Some Works?

I'm sitting in Cognitive Psychology class at the moment, and I thought I would make a little blog entry to pass the time. First, I wanted to apologize for neglecting to make frequent updates over the last week. School work has been piling up. In fact I've written over 30 pages of text in the last 48 hours, so you should feel luck that I still feel like churning out this mindless drek. That is why I have decided to use this post to showcase my work. Some of it is good, some of it is bad, but if you're bored enough, have a read and lemme know what you think...

In the area of Political Philosophy...

My class entitled 'Critical Issues in Political Philosophy' required that I respond to four essay prompts. You may remember that I completed similar work in the middle of the term. I found these essays easier to write than the ones I did earlier in the term. I think it was because the prompts were more open-ended. The philosophers discussed during the later half of the term were also a bit more interesting, so I'm certain THAT helped as well... After reading the prompt, click the 'My Response' link to download the *.doc file and enjoy!

Essay 1 Prompt - John Rawls and Robert Nozick offer very different (and clearly incompatible) perspectives on what a theory of justice in political philosophy is supposed to do. What are their fundamental differences and assumptions? If Aristotle were to read Nozick’s work on the nature and value of political society, what critique might you imagine him offering? Would you agree with Aristotle’s analysis? Why or why not? - My Response

Essay 2 Prompt - In what specific ways is the concept of rights (meaning not simply legal rights but what we’ve called “second-generation rights”) connected with the idea of distributive justice? Would a classical Marxist agree that a capitalist society can be structured in ways to make it embody meaningful principles of distributive justice? Why or why not? - My Response

Essay 3 Prompt - Louis Menand, in the article we discussed from The New Yorker (28 July 2003), notes that many Americans believe that “a genuinely free person would never willingly exchange his lot to live under the thumb of an autocratic priesthood” (or, one assumes, any other form of servitude). In what ways does Hobbes’ Leviathan present a counter argument to this thesis? Does it ring true or false in your view? Develop and explain your answer. - My Response

Essay 4 Prompt - We’ve discussed several philosophical replies to the critical question of political obligation, namely, how can one be obliged to obey the law and still remain free, still retain a meaningful sense of moral agency. Of the positions we’ve analyzed (for example, Hobbes, Locke, Aristotle, Aquinas, Hegel), which response, in your view, is the most defensible? What are your arguments for coming to this conclusion? - My Response

Creative Non-Fiction?

I attempted to produce two more creative non-fiction works for my course of the same title. Included below are the explanations I submitted to my teacher detailing my intentions while writing. I struggled with these, so they aren't very good.... try to enjoy! Click the 'Read More' link at the base of the explanation for the *.doc file.

The Teachings of Cathol… Who’s Cathol? (Reflective Essay)
This is intended to justify and rationalize my current religious views utilizing my reflections on growing up with Catholicism. I intended it to be ironic that the more I learned about Catholicism, the farther I withdrew from it. There is also an attempt to inject humor in order to maintain a light-heartedness throughout, though I think that will depend more on the readers sense-of-humor regarding religion. The reader should, by the end, understand how and why I came to abandon Catholicism, as well as the righteousness of my value system despite the religion’s absence from my life. - Read More

On the Value of Bad Movies (Historical/Opinion Essay)
Using a recent situation as a base from which to launch my analysis, I attempt to express to the reader my opinion of bad movies. I use historical data to back up the claim that American seem to love bad movies, but offer the argument that the nature of their love is inconsistent with my own. This leads me offer the conclusion that Americans have generally poor taste in film. I end with a question that is intended to emphasize the peculiar nature of the introductory situation, on the basis of my conclusion. - Read More

Computer Ethics

My final paper for Computer Ethics class relates to a VERY current issue. It discusses the recent actions of the Recording Industry Association of America has taken against file swappers and argues for alternative solutions to music piracy. Click the article title below for the *.doc.

The RIAA’s Mission Against File-Swappers: A Mission Against the Consumer

For all you Database People

For the last two terms, myself along with four other IST students have been designing a Drexel Check system. We finally finished up the documentation for our proposed system, along with SQL database specifications. If you're highly interested and into tech stuff, feel free to Drexel-Check TM Documentation.doc">download this robust document (960KB - 47 Pages)