Spatiotemporal Analogies: Are Space and Time Similar?

This paper investigates a famous argument, first introduced by Richard Taylor, that attempts to establish a radical similarity in the concepts of space and time. The argument contends that the spatial and temporal aspects of material bodies are much more alike, or analogous, than has been hitherto acknowledged. As will be demonstrated, most of the previous investigations of Taylor and company have failed to pinpoint the weakest link in their complex of analogies. By concentrating on their most fundamental cases, however, a substantial difference, or disanalogy, can be brought to light that undermines this purported equivalence of space and time

The ‘Dynamics’ of Leibnizian Relationism: Reference Frames and Force in Leibniz’s Plenum

This paper explores various metaphysical aspects of Leibniz’s concepts of space, motion, and matter, with the intention of demonstrating how the distinctive role of force in Leibnizian physics can be used to develop a theory of relational motion using privileged reference frames. Although numerous problems will remain for a consistent Leibnizian relationist account, the version developed within our investigation will advance the work of previous commentators by more accurately reflecting the specific details of Leibniz’s own natural philosophy, especially his handling of the dynamical interactions of plenum bodies

Perfect Solidity: Natural Laws and the Problem of Matter in Descartes' Universe

In the Principles of Philosophy, Descartes attempts to explicate the well-known phenomena of varying bodily size through an appeal to the concept of "solidity," a notion that roughly corresponds to our present-day concept of density. Descartes' interest in these issues can be partially traced to the need to define clearly the role of matter in his natural laws, a problem particularly acute for the application of his conservation principle. Specifically, since Descartes insists that a body's "quantity of motion," defined as the product of its "size" and speed, is conserved in all material interactions, it is imperative that he explain how solidity influences the magnitude of this force. As a means of resolving this problem, Descartes postulated an idealized condition of "perfect solidity" which correlates a body's "agitation" force (a forerunner of Newton's concept of non-accelerating, or "inertial" motion) with the interplay of its volume, surface area, and composition of minute particles. This essay explores this often misunderstood aspect of Descartes' physics, as well as the special function of idealized conditions in his collision rules. Contrary to those commentators who regard "perfect solidity" as a stipulation on bodily impact, this notion, it will be argued, is primarily concerned with the internal composition of macroscopic bodies, and only indirectly with their collision characteristics. Along the way, many of Descartes' hypotheses will be shown to display a level of sophistication and intricacy that, despite their essential incompatibility, belie several of the common misconceptions of Cartesian science

Situating Kant’s Pre-Critical Monadology: Leibnizian Ubeity, Monadic Activity, and Idealist Unity

This essay examines the relationship between monads and space in Kant’s early pre-critical work, with special attention devoted to the question of ubeity, a Scholastic doctrine that Leibniz describes as “ways of being somewhere”. By focusing attention on this concept, evidence will be put forward that supports the claim, held by various scholars, that the monad-space relationship in Kant is closer to Leibniz’ original conception than the hypotheses typically offered by the later Leibniz-Wolff school. In addition, Kant’s monadology, in conjunction with God’s role, also helps to shed light on further aspects of his system that are broadly Leibnizian, such as monadic activity and the unity of space

Conventionalism in Reid’s ‘Geometry of Visibles’

The role of conventions in the formulation of Thomas Reid’s theory of the geometry of vision, which he calls the “geometry of visibles”, is the subject of this investigation. In particular, we will examine the work of N. Daniels and R. Angell who have alleged that, respectively, Reid’s “geometry of visibles” and the geometry of the visual field are non-Euclidean. As will be demonstrated, however, the construction of any geometry of vision is subject to a choice of conventions regarding the construction and assignment of its various properties, especially metric properties, and this fact undermines the claim for a unique non-Euclidean status for the geometry of vision. Finally, a suggestion is offered for trying to reconcile Reid’s direct realist theory of perception with his geometry of visibles

Hume and the Perception of Spatial Magnitude

This paper investigates Hume's theory of the perception of spatial magnitude or size as developed in the _Treatise\u3cD\u3e, as well as its relation to his concepts of space and geometry. The central focus of the discussion is Hume's espousal of the 'composite' hypothesis, which holds that perceptions of spatial magnitude are composed of indivisible sensible points, such that the total magnitude of a visible figure is a derived by-product of its component parts. Overall, it will be argued that a straightforward reading of this hypothesis fails to do full justice to the complexity of Hume's theory of spatial perception and geometry, and that a more adequate treatment must also admit an important role for the more direct process of spatial magnitude perception which he dubs 'intuition

Sensuality

My quilt is an intimate object that explores sexuality, feminism, beauty, and the vulnerability of women. I explored these topics through hand-stitching sensual images onto squares of fabric, which I then sewed into a quilt. There is a conflicting connection between the security of a quilt and the vulnerability of the images. In my Mixed Media class, I explored the ways in which society\u27s views on nudity causes tension between security and vulnerability. Sensuality is a taboo topic, yet it fills the media. Where is the line between sexualizing women and embracing their bodies and beauty? This quilt was created to begin the conversation about embracing women\u27s bodies despite the media\u27s portrayal of them

Existentialism and Monty Python: Kafka, Camus, Nietzsche, and Sartre

This essay utilizes the work of the comedy group, Monty Python, as a means of introducing basic concepts in Existentialism, especially as it pertains to the writings of Nietzsche, Sartre, and Camus

A survey of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Prince of Wales Island, Alaska : combining morphological and DNA barcode identification techniques

Surveys during the summer of 2004 and August 2009 on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, USA resulted in collection of 1064 adult spiders representing 84 species. Barcoding of spiders collected in 2009 resulted in DNA barcode data for 212 specimens representing 63 species. DNA barcode data were then used to facilitate the identification of otherwise unidentifiable juvenile and female specimens as well as to investigate phylogenetically four lineages with large branch lengths between specimens. Using morphological and DNA barcode identifications provided a more complete list of identified specimens than was possible using morphological data alone

Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Saba Island, Lesser Antilles: Unusually high species richness indicates the Caribbean Biodiversity Hotspot is woefully undersampled

Saba Island (Caribbean Netherlands) is one of the northernmost islands of the Lesser Antilles. It is only 13 square kilometers but contains a wide variety of potential spider habitats including dry, moist, and elfin forests. As part of a collaborative effort between Conservation International and Saba Conservation Foundation, during a several week period in March and May 2008 we briefly surveyed the island for spiders and other arthropods. This survey, the first for spiders of Saba, resulted in the identification of 18 families and 76 spider species, including six new species that will be described elsewhere and may be endemic to Saba. The species richness of Saba’s spider fauna is considerably higher than that reported from other small Caribbean islands. We conclude this is probably a combined result of undersampling and lower habitat diversity on these other islands