•  11
    Q & A
    The Philosophers' Magazine 45 116-117. 2009.
  •  60
    Ockham's Razor
    Think 2 (4): 91-95. 2003.
    Ockham's razor is one of the best-known and most useful tools in the philosopher's toolkit. Here Sharon Kaye explains how the razor works, and also how it may have come by its name
  •  51
    Russell, Strawson, and William of Ockham
    The Proceedings of the Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy 2 207-216. 1999.
    Realism and conventionalism generally establish the parameters of debate over universals. Do abstract terms in language refer to abstract things in the world? The realist answers yes, leaving us with an inflated ontology; the conventionalist answers no, leaving us with subjective categories. I want to defend nominalism in its original medieval sense, as one possibility that aims to preserve objectivity while positing nothing more than concrete individuals in the world. First, I will present para…Read more
  •  7
    Lost and Philosophy: The Island has its Reasons (edited book)
    Wiley-Blackwell. 2007.
    Sometimes it feels like you need a Ph.D. to follow the show. But you don't. You just need this book in which twenty-one philosophers explore the deep questions we all face as survivors on this planet: Does "everything happen for a reason"? Is torture ever justified? Who are the Others? How do we know we're not patients in Hurley's psych ward? What if the Dharma Intitiative is experimenting on us? Desmond may not be able to save Charlie, but this book could save you. A provocative study of the hi…Read more
  •  41
    Buridan’s Ass
    Dialogue and Universalism 15 (3-4): 137-146. 2005.
    This paper discusses Buridan’s Ass as a thought experiment that has been misunderstood. First, the thought experiment is presented in its traditional form and typical objections to it are discussed. Then the author argues that William of Ockham supplies the background necessary for a more meaningful formulation. Buridan’s Ass is designed to show that each individual must choose how to value the value we discover in the world and that, in so doing, we create individual preferences.
  •  19
    Was there no evolutionary thought in the middle ages? The case of William of ockham
    British Journal for the History of Philosophy 14 (2). 2006.
    (2006). Was there no evolutionary thought in the middle ages? The case of William of Ockham. British Journal for the History of Philosophy: Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 225-244
  •  17
    The Virtue of Playing Along
    Philosophy in the Contemporary World 14 (1): 1-10. 2007.
    Because playing along involves pretence, it is liable to be seen as an objectionable form of deception. In this paper, however, I argue that it is a virtue based on its role in creating and sustaining valuable relationships. According to William of Ockham and Michelle de Montaigne, to love another as a true friend is to will as he or she wills. Given that even the most like-minded individuals often will different things, there is need for a meta-level, at which one can validate the will of the o…Read more
  •  71
    Evolution and Existentialism
    Essays in the Philosophy of Humanism 22 (2): 159-171. 2014.
    Many philosophers embrace both evolution and existentialism as though these two views provide a mutually supportive foundation for atheism. The story goes that evolution tells us life is meaningless while existentialism tells us what to do about it. In this paper, I aim to debunk this story. I begin by explaining the existentialist quest for the meaning of life. Then I explain why it is inconsistent with the principles of evolution. In the end, I argue that the quest for the meaning of life shou…Read more
  •  16
    William of ockham (c. 1280 - C. 1349)
    Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2007.
  •  2
  •  3
    A secret concealed for centuries, shrouded in myth, silenced by stone. A secret that if unleashed threatens to shake the very foundation of Western civilization. A secret that can remain hidden no longer. The quest begins in Rome, where a grizzly murder and a plundered tomb serve to ignite perhaps the most controversial conflict in human history. Inspector Domenico Conti is charged with the task of recovering the contents of the tomb, but as he delves deeper into the investigation, he is thrust …Read more
  •  41
    Using the Internet Platform Second Life to Teach Social Justice
    Teaching Philosophy 34 (1): 17-32. 2011.
    Second Life, an on-line, interactive environment in which users create avatars through which they have virtual experiences, is a contemporary experiment in utopia. While most often it is used for social networking, it also is used for commercial and educational purposes, as well as for political activism. Here, we share the results from a course that uses Second Life as a tool for examining social justice. We examine the notion of utopia, present the results of a pre- and post-survey designed to…Read more
  •  46
    Passions in William ockham's philosophical psychology
    Journal of the History of Philosophy 45 (2): 330-332. 2007.
    Sharon M. Kaye - Passions in William Ockham's Philosophical Psychology - Journal of the History of Philosophy 45:2 Journal of the History of Philosophy 45.2 330-332 Muse Search Journals This Journal Contents Reviewed by Sharon Kaye John Carroll University Vesa Hirvonen. Passions in William Ockham's Philosophical Psychology. Studies in the History and Philosophy of Mind, 2. Dordrecht: Kluwer, 2004. Pp. ix + 212. Cloth, €96.30. This volume is the second in a series aiming to produce monographs tha…Read more
  •  8
    Freedom, Will, and Nature
    Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 81 123-132. 2007.
  •  15
    ISBN: 0802839037. Henriksen, Jan-Olav. The Reconstruction of Religion: Lessing, Kierkegaard,. and Nietzsche. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001. Pp. 208. Paper $22.00, ISBN: 080284927X (review)
    with Robert A. Herrera, Robert M. Martin, C. A. Belmont, Martin Beck Matustik, and Bernard McGinn
    American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly 75 (4). 2001.
  •  26
    William of Ockham and the Unlikely Connection between Transubstantiation and Free Will
    Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 81 123-132. 2007.
    William of Ockham was tried for heresy due to his assertion that certain qualities can exist independently of substances. Scholars have assumed he made thisstrange assertion in order to account for the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. I argue, however, that the assertion was philosophically rather than theologically motivated. Ockham develops a nominalist substance ontology, according to which most changes can be explained as the result of local motion. Knowledge and virtue are changes i…Read more
  •  72
    True friendship and the logic of lying
    Journal of Value Inquiry 39 (3-4): 475-485. 2005.
  •  10
    In this fast-paced, enlightening guide, Sharon M. Kaye takes us on a whistle-stop tour of medieval philosophy, revealing its astounding legacy to the discipline today.
  •  39
    Book reviews (review)
    with Graham Oppy, Peter Forrest, and Shalom Goldman
    Sophia 43 (1): 125-126. 2004.
    Book Review. . ???aop.label???. doi: 10.1080/00048402.2014.929720
  •  36
    Where is the antichrist?
    Sophia 44 (2): 59-65. 2005.
  •  43
    Q & A
    The Philosophers' Magazine 45 (45): 116-117. 2009.
  •  8
    Expanded and up-to-date-the ultimate guide that explores meaning and philosophy of all six seasons of Lost Lost is more than just a popular television show; it's a complex examination of meaningful philosophical questions. What does good versus evil mean on the island? Is it a coincidence that characters John Locke and Desmond David Hume are named after actual philosophers? What is the ethics of responsibility for Jack? An action-adventure story with more than a touch of the metaphysical, Lost f…Read more