This is the second in a series of posts on the relevance of neo-Aristotelian philosophy of nature and the problem of free will. As I mentioned in the first post, disposing of the threat of determinism is not sufficient to resolve all the problems arising from the idea of free will. Free will seems problematic,Continue reading “Aristotle and Ultimate Responsibility”
Tag Archives: politics
Strategic and Insincere Voting
Real-World Examples of Voting Paradoxes William H. Riker, Liberalism against Populism (Waveland Press, 1982). 1912 US Presidential race Popular vote: 42% Wilson 27% Roosevelt 24% Taft Thanks to the plurality rule, Wilson won (the Electoral College didn’t make a significant difference in this case. Let’s suppose that the voters formed three blocs with the followingContinue reading “Strategic and Insincere Voting”
Arrow’s Theorem and Democracy
Importance of Arrow’s Theorem Does Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem (Kenneth Arrow 1960) challenge the value of democracy? First, we have to ask: Is democracy an end in itself or a means to an end? For Locke: “For when any number of men have, by the consent of every individual, made a community, they have thereby madeContinue reading “Arrow’s Theorem and Democracy”
Hylomorphism and Mereology
Some questions and thoughts about hylomorphism and mereology (parts and wholes). Is the substance the sum of its material parts? In some sense, yes, and in some sense, no? The sum of my prime material parts exists as a potentiality, even in the absence of me and my substantial form. That sum does not haveContinue reading “Hylomorphism and Mereology”
