Beauty and Metaphysics

It is shown through examples ranging from Parmenides and Plato to Whitehead and Wittgenstein that beauty is central among the values that have made metaphysical theories appealing and credible. A common attitude would be that the aesthetic properties of metaphysical theories may be important for effective presentation but are irrelevant to the cognitive value of the theories. This however is question-begging, since it assumes without argument that ultimate reality is indifferent to ’value considerations’ such as beauty. If on the contrary we allow that the aesthetic properties of theories may be cognitively relevant, which such properties should be considered? This question is explored in the final section of the pape

Materialism and the Resurrection: Are the Prospects Improving?

In 1999 Dean Zimmerman proposed a "falling elevator model" for a bodily resurrection consistent with materialism. Recently, he has defended the model against objections, and a slightly different version has been defended by Timothy O’Connor and Jonathan Jacobs. This article considers both sets of responses, and finds them at best partially successful; a new objection, not previously discussed, is also introduced. It is concluded that the prospects for the falling-elevator model, in either version, are not brigh

Social Norms and Choice: A Weak Folk Theorem for Repeated Matching Games

A folk theorem for repeated matching games is established that holds if the stage game is not a pure coordination game. It holds independent of population size and for all matching rules-including rules that depend on players choices or the history of play. This paper also establishes an equilibrium condition and using this discovers two differences between the equilibria of repeated matching games and standard repeated games. Trigger strategies are not equilibria and there is no simple optimal penal code.

Free Parking for All in Shopping Malls

We show why a shopping mall prefers to provide parking for free and embed the parking costs in the prices of the goods. This holds if the mall has monopoly power or prices competitively; if there is parking validation or a trade-off between shopping and parking spaces. It is also the second-best social optimum. Generally, the equilibrium lot size is too small, yielding a rationale for minimum parking requirements. In urban malls, parking fees may be positive because individuals can use the lot without intending to shop, and lots may become too large because of the trade-off between shopping and parking spaces.land use; lot size; parking fee; parking requirements; shopping mall