•  1
    The wonders of Scotland
    The Philosophers' Magazine 42 80-82. 2008.
    It is now commonplace to observe that the Scottish enlightenment had an effect on the political and educational institutions of North America, including the Constitution of the United States and early colleges such as Princeton. Less well known is its influence on reforming movements in continental Europe, particularly in France and Spain.
  •  96
    (I am) thinking
    Ratio 16 (2): 124-139. 2003.
    The activity of thought is deeply perplexing. Anyone resistant to its consignment to the domain of sub‐personal psychology, or to quasi‐behaviouristic elimination, needs to address such matters as why it is that thinking seems to elude capture in consciousness, and what the nature of self‐ascription may be. This paper takes up from an earlier discussion by Claudio Costa (‘ “I’m Thinking” ’Ratio 2001) and argues that his account of thinking is flawed. It also argues, in opposition to Costa, that …Read more
  •  131
    Aquinas on sense-perception
    Philosophical Review 92 (2): 233-239. 1983.
  •  34
    Thomas Reid and the History of Ideas
    American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly 74 (3): 447-469. 2000.
  •  29
    Infallibility, authority and faith
    Heythrop Journal 38 (3). 1997.
  •  19
    Philosophical Papers (review)
    American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly 83 (1): 153-157. 2009.
  •  111
    A Benign Regress
    Analysis 43 (June): 115-116. 1983.
  •  10
    The Metaphysics of Intellect
    Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 80 39-55. 2006.
    In the heyday of conceptual analysis philosophical psychology was practised without regard to the ontology of mind as that was associated with disputes between materialism and non-materialism. The rise of functionalism, however, led philosophical psychology in the direction of materialism, though with a residue deriving from phenomenal consciousness. This is now widely viewed as ‘the hard problem’ for physicalism and probably an insuperable one for it, raising the spectre of epiphenomenalism. I …Read more
  •  45
    Family matters
    Philosophy 81 (4): 581-594. 2006.
    Governments and international bodies continue to praise the family for its service to the good of individuals and of society. Among its important contributions are the rearing of children and the care of the elderly. So far as the former is concerned, however, the family is subject to increasing criticism and suggestions are made for further state intervention, particularly in the area of education. In response to this challenge I consider the natural operation of the family in relation to the d…Read more
  •  7
    This brings together moral, social and political philosophers from Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the United States who explore a wide range of issues under the three headings of Philosophy, Society and Culture; Ethics, Economics and Justice; and Rights, Law and Punishment. The topics discussed range from the public responsibility of intellectuals to the justice of military tribunals, and from posthumous reproduction to the death penalty.
  •  25
    Truth and Hope (review)
    Journal of Philosophy 99 (3): 157-162. 2002.
  •  64
    Editorial Introduction: Hume on Mind and Causality
    Journal of Scottish Philosophy 5 (1): 1-6. 2007.
    The following essay, whose title has been provided by me for this occasion, is taken from James Ferrier's work The Institutes of Metaphysic where it appears in Section I., the general theme of which is ‘The Epistemology, or Theory of Knowing’. The essay is a statement and elaboration of the ‘ninth proposition’ of the Institutes, and an examination of its implications as these bear upon knowledge of mind and self. The precise source of the text is the 3rd edition of the Institutes of Metaphysic. …Read more
  •  2
    Some metaphysical presuppositions of agency, agere-sequitur-esse (acting-follows-upon-being)
    Heythrop Journal-a Quarterly Review of Philosophy and Theology 35 (3): 296-303. 1994.
  •  116
    Brentano's Problem
    Grazer Philosophische Studien 35 (1): 1-32. 1989.
    Contemporary writers often refer to 'Brentano's Problem' meaning by this the issue of whether all intentional phenomena can be accounted for in terms of a materialist ontology. This, however, was not the problem of intentionaUty which concerned Brentano himself. Rather, the difficulty which he identified is that of how to explain the very contentfulness of mental states, and in particular their apparently relational character. This essay explores something of Brentano's own views on this issue a…Read more
  •  7
    What Future has Catholic Philosophy?
    Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 71 79-90. 1997.
  •  30
    American philosophy: ‘Scotch’ or ‘teutonic’?
    Philosophy 77 (3): 311-329. 2002.
    Given as an address to the American Philosophical Association on the occasion of its centennial, this paper examines the character and standing of American philosophy now and at the outset of the twentieth century as seen (then and now) from a British point of view. A century ago Britain was itself the unquestioned leader of Anglo-Saxon thought. Now, however, as in so many areas, the US is the pre-eminent world power. This status brings prestige and various benefits but it also carries responsib…Read more
  •  8
    The True, the Good and the Practical
    Ethical Perspectives 4 (4): 237-242. 1997.
    In his paper A Philosophical Approach to Professional Ethics, Professor de Stexhe offers a very rich and interesting set of reflections on the possible foundations of professional ethics. First he constructs a compelling problematic arising from the diverse but intersecting dimensions in which ethical action is located. Then he describes a task, or more accurately a series of tasks, involving a skilfully choreographed set of dialectal movements between the various moments or conditioning feature…Read more
  •  5
    Insight, Inference, and Intellection
    Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 73 31-45. 1999.
  • 10.3 Response
    Logos. Anales Del Seminario de Metafísica [Universidad Complutense de Madrid, España] 5 (2). 2002.
  •  44
    A History of Scottish Philosophy
    British Journal for the History of Philosophy 19 (1): 164-167. 2011.
  •  34
    The philosophy of Thomas Reid editorial introduction
    Philosophical Quarterly 52 (209): 433-436. 2002.
  •  7
    Humanism with a realist face
    Philosophical Books 35 (1): 21-29. 1994.
  •  7
    Mind, causation, & action (edited book)
    with Leslie Forster Stevenson and Roger Squires
    Blackwell. 1986.
  •  96
    Philosophy, death and immortality
    Philosophical Investigations 30 (3). 2007.
    Dewi Phillips was an insightful practitioner of a philosophical method of cultural phenomenology focused upon word and deed. His interests and outlook also brought him close to the concerns of some post-Kantian theologians, such as Schleiermacher. The present essay observes a link between their treatments of the nature and significance of the idea of immortality. It then explores something of Phillips' positions as developed in Death and Immortality, acknowledging the importance, which he emphas…Read more
  •  77
    The Individual, The State, and The Common Good
    Social Philosophy and Policy 13 (1): 59. 1996.
    Let me begin with what should be a reassuring thought, and one that may serve as a corrective to presumptions that sometimes characterize political philosophy. The possibility, which Aquinas and Madison are both concerned with, of wise and virtuous political deliberation resulting in beneficial and stable civil order, no more depends upon possession of aphilosophical theory of the state and of the virtues proper to it, than does the possibility of making good paintings depend upon possession of …Read more
  •  32
    Examining the assumption
    Heythrop Journal 43 (4). 2002.
    Many believe that at the end of her life Mary was assumed bodily ‘into heaven’ where she remains exalted by her divine son. This claim, magisterially entitled The Doctrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, strikes some as absurd. Even many traditional Christians are opposed to, or have doubts about this aspect of Catholic doctrine of the Theotokos[the one who ‘gave birth to’ God]).Typically critics regard the doctrine as being at best a sentimental piety and at worst a neo–Pagan accr…Read more