Evolutionary Psychology In its broad sense, the term “evolutionary psychology” stands for any attempt to adopt an evolutionary perspective on human behavior by supplementing psychology with the central tenets of evolutionary biology. The underlying idea is that since our mind is the way it is at least in part because of our evolutionary past, evolutionary theory can aid our understanding not only of the human

Modal Illusions We often talk about how things could have been, given different circumstances, or about how things might be in the future. When we speak this way, we presume that these situations are possible. Toutefois, sometimes people make mistakes regarding what is possible or regarding what could have been the case. When what seems possible to a person is not really possible, this person

William of Ockham (Occam, c. 1280—c. 1349) William of Ockham, also known as William Ockham and William of Occam, was a fourteenth-century English philosopher. Historiquement, Ockham has been cast as the outstanding opponent of Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274): Aquinas perfected the great “medieval synthesis” of faith and reason and was canonized by the Catholic Church; Ockham destroyed the synthesis and was condemned by the Catholic Church.

Maurice Blondel (1861—1949) Blondel’s importance has largely been in theological and Catholic philosophical circles in France, Allemagne, Spain, Italie, and Quebec. Among many other important authors in the 20th Century, Blondel is responsible for the “new theology”, that played such a great role in the deliberations and arguments of the Second Vatican Council. Blondel’s readings of other philosophical figures also bears a striking resemblance to the type of

David Lewis (1941–2001) David Lewis was an American philosopher and one of the last generalists, in the sense that he was one of the last philosophers who contributed to the great majority of sub-fields of the discipline. He made central contributions in metaphysics, the philosophy of language, and the philosophy of mind. He also made important contributions in probabilistic and practical reasoning, épistémologie, the philosophy

Applied Ethics Under what conditions is an abortion morally permissible? Does a citizen have a moral obligation to actively participate (perhaps by voting) in the democratic process of one’s nation (assuming one is living in a democracy)? What obligations, si seulement, does one have to the global poor? Under what conditions is female genital excision morally permissible? If there are conditions under which it is