Guided Wave Optics

Phenomena associated with the propagation and manipulation of light in thin-film dielectric waveguides are presently the object of considerable research effort, directed toward possible applications in communications and information processing. The theory of dielectric waveguide modes is reviewed, and the topics of directional coupling, input-output coupling, modulation, and distributed feedback laser sources are treated on the basis of coupled-mode theory. A summary of experimental results for each of the guided-wave optical phenomena covered by the theory is also presented

Emotions, Concepts and the Indeterminacy of Natural Kinds

A central question for philosophical psychology is which mental faculties form natural kinds. There is hot debate over the kind status of faculties as diverse as consciousness, seeing, concepts, emotions, constancy and the senses. In this paper, I take emotions and concepts as my main focus, and argue that questions over the kind status of these faculties are complicated by the undeservedly overlooked fact that natural kinds are indeterminate in certain ways. I will show that indeterminacy issues have led to an impasse in the debates over emotions and concepts. I examine possible ways to resolve this impasse, and argue against one of them. I then suggest a different method, which places more emphasis on a close analysis of predictive and explanatory practices in psychology. I argue that when we apply this method, a new position emerges: that it is indeterminate whether concepts or emotions are natural kinds. They are neither determinately natural kinds, nor determinately not natural kinds. Along the way, we will see that natural kinds have been put to two completely different theoretical uses, which are often been blurred together, and that they are ill-suited to fulfil one of them

Powerful qualities, the conceivability argument and the nature of the physical

David Chalmers’ ‘conceivability’ argument against physicalism is perhaps the most widely discussed and controversial argument in contemporary philosophy of mind. Recently, several thinkers have suggested a novel response to this argument, which employs the ‘powerful qualities’ ontology of properties. In this paper, I argue that this response fails because it presupposes an implausible account of the physical/phenomenal distinction. In the course of establishing this, I discuss the so-called ‘ultimate’ argument for the claim that dispositional properties form the subject matter of physics. I argue that the ultimate argument can be interpreted in a strong or a weak way, and that the strong interpretation is implausible. I argue that this undermines the powerful qualities based response to the conceivability argument. I also argue for a general conclusion: that we should not define ‘the physical’ exclusively in terms of a distinction drawn from ontology.Thanks also to the Leverhulme Trust and the Isaac Newton Trust for an Early Career Fellowship (ECF-2015-088) that provided support while the paper was being written.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11098-016-0774-

Whales, fish and Alaskan bears: interest-relative taxonomy and kind pluralism in biology.

This paper uses two case studies to explore an interest-relative view of taxonomy and how it complements kind pluralism in biology. First, I consider the ABC island bear, which can be correctly classified into more than one species. I argue that this classificatory pluralism can be explained by reference to the range of alternative explanatory interests in biology. In the second half of the paper, I pursue an interest-relative view of classification more generally. I then apply the resultant view to a second case study: whether whales are fish. I argue that this question is not one about scientific vs folk usage, as has been assumed. I also develop a new view: that Fish should be rejected as a category, both from the point of view of biological science, and from the point of view of folk taxonomy. Along the way, I use the interest-relative view to shed light on the circumstances under which higher taxa should be accepted as legitimate categories for biological science

Emotions, Concepts and the Indeterminacy of Natural Kinds

A central question for philosophical psychology is which mental faculties form natural kinds. There is hot debate over the kind status of faculties as diverse as consciousness, seeing, concepts, emotions, constancy and the senses. In this paper, I take emotions and concepts as my main focus, and argue that questions over the kind status of these faculties are complicated by the undeservedly overlooked fact that natural kinds are indeterminate in certain ways. I will show that indeterminacy issues have led to an impasse in the debates over emotions and concepts. I examine possible ways to resolve this impasse, and argue against one of them. I then suggest a different method, which places more emphasis on a close analysis of predictive and explanatory practices in psychology. I argue that when we apply this method, a new position emerges: that it is indeterminate whether concepts or emotions are natural kinds. They are neither determinately natural kinds, nor determinately not natural kinds. Along the way, we will see that natural kinds have been put to two completely different theoretical uses, which are often been blurred together, and that they are ill-suited to fulfil one of them

