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Karl Pfeifer

University of Saskatchewan
  •  Home
  •  Publications
    52
    • Most Recent
    • Most Downloaded
    • Topics
  •  Events
    2
  •  News and Updates
    10
  •  Teaching Materials
    1

 More details
  • University of Saskatchewan
    Department of Philosophy
    Professor Emeritus
University of Calgary
Department of Philosophy
PhD, 1980
Homepage
Clayton, Victoria, Australia
0000-0001-8059-6008
Areas of Specialization
Metaphysics
Philosophy of Mind
Aesthetics
Areas of Interest
Aesthetics
Logic and Philosophy of Logic
20th Century Philosophy
  • All publications (52)
  •  50
    Towards a Relocation of the Divine Command Theory
    Cogito 6 (2): 67-69. 1992.
    Divine Command Theories
  •  2
    Events, individuation, and identity
    Bibliography: p. 199-206.
  •  129
    Orgasm and art
    Academic Voices 2021 18-20. 2021.
    Karl Pfeifer argues against the view that an aesthetic experience must be a uniquely special kind of experience by means of an analogy with sexual experiences. Nonetheless, he leaves open the possibility that some aesthetic experiences might still be of a special kind.
    Aesthetics, MiscAesthetic ExperienceSpecific Expressions, Misc
  •  114
    Boring Philosophy Professors, Streetwalkers, and the Joy of Sex
    In Kishor Vaidya (ed.), Teach Philosophy with a Sense of Humor: Why (and How to) Be a Funnier and More Effective Philosophy Teacher and Laugh All the Way to Your Classroom, The Curious Academic Publishing. 2021.
    Karl Pfeifer distinguishes between humor used extraneously in the delivery of philosophical content and humor intrinsic to the content itself: “Enlivening the delivery isn’t the same as enlivening the content of the delivery.” Using examples from topics in philosophy of mind and moral philosophy he illustrates how humor can be used to make certain ideas more engaging and memorable for students. He also gives an example of what to avoid.
    HumourTeaching Philosophy, MiscPhilosophy of Mind, MiscellaneousEthics, MiscEducationArts and Humani…Read more
    HumourTeaching Philosophy, MiscPhilosophy of Mind, MiscellaneousEthics, MiscEducationArts and Humanities, Misc
  •  83
    What did Hecker say about laughter? Funny you should ask
    Israeli Journal of Humor Research 9 (2): 44-48. 2020.
    The Darwin-Hecker hypothesis, viz. that laughter induced by tickling and humor share common underlying mechanisms, is so-called in part because of a quotation attributed to Ewald Hecker. However, a German counterpart of the quotation does not appear in the location cited. Some textual sleuthing is undertaken to find out what Hecker actually wrote and where he wrote it.
    Philosophy, MiscellaneousHumourPhilosophy of Mind, MiscOther Academic AreasPhilosophy of Science, Mi…Read more
    Philosophy, MiscellaneousHumourPhilosophy of Mind, MiscOther Academic AreasPhilosophy of Science, MiscellaneousHistory of Western Philosophy
  •  92
    The Modern Idea of History and its Value: An Introduction, by Chiel van den Akker (review)
    International Network for Theory of History. 2021.
    Philosophy, MiscellaneousArts and Humanities, MiscValue TheoryNietzsche: Philosophy of History
  •  61
    Humour again [letter]
    Cogito 4 (1): 210. 1990.
    Several counterexamples are adduced against the view that surprise is an essential ingredient of humor.
    Philosophy, MiscellaneousHumour
  •  2
    Laughter and pleasure
    Humor: International Journal of Humor Research 7 (2): 157-172. 1994.
