Contents
Matthews (Alan) Semba.......................................................................................................................... 1
GREG CROWLEy ...................................................................................................................................... 3
AMIT MEDIRATTA ................................................................................................................................... 4
Jonathan O'Rourke.................................................................................................................................. 5
GINO QUERINI ......................................................................................................................................... 6
Alice Dixon .............................................................................................................................................. 7
SEAN COMER........................................................................................................................................... 8
Christina MuLLAN ................................................................................................................................... 9
Roisin Lally Bradley ............................................................................................................................... 10
Desislava Parashkevova ........................................................................................................................ 12
MATTHEWS (ALAN) SEMBA
Registered Programme: Traditional PhD student
Title of Thesis: On the Value of Knowledge: From Plato's 'MENO' to the contemporary debate.
Description:
The problem of the value of knowledge, which traces it origins from the dialogue of Plato, entitled
’MENO’, has in the recent times seen many epistemologists debate it. It’s a debate that aims to find
out whether apart from the so-called instrumental (or sometimes termed practical) value of
knowledge (which can as well be got just from true belief, as elements which constitute knowledge),
knowledge has any additional value at all, or any intrinsic value, and if it does, from where exactly
does it stem?
My thesis intends in the first place to trace the history of this problem from its origins in Plato’s MENO
with the purpose of finding out how Plato himself coined it, as well as to find out whether he provided
a solution to it at all. Secondly, my thesis intends to provide an alternative voice to the many current
solutions offered by a number of contemporary analytical philosophers. Though I will surely examine a
number of solutions from various philosophers, my thesis intends to focus mainly on the solution
provided by one Jonathan Kvanvig, whose solution to the problem was his conclusion that knowledge,
as something more than just true belief doesn’t just have that additional value at all.
(Short) Bibliography:
Alston, William P. Epistemic Justification: Essays in the Theory of Knowledge, Ithaca, NY: Cornell
University Press, 1989.
Cooper, John M. Plato: Complete Works, Indianapolis (USA): Hacket Publishing Co., 1997.
Goldman, Alvin. Knowledge in the Social World, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Greco, John. The Value Problem in Epistemic Value, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Hintikka, Jaako. Knowledge and Belief: An Introduction to the logic of the two notions, New York:
Cornell University Press: 1962.
Kvanvig, Jonathan. The Value of Knowledge and the Pursuit of Understanding, Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2003.
Pritchard, Duncan. What is this thing called Knowledge? London: Routledge, 2006.
Riggs, Wayne D. Understanding, Knowledge, and the Meno Requirement in Epistemic Value, (edited
by A. Haddock, A. Millar, & D. H. Pritchard), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Sosa, Ernest. Knowledge in Perspective: Selected Essays in Epistemology, Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1991.
Williamson, Timothy. Knowledge and Its Limits, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
GREG CROWLEY
E-mail: gregcrowley11 gmail.com
BIOGRAPHY:
Structured Ph.D. Title:
"The Ego Cogito in the Philosophy of Edmund Husserl"
CURRENT RESEARCH:
"My project has the working title of "The Ego Cogito in the Philosophy of Edmund Husserl". Its initial
question is "Did Husserl discover an exit from the flow of cogitationes within the cogito?" Descartes
Cogito has fascinated me since my late teens and, despite several other fascinations at that time and
in the interim, its fascination has persisted. His way of exiting it never satisfied me (amongst
many). The greater attention Husserl pays to the cogito and the use he makes of an analysis of its
contents appears to me to be a more fruitful than Descartes'. I hope to use my research to show
whether or not this appearance is justified. I also hope to demonstrate the role that Husserl's concept
of the Lebenwelt plays as either an exit from the cogito or an alternative form of access to hitherto
presupposed forms of data and thought processes. Having spent the last 30+ years largely outside
the world of formal education and immersed in the various jobs I've done in the Public/Civil Service, I
see this project as a return to an issue that has been a bugbear of mine since I first opened a
philosophy text. In other words, it's an opportunity to pursue a obsession! What more could one
ask?"
AMIT MEDIRATTA
CONTACT:
E-mail: a.mediratta1 nuigalway.ie
BIOGRAPHY:
Amit Mediratta joined NUI Galway after having enjoyed a prolific career in the visual, literary and
performing arts. As an undergraduate, he was awarded numerous prizes and scholarships, including
the prestigious Peel Prize, before being awarded a ’double first’ for his B.A. in English and
Philosophy. As a thinker, Amit is primarily concerned with aesthetics, metaethics and philosophy of
culture, and is presently reading for his MLitt in Philosophy under the supervision of Dr. Tsarina
Doyle. Together with his postgraduate research and service as a teaching assistant, Amit remains
committed to his creative endeavours, whilst also regularly publishing his writings and those of
emerging writers under his own imprint.
