more
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31Dilemmas of TrustCarleton University Press. 1998.Trust facilitates communication, love, friendship, and co-operation and is fundamentally important to human relationships and personal development. Using examples from daily life, interviews, literature, and film, Govier describes the role of trust in friendship and in family relationships as well as the connection between self-trust, self-respect, and self-esteem. She examines the reasons we trust or distrust others and ourselves, and the expectations and vulnerabilities that accompany those at…Read more
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32Presuppositions, Conditions, and ConsequencesCanadian Journal of Philosophy 1 (4). 1972.An analysis of necessary condition and presupposition reveals that, as logical relations, these notions are basically similar to each other and different from the notion of entailment or other ‘if-then’ relations of logical consequence. Both necessary condition and presupposition seem to be two-directional in a rather peculiar way. Appreciating this is helpful in interpreting philosophers such as Kant and Strawson who have relied extensively on these relations in constructing the philosophical a…Read more
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Areas of Specialization
Applied Ethics |
Social and Political Philosophy |
Logic and Philosophy of Logic |
Areas of Interest
Applied Ethics |
Meta-Ethics |
Social and Political Philosophy |
17th/18th Century Philosophy |