    Karl Pfeifer counters the thesis that laughter and pleasure are intimately connected with one another, and addresses the thesis of John Morreall (1982) that a pleasant psyohological shift is a causally necessary condition for laughter. A variety of examples suggesting that laughter does not have to have pleasure as its causal antecedent are presented. Imitative, nervous, hysterical, physiogenic, and acerbic laughter suggest that it is neither incoherent nor implausible to consider laughter as be…Read more
    Karl Pfeifer counters the thesis that laughter and pleasure are intimately connected with one another, and addresses the thesis of John Morreall (1982) that a pleasant psyohological shift is a causally necessary condition for laughter. A variety of examples suggesting that laughter does not have to have pleasure as its causal antecedent are presented. Imitative, nervous, hysterical, physiogenic, and acerbic laughter suggest that it is neither incoherent nor implausible to consider laughter as being caused by unpleasant or at least not pleasant psychological states, but also suggest that the phenomenon is actually quite pervasive. An alternative reading of Morreall’s thesis is attempted and also found wanting, although in the end some interesting possibilities for a certain subdomain of laughter are hinted at.
    EmotionsPhilosophy of Mind, MiscHumourPhilosophy of Psychology, Misc
  •  1
    Mothering words
    Humor: International Journal of Humor Research 6 (2): 223-225. 1993.
    This is a response to Mark Turner’s claim that Saddam Hussein’s use of the phrase “mother of all battles” provoked the widespread use of the “mother of” idiom as a metaphorical association of motherhood with efficiency and power. I suggest a cruder, less salutary, but more plausible interpretation of that use.
    Language and SocietyHumourMetaphorPragmatics, MiscPhilosophy of Language, Misc
  •  1022
    The Normative Significance of Flatulence: Aesthetics, Etiquette, and Ethics
    IAFOR Journal of Arts and Humanities 7 (1): 17-25. 2020.
    Proceeding on the basis of reports of a proposal in 2011 to criminalize public flatulence in Malawi, the normative significance of flatulence is considered from the respective standpoints of aesthetics, etiquette, and ethics, and it is indicated how aesthetics and etiquette may themselves also have ethical significance. It is concluded that etiquette and ethics may both require that certain violations of etiquette and ethics should sometimes be ignored.
    Social EthicsPhilosophy, MiscAesthetic ValueArts and Humanities, MiscHumour
  •  126
    Naïve Panentheism
    In Godehard Brüntrup, Benedikt Paul Göcke & Ludwig Jaskolla (eds.), Panentheism and Panpsychism: Philosophy of Religion Meets Philosophy of Mind, . pp. 123-138. 2020.
    Karl Pfeifer attempts to present a coherent view of panentheism that eschews Pickwickian senses of “in” and aligns itself with, and builds upon, familiar diagrammed portrayals of panentheism. The account is accordingly spatial-locative and moreover accepts the proposal of R.T. Mullins that absolute space and time be regarded as attributes of God. In addition, however, it argues that a substantive parthood relation between the world and God is required. Pfeifer’s preferred version of panpsychism,…Read more
    Karl Pfeifer attempts to present a coherent view of panentheism that eschews Pickwickian senses of “in” and aligns itself with, and builds upon, familiar diagrammed portrayals of panentheism. The account is accordingly spatial-locative and moreover accepts the proposal of R.T. Mullins that absolute space and time be regarded as attributes of God. In addition, however, it argues that a substantive parthood relation between the world and God is required. Pfeifer’s preferred version of panpsychism, viz. panintentionalism, is thrown into the mix as an optional add-on. On this account, God is conceived of as a “spiritual field” whose nature can be made more intelligible by regarding “God” as having a mass-noun sense in some contexts. Pfeifer closes with the suggestion that we look to topology and mereology for further development of the position outlined in his paper.
    Divine OmnipresencePanentheism
  •  47
    Pantheism as Panpsychism
    In Andrew A. Buckareff & Yujin Nagasawa (eds.), Alternative Concepts of God: Essays on the Metaphysics of the Divine, Oxford University Press. pp. 41-49. 2016.