M.Litt Thesis Title:
Nietzsche on Tragedy and Ethical Custom
CURRENT RESEARCH:
My thesis comprises an examination of the concept of sittlichkeit (ethical custom) in Nietzsche’s
philosophy, and his tragic response to this issue. I am interested in the emancipatory nature of certain
aesthetic experiences, and wish to evaluate and reconstruct Nietzsche’s early aesthetics in a nonmetaphysical context – as particularly outlined by him in The Birth of Tragedy.
JONATHAN O'ROURKE
Structured Ph.D.
B.A. (Philosophy and Classics), NUI Galway
Email: j.orourke7 nuigalway.ie
BIOGRAPHY :
Originally from Waterford, Jonathan moved to Galway in 2011 to complete his B.A. in philosophy and
classics, before enrolling in the PhD in Philosophy in 2014.
RESEARCH:
The embodied self: a Phenomenological approach to the question of selfhood in the later Wittgenstein
My primary research aim is to develop our understanding of Wittgenstein’s account of subjectivity.
Whilst the secondary literature tends to categorize his account as either behaviourist or Cartesian, my
aim is to illustrate that Wittgenstein’s model shares fundamental similarities with a phenomenological
approach, particularly that of Martin Heidegger.
GINO QUERINI
Structured PhD, Philosophy of Art and Culture
Laurea Magistrale (MA) Filosofia e studi teorico-critici (Philosophy and critico-theoretical studies),
Sapienza University of Rome
Laurea Triennale (BA) Filosofia (Philosophy), Sapienza University of Rome
Kantian influences on Aby Warburg's Thought. The Role of Orientation
My project is aimed to define the role that Kantian philosophy had on Aby Warburg’s thought. I believe
in fact that Immanuel Kant’s critical philosophy is one of the main sources of Warburg’s works.
However such kind of research doesn’t simply hold a historical interest, as Warburg’s work constitute
a unique answer and complement to Kant’s criticism which was realized especially through the
Mnemosyne Atlas.
Given such premise, I think it would be possible to read Warburg’s work as a form of critical
anthropology made through images. As a matter of fact, the nature of images, their role in our
orientation between myth and science, is understandable only from a critical perspective and
achieves its full meaningfulness only from such perspective. In the end, my work is aimed toward a
deeper understanding of the role of imagery in our lives, both as a result and as a source of our
experience of the world.
Basic reference texts
Aby Warburg
- The renewal of pagan Antiquity,
- Images from the region of the Pueblo Indians of North America
Ernst Cassirer
- The Philosophy of Symbolic forms (3 Voll.)
- Metaphysics of Symbolic forms
Immanuel Kant
- Critique of Pure Reason
- Critique of Judgement
- What does it means to orient oneself in thinking?
Ernst Gombrich
- Aby Warburg. An intellectual biography
ALICE DIXON
B.A. Hons, History and Art History, University of Hull
Postgraduate H. Diploma in Art in Public University of Ulster
Alice is a practicing artist living in the West of Ireland. As a socially engaged artist she attempts to use
art as tool or language for social cohesion where other forms of communication do not succeed. She
uses dialogical, participatory and often playful methods in her art practice. Her research at NUIG ties
into her ongoing curiosity into the way we perceive the world around us considering what position of
society we “belong” to and the influence the past has on our present.
Current Research Topic - Structured Ph.D. in Art and Culture
The Picturesque: a case study into the influence the picturesque has had on our aesthetic taste and
language to date.
The term picturesque became of particular interest during the 18th century, led by the figure William
Gilpin. His publication Observations on the River Wye in 1782 made a considerable impression and
was classed as a key text that the educated should understand in order to have a rounded view of
aesthetics. Gilpin highlighted the details within undisturbed nature that he felt deserved attention. This
led then to the publication of a collection of essays on the picturesque in 1795 and included the
figures Uvedale Price and Richard Payne Knight who were other strong advocates for the picturesque
at this time. His writing on the topic has had a large influence on modern culture and taste, this
prescribed pattern and approach to seeing has been absorbed and appears in our understanding of
aesthetics. The Picturesque was heavily compared alongside Edmund Burke’s writing on the Sublime
by its advocates mentioned above, in many ways the opposite to the sublime with some areas of
similarity. A specific criteria was developed in which an object could be deemed “picturesque”, these
were roughness, variety and irregularity. This obsession with having to seek out and include the
ingredients for a scene to become picturesque created artworks that were often fabricated or adapted
to create the desired effect. Artists still seek to represent crumbling buildings, empty urban spaces,
images of worn faces and so on to create the desired effect. This study will attempt to highlight the
impact that the picturesque has left on our phenomenological experience of art and culture to date.
