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31Logic by Laurence Goldstein, Andrew Brennan, Max Deutsch and Joe Y.F. LauPhilosophical Books 47 (3): 272-273. 2006.
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124The metaphysics of squaring scientific realism with referential indeterminacyErkenntnis 50 (1): 83-90. 1999.This article clarifies the motivations for and commitments of metaphysical realism and shows that it is compatible with various kinds of referential indeterminacy.
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70Privileging propertiesPhilosophical Studies 105 (1): 1-23. 2001.The idea that the world is human construction is fairly familiar and generally disparaged. One version of this claim is partially defendedhere. This subjectivist thesis concerns a debate about the objectivityof rightness of categorization. A problem about the discriminatoryrole of properties is both presented and motivated. The subjectivistthesis is articulated and defended against two powerful objections.Finally, this thesis is shown to be conceptually independent ofboth verificationism and emp…Read more
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228Gruesome connectionsPhilosophical Quarterly 52 (206): 21-33. 2002.It is widely recognized that Goodman's grue example demonstrates that the rules for induction, unlike those for deduction, cannot be purely syntactic. Ways in which Goodman's proof generalizes, however, are not widely recognized. Gruesome considerations demonstrate that neither theories of simplicity nor theories of empirical confirmation can be purely syntactic. Moreover, the grue paradox can be seen as an instance of a much more general phenomenon. All empirical investigations require semantic…Read more
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164The limits of free speech: Pornography and the question of coverageLegal Theory 13 (1): 41-68. 2007.Many liberal societies are deeply committed to freedom of speech. This commitment is so entrenched that when it seems to come into conflict with other commitments (e.g., gender equality), it is often argued that the commitment to speech must trump the other commitments. In this paper, we argue that a proper understanding of our commitment to free speech requires being clear about what should count as speech for these purposes. On the approach we defend, should get a special, technical sense, dif…Read more
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171Sincerity SilencingHypatia 29 (2): 458-473. 2014.Catharine MacKinnon claims that pornography silences women in a way that violates the right to free speech. This claim is, of course, controversial, but if it is correct, then the very free speech reasons for protecting pornography appear also to afford reason to restrict it. For this reason, it has gained considerable attention. The philosophical literature thus far focuses on a type of silencing identified and analyzed by Jennifer Hornsby and Rae Langton (H&L). This article identifies, analyze…Read more
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367On Racist Hate Speech and the Scope of a Free Speech PrincipleCanadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence 23 (2): 343-372. 2009.In this paper, we argue that to properly understand our commitment to a principle of free speech, we must pay attention to what should count as speech for the purposes of such a principle. We defend the view that ‘speech’ here should be a technical term, with something other than its ordinary sense. We then offer a partial characterization of this technical sense. We contrast our view with some influential views about free speech , and show that our view has distinct advantages. Finally, we cons…Read more
Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States of America
Areas of Interest
Philosophy of Language |
Philosophy of Law |
Philosophy of Gender, Race, and Sexuality |