    This chapter suggests how certain problematic claims of pantheism might be made more intelligible. It shows, first, that some pantheistic God-talk is comparable to talk involving mass terms; treating “God” as a mass term affords us a way of understanding, for example, how parts can seemingly be identified with the wholes of which they are the parts, as per the claim that “God is everything and everything is God”. This chapter then goes on to describe a contemporary variant of panpsychism, a vari…Read more
    This chapter suggests how certain problematic claims of pantheism might be made more intelligible. It shows, first, that some pantheistic God-talk is comparable to talk involving mass terms; treating “God” as a mass term affords us a way of understanding, for example, how parts can seemingly be identified with the wholes of which they are the parts, as per the claim that “God is everything and everything is God”. This chapter then goes on to describe a contemporary variant of panpsychism, a variant speculatively predicated on the affinity between intentional states and causal dispositions. This allows for a conception of the world as God’s brain, cashed out in terms of a “panintentionalism” that admits of various organizational possibilities for causal dispositional states, comparable to the organization of intentional states in human brains.
    PanpsychismPantheism
  •  100
    From Locus Neoclassicus to Locus Rattus: Notes on Laughter, Comprehensiveness, and Titillation
    Res Cogitans 3 (1). 2006.
    Abstract. This paper illustrates how philosophy and science may converge and inform one another. I begin with a brief rehearsal of John Morreall’s “formulaic” theory of laughter, that laughter results from a pleasant psychological shift, and of my previously published criticisms and counterproposal that laughter results from titillation (where “titillation” is a semitechnical term). I defend my own position against charges that it is trivial, circular, or vacuous (charges that, if correct, woul…Read more
    Abstract. This paper illustrates how philosophy and science may converge and inform one another. I begin with a brief rehearsal of John Morreall’s “formulaic” theory of laughter, that laughter results from a pleasant psychological shift, and of my previously published criticisms and counterproposal that laughter results from titillation (where “titillation” is a semitechnical term). I defend my own position against charges that it is trivial, circular, or vacuous (charges that, if correct, would apply equally to Morreall’s position), showing that these charges are misguided or premature. Then I indicate how my position is reflected in and might be given empirical content by a hypothesis that is already under preliminary experimental investigation in psychology, namely the Darwin-Hecker hypothesis, and also how my position is in harmony with recent work in psychology alleging the discovery of evolutionary antecedents of human laughter in rats.
    Animal EmotionMental States, Misc
  •  15
    Searle, Strong AI, and Two Ways of Sorting Cucumbers
    Journal of Philosophical Research 17 347-350. 1992.
    This paper defends Searle against the misconstrual of a key claim of “Minds, Brains, and Programs” and goes on to explain why an attempt to turn the tables by using the Chinese Room to argue for intentionality in computers fails.
    Mental States and ProcessesIntentionalityComputation and Representation
  •  136
    Review – Mathematical Doodlings (review)
    Metapsychology Online Reviews 21 (45). 2017.
    A review of Geoffrey Marnell, Mathematical Doodlings: Curiosities, conjectures, and challenges.
    Professional Areas, MiscScience, Logic, and MathematicsEducationOther Academic Areas, MiscMetaphysic…Read more
    Professional Areas, MiscScience, Logic, and MathematicsEducationOther Academic Areas, MiscMetaphysics and Epistemology
  •  85
    Review of R. Wells Imre, Knowing and Caring: Philosophical Issues in Social Work. (review)
    Canada's Mental Health 32 19-20. 1984.
    Value Theory, MiscPhilosophy of Social Science, MiscellaneousPhilosophy, Miscellaneous
  •  68
    Chisholm on Psychological Attributes
    In Roberto Casati & Graham White (eds.), Philosophy and the Cognitive Sciences: Contributions of the Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society, Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society. pp. 413-417. 1993.
    What is it for an attribute to be psychological? One clever and inventive, albeit somewhat Byzantine answer to this vexing philosophical question has lately been proposed by Roderick M. Chisholm. Chisholm’s approach is to take a small number of technical philosophical notions as given and then employ these in a series of definitions which together yield an account of the psychological. I examine Chisholm’s account and show that it doesn’t work.