SEAN COMER
Sean Comer
B.A. (Hons.), (Philosophy & History), NUI, Galway.
Ph.D.c., (Structured Ph.D. In Arts), NUI, Galway.
Contact
Desk 274
First Floor
Hardiman Research Building
NUI, Galway
s.comer3@nuigalway.ie
Biography
After returning to education at NUI, Galway in 2011, Sean completed a B.A. (hons.) in Philosophy and
History. He is an avid fan of Mayo football, which he suspects gives him a unique insight into the
futility of hope.
Research
Sean's research is principally focused on the growing emphasis on 'well being' indices and how they
affect issues of disadvantage; mainly poverty and deprivation. The juxtaposition of examining a truth
based index against concepts of values, such as equality and justice, may allow the development of
social policies which appeal to the rational as well as the moral.
CHRISTINA MULLAN
Structured Ph.D.
The title of my thesis is:
'The Relation between Materiality and Virtuality in the Aesthetics of Paint'
Biography:
Christina Mullan is an artist and researcher working in Galway. She recently graduated from GMIT
with an MA in the Critical Theory of art. Currently she is working towards her Doctorate in NUI Galway
in the school of Philosophy. Her work aims to identify key constructive elements of successful artistic
practice. It applies a phenomenological reduction to such notions as ’the void’ and transcendence in
the painted image. Utilised in contemporary philosophy and art theory, these terms have until now
addressed painting from the position of the viewer, rather than painter.
By considering the role of materials/elements she examines the processes by which contemporary
paintings are made and the effect of materials upon the resultant art object. This has resulted in a
heretofore unconsidered hypothesis on the nature of materials – their roles in the development of art
and their impact on its history. She is concerned with attempting to shed new light by constructing a
theoretical and philosophical evaluation based in methodology and the tactile concerns of the artist
rather than the galleried consideration of the spectator or critic. Key elements in her work focus on the
notion of the sublime, materiality/substance, aesthetics and the phenomenology of the painted
image.
Christina is a member of Engage Art Studios and a founding member of the Branch Collective.
www.christinamullan.weebly.com
www.thebranchcollective.weebly.com
ROISIN LALLY BRADLEY
1207 W 16th, Spokane WA 99203
Tel:01-509-998-5945
E-mail: lally gonzaga.edu
roisin.lallybradley gmail.com
BIOGRAPHY: Roisin comes from a teaching background, and while teaching has always played
a significant role in her life she developed a particular interest in the philosophy of technology while
giving introductory classes on the Internet in 1996 to secondary school students. Access to a world of
information and images posed some critical questions for her. Consequently, she went on to study the
development of programming in Galway/Mayo Institute of Technology. This led her on a quest to
understand the nature of information technology and the meaning of being in this age of technicity.
Roisin graduated with an honors degree in English and Philosophy from NUIGalway in 2004. She
embarked on an M.Litt programme under the supervision of Dr. Felix O Murchadha and subsequently
upgraded to a PhD in 2006. Her dissertation is entitled 'The Metaphysical Implications of the
Hyperreal'.
Roisin married a fellow-doctorate student, Dr. Daniel Bradley, in 2007. They moved to the States with
their two daughters Autumn 2008. She is currently teaching at Gonzaga University in the Media and
Communications department.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER:
Spring 2008 Masters Media and Communications, 'Social Dynamics of Communication and
Technology', Gonzaga University, Spokane, U.S.A.
Autumn 2006 Masters Information Technology, 'Society and Technology', National University Galway,
Ireland.
st
2004-2007 1 year tutorials in Continental philosophy, modern philosophy, ethics, politics and
society, philosophy of mind, philosophy of knowledge, National University Galway, Ireland.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:
American Philosophical Association
Irish Philosophical Society
CURRENT RESEARCH: Investigating Heidegger's ontology of technology with regard to new
emerging technologies. With the heralding of biotechnology, specifically the Human Genome project,
the boundary of what we traditionally accepted as being human has become distorted. To respond to
this new stage we need to look back to the history of metaphysics. Heiedegger's ontology of
technology transcends Aristotle's productionist metaphysics, which is no longer adequate to critique
the modern age. Heidegger's critique of technology is tied with the notion of truth, in particular the
truth of a work of art. Thus, he gives us at least one way to understand this new epoch in which we
are our technologies. Like technology, art itself has evolved into a transgentic art form, blurring the
distinction between science and art. Heidegger suggests by listening to the call of nature we can once
again become the stewards of being. It is here, we suggest, that hyperbeing is manifest, specifically
with regard to art. Hyperbeing is the 'destining' of Being. A new way in which we comport ourselves
towards technology, towards our new digital being.
