Francisco Suárez on Eternal Truths, Eternal Essences, and Extrinsic Being

It is necessarily true that water is H2O, but it is a contingent fact that there is any water at all. Water therefore seems ill suited to ground the necessary truth that water is H2O. One view traditionally attributed to Scotus and Henry of Ghent was that while water is contingent, the essence of water is necessary; hence, the essence of water can ground the so-called eternal truth that water is H2O. Francisco Suárez rejects this view on the grounds that it contradicts the Christian doctrine of creation, according to which everything other than God was contingently created in time. Suárez’s own view of the eternal truths has proven elusive to commentators, but I argue that Suárez ultimately endorses a version of the view he rejects: essences ground the eternal truths. But this raises several puzzles: how is Suárez’s view distinct from the views traditionally ascribed to Scotus and Henry? How does Suárez’s view escape the argument from creation, which Suárez raises against his opponents? I argue that Suárez distinguishes between his view and his opponents’ view by saying that essences have “extrinsic being,” whereas his opponents claim that essences have “intrinsic being.” The distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic being has not received much attention, but I argue that it marks an important fault line in scholastic thinking about the ontological status of non-existents. I argue that the notion of extrinsic being can be explicated in terms of ontological pluralism and grounding. The notion of extrinsic being helps differentiate Suárez’s view from his Scotistic and Henrician opponents, and it allows Suárez to respond to the creation argument he raises against his opponents. On my reading, Suárez’s solution to the problem of eternal truths turns out to be both highly original and philosophically satisfying

Improving the Efficiency of Primary Care in Safety Net Clinics: San Mateo County's System Redesign

Outlines the impact of a countywide redesign of six primary care clinics - including the implementation of electronic health records, team-based care, chronic disease management, and advanced access scheduling - on quality of care and costs

State Variation in the Hospital Costs of Gun Violence, 2010 and 2014

This brief updates the armed assault hospital cost estimates with data from 2014, the first year of full implementation of the ACA's major coverage provisions. We provide data for Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Wisconsin; of these, Arizona, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Wisconsin were included in our previous brief. We selected these six states based on data availability, population size, geographic representation, and participation in the ACA Medicaid expansion (table 1). The states reflect a range of decisions on Medicaid coverage: Arizona, Kentucky, and New Jersey adopted the Medicaid expansion in 2014, but Florida, North Carolina, and Wisconsin did not. Arizona had a Section 1115 demonstration waiver in place in 2010 that provided coverage to childless adults with incomes up to 100 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). Wisconsin also had a Section 1115 demonstration waiver to extend eligibility to 200 percent of FPL, but enrollment for the program was capped as of October 2009. In 2014, Wisconsin used state funds to provide eligibility to childless adults with incomes up to 100 percent of FPL and removed the enrollment cap. Most importantly, all six states have complete data for the analysis from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, described later in this brief

The Hospital Costs of Firearm Assaults

In the wake of recent high profile incidents of gun violence, there is renewed national attention on the prevalence and cost of firearm assaults in the United States. To make informed policy decisions, lawmakers are calling for current and accurate data on the costs of these assaults. This brief examines the costs of emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admissions for firearm assault victims in the United States in 2010. These costs are further examined according to patient gender, age, median household income, and insurance status

The Impact of the Los Angeles Healthy Kids Program on Access to Care, Use of Services, and Health Status

Presents survey results on the impact of the Healthy Kids program, which provides uninsured children with comprehensive coverage, on access to care, unmet needs, use of specialty and dental services, health status, and parental satisfaction

Technology in the Classroom; The New Age Classroom

Abstract Technology in the classroom has transformed the classroom today. Many argue if this change is for the better. Researchers have examined the benefits and possible harm of technology in the classroom. This research paper will discuss the benefits and potential harm technology can bring to the classroom. A few benefits that research has shown is that technology helps student motivation, technology increases classroom behavior, and more resources are available for teachers. In certain cases that we will discuss in this research paper students with disabilities have benefited from the use of technology. A few teachers are fearful of the change technology brings to the classroom. Some professional believe they are not up to date with current technology, and therefore cannot implement the use of technology correctly in their classroom. This research paper will also discuss how to properly implement technology in the classroom

Three Independent Evaluations of Healthy Kids Programs Find Dramatic Gains in Well-Being of Children and Families

Presents highlights from evaluations of a comprehensive health insurance coverage program for children, launched by Children's Health Initiatives and supported by the California Endowment, in Los Angeles, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties

How Not To Be a Truthmaker Maximalist: Francisco Peinado on Truthmakers for Negative Truths

A seventeenth-century scholastic attempt to restrict the truthmaker principle to positive truths

Cartesian Composites and the True Mode of Union

Descartes argues that the mind and body are really distinct substances. He also insists that minds and bodies compose human beings. But how are mind and body united to compose a human? This question is crucial to understanding the place of human beings in Descartes's ontology. Many scholars argue that Descartes has no solution to the unity problem, and they call into question the ontological status of mind-body composites. On some views, Cartesian humans are mere aggregates, like stacks of pancakes; on other views, Descartes is not entitled to the view that humans exist at all. I argue that Descartes has a solution to the unity problem, and that he appropriates this solution from contemporaneous Jesuit discussions of soul-body unity-discussions that remain mostly unknown to contemporary scholars. The upshot is that Descartes has the metaphysical machinery to account for mind-body unity and doesn't have to say that a human being is like a stack of pancakes