    Properties, MiscPhilosophy, MiscPhilosophy of Mind, Miscellaneous
  •  128
    The Sudden, the Sudded, and the Sidesplitting
    In Kjell S. Johannessen & Tore Nordenstam (eds.), Culture and Value: Philosophy and the Cultural Sciences (Contributions of the Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society, Vol. 3, 1995), Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society. pp. 224-232. 1995.
    Aspects of Emotion, MiscPsychologyPhilosophy, Misc
  •  1
    Pantheism as panpsychism
    Conceptus: Zeitschrift Fur Philosophie 30 (77): 181-190. 1997.
    Pantheism
  •  47
    Carl Ginet, On Action Reviewed by
    Philosophy in Review 12 (3): 196-199. 1992.
    Volitional Theories of ActionReasons and CausesPsychological ExplanationIntentional ActionThe Struct…Read more
    Volitional Theories of ActionReasons and CausesPsychological ExplanationIntentional ActionThe Structure of ActionFree Will and ResponsibilityAgencyVolition
  •  19
    A Note on the v-Elimination Rule
    Cogito 4 (1): 69-70. 1990.
    The paper reports that the explanations of the v-elimination rule in three commonly used introductory logic textbooks are misleading to students and can result in invalid inferences.
    Introductions to LogicLogic and Philosophy of Logic, MiscTeaching Philosophy, Misc
  •  18
    Thomson on events and the causal criterion
    Philosophical Studies 39 (3). 1981.
    JUDITH THOMSON, IN "ACTS AND OTHER EVENTS", PURPORTS TO PROVIDE A COUNTER-EXAMPLE TO DONALD DAVIDSON'S CAUSAL CRITERION OF EVENT IDENTITY. IT IS SHOWN THAT ONCE A CERTAIN ASSUMPTION MADE BY THOMSON IS REPLACED BY A MORE PLAUSIBLE VARIANT, HER EXAMPLE IS NO LONGER A COUNTER-EXAMPLE TO DAVIDSON'S CRITERION.
    EventsAction Theory, MiscKnowledge of Action
  •  28
    More on Morreall on Laughter
    Dialogue 26 (1): 161-. 1987.
    ADDITIONAL ARGUMENTS ARE MUSTERED AGAINST MORREALL'S CONTENTION THAT BEING EFFECTED BY A PLEASANT PSYCHOLOGICAL "SHIFT" IS AN ESSENTIAL PROPERTY OF LAUGHTER.
    HumourPhilosophy, Miscellaneous
  •  34
    DM Armstrong and Norman Malcolm, Consciousness and Causality Reviewed by
    Philosophy in Review 5 (7): 279-281. 1985.
    20th Century PhilosophyAustrian PhilosophyBritish Philosophy
  • Causal capacities and the inherently funny
    Conceptus: Zeitschrift Fur Philosophie 27 (70): 149-159. 1994.
    It is widely held that nothing is funny per se, but only funny relative to the subjective responses of some person or social group. However, I argue that this view does not square with our humor-appraisal discourse, whose intelligibility seems to require that funniness be an objective matter. I then sketch a "causal capacity" account of funniness which explains how such objectivity is possible. *** Nach einer weitverbreiteten Ansicht ist nichts witzig an sich, sondern nur witzig in bezug auf …Read more
    It is widely held that nothing is funny per se, but only funny relative to the subjective responses of some person or social group. However, I argue that this view does not square with our humor-appraisal discourse, whose intelligibility seems to require that funniness be an objective matter. I then sketch a "causal capacity" account of funniness which explains how such objectivity is possible. *** Nach einer weitverbreiteten Ansicht ist nichts witzig an sich, sondern nur witzig in bezug auf die subjektiven Reaktionen einer Person oder einer gesellschaftlichen Gruppe. Ich jedoch argumentiere dafür, daß diese Ansicht nicht damit in Einklang zu bringen ist, wie wir reden, wenn wir etwas als humorvoll oder als humorlos bewerten, Das Verständnis soIcher Diskurse scheint es zu erfordern, daß Witzigkeit eine objektive Angelegenheit ist. Im Anschluß daran skizziere ich einen Ansatz der "kausalen Fähigkeiten", der zu erklären vermag, wie eine solche Objektivität moglich ist.
