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15Pragmatism and the European Traditions: Encounters with Analytic Philosophy and Phenomenology Before the Great Divide (edited book)Routledge. 2017.The turn of the twentieth century witnessed the birth of two distinct philosophical schools in Europe: analytic philosophy and phenomenology. The history of 20th-century philosophy is often written as an account of the development of one or both of these schools, as well as their overt or covert mutual hostility. What is often left out of this history, however, is the relationship between the two European schools and a third significant philosophical event: the birth and development of pragmatis…Read more
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7The Many Faces of Relativism (edited book)Routledge. 2014.This book is a study of relativism as a dominant intellectual preoccupation of our time. Relativism asks how we are to find a way out of intractable differences of perspectives and disagreements in various domains. Standards of truth, rationality, and ethical right and wrong vary greatly and there are no universal criteria for adjudicating between them. In considering this problem, relativism suggests that what is true or right can only be determined within variable contexts of assessment. This …Read more
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3Relativism about scienceIn Martin Curd & Stathis Psillos (eds.), The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Science, Routledge. pp. 236--47. 2005.
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313RelativismStanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2020.Relativism has been, in its various guises, both one of the most popular and most reviled philosophical doctrines of our time. Defenders see it as a harbinger of tolerance and the only ethical and epistemic stance worthy of the open-minded and tolerant. Detractors dismiss it for its alleged incoherence and uncritical intellectual permissiveness. Debates about relativism permeate the whole spectrum of philosophical sub-disciplines. From ethics to epistemology, science to religion, political theor…Read more
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26Varieties of Social Explanation: An introduction to the Philosophy of Social SciencePhilosophical Books 33 (1): 59-61. 1992.
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22Editorial IntroductionInternational Journal of Philosophical Studies 16 (1): 1-2. 2008.This Article does not have an abstract
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2' 'Relativism: A Brief HistoryIn Michael Krausz (ed.), Relativism: A Contemporary Anthology, Columbia University Press. 2010.
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156The Puzzle of Self‐DeceptionPhilosophy Compass 8 (11): 1018-1029. 2013.It is commonly accepted that people can, and regularly do, deceive themselves. Yet closer examination reveals a set of conceptual puzzles that make self-deception difficult to explain. Applying the conditions for other-deception to self-deception generates what are known as the ‘paradoxes’ of belief and intention. Simply put, the central problem is how it is possible for me to believe one thing, and yet intentionally cause myself to simultaneously believe its contradiction. There are two general…Read more
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56Reading Putnam (edited book)Routledge. 2012.Hilary Putnam is one of the world’s leading philosophers. His highly original and often provocative ideas have set the agenda for a variety of debates in philosophy of science, philosophy of mind and philosophy of language. His now famous philosophical thought experiments, such as the ‘Twin earth’ and ‘the brains in the vat’ have become part of the established canon in philosophy and cognitive science. _Reading Putnam_ is an outstanding overview and assessment of Hilary Putnam’s work by a team o…Read more
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27IntroductionInternational Journal of Philosophical Studies 20 (2): 163-164. 2012.International Journal of Philosophical Studies, Volume 20, Issue 2, Page 163-164, May 2012
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167Why conceptual schemes?Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 98 (3). 1998.According to Donald Davidson, the very idea of a conceptual scheme is the third dogma of empiricism. In this paper I examine the ways in which this claim may be interpreted. I conclude by arguing that there remains an innocent version of the scheme -content distinction which is not motivated by empiricism and does not commit us to the pernicious type of dualism that Davidson rejects
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30The Depths and Shallows of Philosophical StyleJournal of Philosophical Research 39 311-323. 2014.This paper engages with a central question posed by R. G. Collingwood: “[does] philosophical literature [have] any peculiarities corresponding to those of the thought which it tries to express?” In attempts to identify and distinguish between various schools and traditions of philosophy the idea of style is often invoked. And yet this same idea remains ill-defined and nebulous. My paper draws on a number of scattered discussions of style in philosophy in order to find the beginnings of an answer…Read more
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24On the plurality of conceptual schemes1In Maria Baghramian & Attracta Ingram (eds.), Pluralism: The Philosophy and Politics of Diversity, Routledge. pp. 44. 2000.
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' 'Relativism and Religion'In Gerald Hanratty & Fran O'Rourke (eds.), Human Destinies: Philosophical Essays in Memory of Gerald Hanratty, University of Notre Dame Press. 2012.
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11Robert Papazian Annual Essay Prize on Themes from Ethics and Political PhilosophyInternational Journal of Philosophical Studies 24 (2): 161-163. 2016.
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160Constructed Worlds, Contested TruthsIn Richard Schantz & Markus Seidel (eds.), The Problem of Relativism in the Sociology of (Scientific) Knowledge, Ontos. pp. 105-130. 2011.
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9The Depths and Shallows of Philosophical StyleJournal of Philosophical Research 39 311-323. 2014.This paper engages with a central question posed by R. G. Collingwood: “[does] philosophical literature [have] any peculiarities corresponding to those of the thought which it tries to express?” In attempts to identify and distinguish between various schools and traditions of philosophy the idea of style is often invoked. And yet this same idea remains ill-defined and nebulous. My paper draws on a number of scattered discussions of style in philosophy in order to find the beginnings of an answer…Read more
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33Pluralism: The Philosophy and Politics of Diversity (edited book)Routledge. 2000.Cultural, moral and religious diversity is a pervasive feature of modern life, yet has only recently become the focus of intellectual debate. _Pluralism_ is the first book to tackle philosophical pluralism and link pluralist themes in philosophy to politics. A range of essays investigates the philosophical sources of pluralism, the value of pluralism and liberalism, and difference in pluralism, including writings on women and the public-private distinction. This is a valuable source for students…Read more
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Relativism 'and the Norm of Truth'Trópoand; RIVISTA DI ERMENEUTICA E CRITICA FILOSOFICA (3): 33-51. 2011.
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27Three pragmatisms: Putnam, Rorty, and BrandomPoznan Studies in the Philosophy of the Sciences and the Humanities 95 (1): 83-101. 2008.Over the last several decades an increasing number of philosophers have announced their sympathies for or have become affiliated with what has become known as neo-pragmatism. The connection between the various strands of pragmatism, new and old, however, remains quite unclear. This paper attempts to shed some light on this issue by focusing on a debate between Hilary Putnam and Robert Brandom on classical and contemporary pragmatisms. Using the Brandom-Putnam debate as my starting point, I exami…Read more
Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
Areas of Specialization
Epistemology |
20th Century Philosophy |
Philosophy of Language |
Philosophy of Cognitive Science |