Effects of Porn: A Critical Analysis

The impacts of pornography are varied and complex. Performers are often thought to be victims of abuse and exploitation, while viewers are regularly accused of becoming desensitised to sexual violence. Further, porn is held by some to perpetuate damaging racial and gender stereotypes. I contend that these accusations, though not entirely baseless, are undermined for two reasons: they rest on questionable empirical evidence and ignore many of the positive consequences porn may have. In this article, I organise my analysis from the screen outward, critically examining the effects porn has on performers, viewers, and wider society, and finding that in each domain it may have both positive and negative outcomes. Following this, I evaluate porn as a form of Bakhtinian carnival and discuss how online porn may offer a mode of resisting hegemonic cultural norms. On the whole, therefore, I argue that the harms attributed to porn have often been overgeneralised and exaggerated, and that porn has a range of effects unable to be captured by a mere pro/anti dichotomy

On the Borders of Vagueness and the Vagueness of Borders

This article argues that resolutions to the sorites paradox offered by epistemic and supervaluation theories fail to adequately account for vagueness. After explaining the paradox, I examine the epistemic theory defended by Timothy Williamson and discuss objections to his semantic argument for vague terms having precise boundaries. I then consider Rosanna Keefe's supervaluationist approach and explain why it fails to accommodate the problem of higher-order vagueness. I conclude by discussing how fuzzy logic may hold the key to resolving the sorites paradox without positing indefensible borders to the correct application of vague terms

What Does It Mean to be Human, and Not Animal? Examining Montaigne’s Literary Persuasiveness in “Man is No Better Than the Animals”

Michel de Montaigne famously argued in “Man is No Better Than the Animals” that humans and non-human animals cannot be dichotomized based on language or reasoning abilities, among other characteristics. This article examines a selection of writing features at play in the text and discusses how successfully they convey Montaigne’s claims. Throughout, I argue that Montaigne presents a superficially convincing case for doubting a categorical distinction between humans and animals on linguistic and rational grounds through the use of rhetorical questions, listing, appeals to authority, point of view, imagery, and narrative anecdotes. However, Montaigne’s rejection of a human/animal distinction appears self-refuting since the form and content of his text both suggest that humans typically possess some degree of unique language and reasoning capacities

Wombs, Wizards, and Wisdom: Bilbo's Journey from Childhood in _The Hobbit_

In The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien constructs middle-aged Bilbo Baggins as a sheltered and emotionally immature ‘child’ during the opening chapters before tracing his development into an autonomous, self-aware adult as the tale progresses. This article examines Tolkien’s novel qua bildungsroman through both a literary lens—considering setting, dialogue, and symbolism, among other techniques—and via a psychological framework, emphasizing an Eriksonian conception of development. Additionally, Peter Jackson’s three-part film adaptation of The Hobbit is discussed throughout with ways that Jackson succeeds and fails at portraying Bilbo’s childlike attributes noted. I argue that Tolkien presents a sophisticated account of Bilbo’s childish persona growing into a mature adult worldview, and that Jackson appropriately reflects much, though not all, of this development in his films

Wombs, Wizards, and Wisdom: Bilbo\u27s Journey from Childhood in The Hobbit

In The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien constructs middle-aged Bilbo Baggins as a sheltered and emotionally immature ‘child’ during the opening chapters before tracing his development into an autonomous, self-aware adult as the tale progresses. This article examines Tolkien’s novel qua bildungsroman through both a literary lens—considering setting, dialogue, and symbolism, among other techniques—and via a psychological framework, emphasizing an Eriksonian conception of development. Additionally, Peter Jackson’s three-part film adaptation of The Hobbit is discussed throughout with ways that Jackson succeeds and fails at portraying Bilbo’s childlike attributes noted. I argue that Tolkien presents a sophisticated account of Bilbo’s childish persona growing into a mature adult worldview, and that Jackson appropriately reflects much, though not all, of this development in his films

Lessons from the controversy over statins - Authors' reply.

Virginia Barbour states in her letter that, with respect to the submission to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in October, 2014, by a group of senior doctors and scientists, she had “recused myself because of a potential conflict of interest”. However, that is not strictly accurate; Barbour only recused herself in September, 2015, 8 months after she had adjudicated on the submission in January, 2015

Improving Connectivity of the Androscoggin Greenway Trail

In post-industrial cities, access to green spaces is often difficult to maintain. The implementation of greenway trails, marked segments following or linking natural spaces, is beneficial to communities due to the increase in spaces for outdoor recreation, public health benefits, and connecting neighborhoods in municipalities to resources using a safe and maintained public walkway. The Androscoggin Land Trust (ALT) and the City of Lewiston have identified a need for such a greenway trail along the Androscoggin River, as well as a concrete cost assessment and rubric to assess feasibility. In this report, we provide two proposed trail routes for a greenway trail in Lewiston, and a rubric for assessing the implementation of different routes along the river. Also, the report includes a table and calculations assessing the estimated cost of implementation for both trail segments, as well as a list of stakeholders who would have vested interest in the creation of a greenway trail. The criteria for feasibility of the proposed trail options is assessed using five separate criteria: adherence to the ALT goals, safety, accessibility, land use, and cost. Using these criteria, we assessed the task of connecting Lionel Potvin Park to Rancourt Preserve, with intermediary locations such as Simard-Payne Park, Veteran Park, the Tall Pines neighborhood, and the existing Androscoggin Riverside Trail. Two different trail routes are proposed, one that fulfills the criteria with a focus on ALT goals, safety, accessibility, and land use, and one that prioritizes cost over the other goals. From there, we created a chart delineating the necessary infrastructural implementations and their associated costs, and applied the costs to each proposed route. Finally, we composed a list of stakeholders in the possible construction of a greenway trail in Lewiston, including contact information and why each party might have vested interest in the project. Per our cost assessments, we have determined that a trail fully meeting the ALT goals as well as safety, accessibility, and land use criteria has an estimated cost of $1,036,590, while a more frugally constructed trail has an estimated cost of$228,864. From here, we have compiled a list of recommendations to pursue the goal of a cohesive greenway in Lewiston. It is our intention that our project will be pursued along with the revitalization of downtown Lewiston, 2 and our procedure for assessment of feasibility will be implemented by other interested organizations and parties