  •  144
    Actions and Other Events: The Unifier-multiplier Controversy
    Peter Lang. 1989.
    This book is a general defence of Donald Davidson's and G.E.M. Anscombe's 'unifying' approach to the individuation of actions and other events against objections raised by Alvin I. Goldman and others. It is argued that, ironically, Goldman's rival 'multiplying' account is itself vulnerable to these objections, whereas Davidson's account survives them. Although claims that the unifier-multiplier dispute is not really substantive are shown to be unfounded, some room for limited agreement over the …Read more
    This book is a general defence of Donald Davidson's and G.E.M. Anscombe's 'unifying' approach to the individuation of actions and other events against objections raised by Alvin I. Goldman and others. It is argued that, ironically, Goldman's rival 'multiplying' account is itself vulnerable to these objections, whereas Davidson's account survives them. Although claims that the unifier-multiplier dispute is not really substantive are shown to be unfounded, some room for limited agreement over the ontological status of events is indicated. Davidson's causal criterion of event identity is then defended against charges of triviality or inadequacy. It is concluded that Davidson's criterion is not primarily a criterion for arriving at particular judgments of individuation, but a metaphysical standard for the correctness of such judgments, however arrived at. Contents: Unifiers vs. Multipliers - Davidson's individuation of events - Goldman's act generation - causal, 'by'-relational, and temporal problems - ontology and event constituents - Davidson's causal criterion. This book is unique in providing a detailed survey and analysis of the recent unifier-multiplier dispute, and will be of interest to all researchers in action theory, as well as those working more broadly in metaphysics, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind.
    Causal Theory of Action
  •  201
    Some by the Way Remarks on Wreen's 'By' Ways
    Analysis 48 (2). 1988.
    WREEN'S PROPOSAL FOR AVOIDING CAUSAL LOOPS IN THE DESCRIPTION OF ACTION IS, I ARGUE, ITSELF LOOPY.
    British PhilosophyMetaphysics, Misc
  •  97
    Kathleen Lennon, Explaining Human Action (review)
    Philosophy in Review 11 (4): 263-265. 1991.
    Explanation of Action, MiscPsychological ExplanationReasons and CausesCausal Theory of ActionFrench …Read more
    Explanation of Action, MiscPsychological ExplanationReasons and CausesCausal Theory of ActionFrench Philosophy
  •  122
    Carl Ginet, On Action (review)
    Philosophy in Review 12 196-199. 1992.
    Defining ActionThe Structure of ActionVolitional Theories of ActionNoncausal Theories of ActionVolit…Read more
    Defining ActionThe Structure of ActionVolitional Theories of ActionNoncausal Theories of ActionVolitionTryingIntentional ActionAbilitiesThe Nature of IntentionAgencyExplanation of Action, MiscPsychological ExplanationReasons and CausesTheories of FreedomIncompatibilism
  •  39
    A problem of motivation for multipliers
    Southern Journal of Philosophy 20 (2): 209-224. 1982.
    GOLDMAN HAS RAISED THREE MAIN OBJECTIONS AGAINST DAVIDSON'S UNIFYING APPROACH TO THE INDIVIDUATION OF ACTIONS AND EVENTS. THESE OBJECTIONS—A CAUSAL OBJECTION, A RELATIONAL OBJECTION, AND A TEMPORAL OBJECTION—ARE TAKEN AS MOTIVATION FOR HIS OWN MULTIPLYING ACCOUNT. IT IS DEMONSTRATED THAT GOLDMAN'S ACCOUNT IS ITSELF NOT ADEQUATE TO THESE OBJECTIONS.
    Specific Agentive PhenomenaAction Theory, MiscellaneousPhilosophy of Action, MiscExplanation of Acti…Read more
    Specific Agentive PhenomenaAction Theory, MiscellaneousPhilosophy of Action, MiscExplanation of Action, Misc
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