PAPERS:
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June 2007 'Revisiting Heidegger' s ontology in light of new technologies', Ethics Technology
and Identity, The Hague, The Netherlands.
March 2007 'Spiraling Time in Heidegger', Postgraduate Research Seminar, NUI Galway.
January 2007 'Historical Account of Time', Graduate Research Seminar, NUI Galway.
January 2007 'Phenomenology in Heidegger and Husserl', Philosophy Society, NUI Galway.
November 2006 'The Metaphysical Implications of the Hyperreal', Graduate Research
Seminar, NUI Galway.
March 2006 'Heidegger and Technology', Postgraduate Meeting Group, NUI Galway.
October 2005 'Technology as Techne in Heidegger', Graduate Research Seminar, NUI
Galway.
FUNDING:
2007 Social Science Research Center (SSRC) Ireland.
2007 Philosophy Department NUI Galway.
2007 Arts Faculty NUI Galway.
2007 Research Travel Bursary, College of Arts, Social Science and Celtic
Studies, NUI Galway.
2006 Research Travel Bursary, College of Arts, Social Science and Celtic
Studies, NUI Galway.
AREAS OF INTEREST:
- Co-organiser of the international conference Questioning the Philosophy of Technology.
http://www.nuigalway.ie/philosophy/news_and_events/QPT07_CFP.html
- Advisor to E:vent, a forum of dynamic artist, writers, architects, photographers, graphic designers
and academics from various disciplines promoting emerging practices in contemporary art in London.
http://www.eventnetwork.org.uk/about/people
- Member of Northwest Alliance for Responsible Media. Encouraging the responsible stewardship of
media.
http://www.nwresponsiblemedia.org/index.htm
DESISLAVA PARASHKEVOVA
Desislava Parashkevova, PhD Candidate
Biography
Desislava Parashkevova originally comes from Bulgaria, and lived in Bremen, Germany, for five
years, before coming to Galway. She completed her BA in History and Theory of Art and Literature
and MA in Intercultural Humanities at Jacobs University Bremen in Germany, and wrote a Master's
thesis entitled "Leibniz's Vision of Being and language between Nature and Logos". In the writing of
the thesis, she derived a lot of her insights from Deleuze's metaphysics of the virtual and the pure
event, as well as from Merleau-Ponty's vision of sensible Being and possibility. This inclined her
towards the thought of writing a doctoral thesis on Deleuze's concept of the univocity of Being, which
is why she came to NUI Galway.
Current Research
Title of Thesis:
A Conceptual History of the Idea of Self-Causation
Description:
The thesis is a historical examination of the idea of self-causation through the lens of particularist
metaphysics. The work takes the shape of a dialectically unfolding historical journey – from Plato’s
Theory of Forms to A. N. Whitehead’s metaphysics of process – with no pretensions to
comprehensiveness. The aim is not to trace all historical conceptions of self-causation, but to
demonstrate the structure and scope of the notion that emerges out of this history.
Bibliography (short):
Chakrabarti, A. "Non-particular Individuals". The Philosophy of P. F. Strawson. Ed. R. R. Verma and
P. K. Sen. New Delhi: Indian Council of Philosophical Research, 1995. 124-44.
Forster, P. Peirce and the Threat of Nominalism. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2011.
Gnassounou, B., and M. Kistler, eds. Dispositions and Causal Powers. Aldershot, England: Ashgate,
2007.
Gracia, J. J. E. Individuality: An Essay on the Foundations of Metaphysics. Albany: State U of New
York, 1988.
Heil, J. The Universe as We Find It. Oxford: Clarendon, 2012.
Künne, W. "Properties in Abundance". Universals, Concepts and Qualities: New Essays on the
Meaning of Predicates. Ed. P. F. Strawson and A. Chakrabarti. Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 2006.
249-300.
McCabe, M. M. Plato's Individuals. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1994.
Oderberg, D. S. Real Essentialism. Florence: Routledge, 2009.
Scaltsas, T. Substances and Universals in Aristotle's Metaphysics. Ithaca, NY: Cornell UP, 2010.
Sharvy, R. "Plato's Causal Logic and the Third Man Argument". Noûs 20 (1986): 507-30.
Spiering, J. A. ""Liber Est Causa Sui": Thomas Aquinas and the Maxim "the Free Is the Cause of
Itself"". The Review of Metaphysics 65 (Dec. 2011): 351-76.
Strawson, P. F. Individuals: An Essay in Descriptive Metaphysics. London: Routledge, 1990.
––– Skepticism and Naturalism: Some Varieties. New York: Columbia UP, 1985.