Wage Inequality, Linkages and FDI

This paper extends the existing literature on FDI and wage inequality. We do this in two ways. Firstly, we incorporate more precise measures of inward investment into the model, by allowing for differences in the effects between horizontal and vertical FDI. Secondly, after establishing the effects that inward investment has on wage inequality, we then analyse the reasons for this in terms of the wages paid to skilled and unskilled workers, and the effect that inward investment has on this. We illustrate the important differences that horizontal and vertical FDI have on both wages and wage inequality, and the importance of allowing for regional differences in the results. FDI nationally tends to increase wage inequality, while the local, effects are opposite. FDI into assisted areas tends to increase wage inequality nationally, when the MNEs purchase inputs in the local region.wage inequality, FDI spillovers, backwards and forwards linkages

Consciousness and the Heterogeneity of Attention

This thesis will primarily consider issues related to attention and its relationship to phenomenal consciousness. The main argument of this thesis is that we cannot hope to make progress in this domain unless we greater appreciate the role that the concept ‘attention’ plays within these debates. I argue that by focussing on this, we can reach new and surprising conclusions about both the nature of attention, and its relationship to other philosophically interesting faculties of the mind. I begin by offering a summary of the arguments of the thesis, and a brief history of the debates I will be addressing. Then I turn to a detailed examination of the debates over whether attention is necessary for consciousness or sufficient for consciousness, with a particular emphasis on the latter of these. I examine much of Robert Kentridge’s work in this regard. I will argue that this debate has reached an impasse, and that the point of apparent disagreement is conceptual, not empirical. I then go on to investigate the concept which is the point of friction, which is ‘attention’. I investigate various ways of resolving the difficulties in this debate, and argue that none of them work. I then examine some particular accounts of attention that have been offered in the philosophical literature. I argue against all of them, and also argue that the underlying assumptions on which they are based should be rejected. I then suggest my own positive proposed solution to these problems. I use elements from the material so far covered to build an original argument in favour of pluralism about attention: the view that ‘attention’ is ambiguous between several importantly different concepts, no one of which is privileged or ‘more correct’ than the others, and several of which are worthy of acceptance in our theorising. I defend this view extensively from criticisms, and apply it to the issues that have been raised in the former part of the thesis. I also expand on this position by putting forward an argument for eliminativism about ‘attention’: the view that we should abandon using the term ‘attention’ in certain contexts in psychology and philosophy. In the course of making these arguments, I also consider various issues to do with the natural kinds of psychology, and classification in general. I also include an appendix where I discuss one particular argument in favour of the claim that attention is unnecessary for consciousness.

Politics of Abandonment: The Biopolitics of National Sacrifice Zones

Hannah Arendt, Michel Foucault and Giorgio Agamben each identified a radical transformation of political subjectivity in the modern world stemming from a blurring of the traditional distinction between humanity's biological existence (zoe) and the citizen's qualified, political existence (bios). The form of politics that emerges from this indistinction is referred to as 'biopolitics', with the correlating deployment of political power and technologies being referred to as 'biopower'. Each thinker presents us with material spaces that represent a localisation or outworking of various forms of biopolitics. The relationship between space and biopolitics in the works of these theorists will be deployed throughout this study to interrogate the relationship between the modern nation state and areas of environmental, economic and social degradation referred to as 'sacrifice zones'. The thesis begins with an historical account of the term 'sacrifice zone', discussing several examples of spaces that are referred to using this term. An overview is then given of the biopolitical frameworks and theorists that are utilised throughout the thesis. Hannah Arendt's understanding of the connection between the politicisation of zoe and the development of the waste economy is then discussed in order to interrogate electronic waste dumps as biopolitical spaces. Giorgio Agamben's work Homo Sacer is then used to consider areas of economic and social abandonment. The study concludes by offering an alternative reading of the inclusion of bodily life into politics where the presentations of bodies in the public sphere can become the grounds of political resistance rather than simply subjugation