Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-124). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-124). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis--Cologne. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 150-153).

It is widely agreed that some concepts can be possessed only by those who have undergone a certain type of phenomenal experience. The orthodox view among contemporary philosophers of mind that these phenomenal concepts provide the key to understanding the dispute between physicalists and their opponents. I reject the orthodox view; I defend an externalist conception of mental content according to which there are no phenomenal concepts. But the fact that there are no phenomenal concepts should not worry the physicalist: there are better accounts of the data that phenomenal concepts are used to explain. / text

Over the past six decades, hope has been identified by researchers and philosophers as a complex yet crucial element of health and well-being. Studies have investigated hope in various medical contexts as well as academic and sports settings, most commonly by measuring hopefulness of patients and athletes. Rarely has hope been investigated to understand participants’ lived experiences and perceptions of hope. In America, the healthcare and education industries are facing shortages and high turnover of nurses and teachers, two groups who are expected to nurture hope in others. If hope supports wellness in patients and performance in athletes, might it influence satisfaction in nurses and teachers? To examine this question and understand what hope means to nurses and teachers, Interactive Qualitative Analysis was utilized to produce grounded theories of hope and, hope and the workplace. Through focus groups with each constituency (nurses, teachers), the elements that compose hope were identified, then the elements that interact with hope in the workplace were identified. Interviews with nine nurses and ten teachers were conducted to determine how these elements relate in perceptual systems of cause-effect relationships. A systems representation of hope was developed through the creation and analysis of conceptual mind maps. The resulting theory indicates that hope is composed of faith, relationships, expressions of hope, optimism about the future, and realistic anticipation. Hope is much more than wishful thinking or having the ability to set and achieve goals. This research demonstrates that hope is a multidimensional construct, a system whose elements are perceived and ordered differently by individuals depending on their life experiences and context. A systems representation also was developed to illustrate hope and the workplace through creation and analysis of conceptual mind maps. The resulting theory indicates that eight elements interact with (influence and/or are influenced by) hope in the context of the workplace: spirituality, relationships, resources, organizational structure/system, attitude toward clients, actions for clients, client outcomes, and personal outcomes. This research demonstrates that hope does influence job satisfaction for nurses and teachers. / text

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published_or_final_version / Chinese / Master / Master of Philosophy

This dissertation consists of two parts. Part I proposes a new approach to modality, abductive modal realism. Part II proposes a new version of physicalism, abductive physicalism. The parts relate in that abductive physicalism presupposes abductive modal realism.Abductive modal realism holds that inference to the best explanation (i.e. abduction) grounds some and any justified belief about mind-independent necessity and possibility. This approach avoids the disadvantages of extant approaches to modality. Specifically, unlike extant approaches, abductive modal realism accepts real, mind-independent necessities and possibilities without employing a modal epistemology that fits these poorly. Abductive physicalism holds that we should adopt abductive modal realism, that abduction favors physicalism, and thus, that we should adopt physicalism. Although standard a posteriori physicalism accepts the latter claims, it sees appeals to abduction as exceptions to an otherwise non-abductive modal epistemology. Abductive physicalism, contrariwise, sees abduction as the arbitrator of modal disputes quite generally. This difference allows abductive physicalism to avoid problems that plague standard a posteriori physicalism.

Jerry Fodor has argued that virtually all lexical concepts are innate. I argue against this position, but not, as other have done, on the grounds that the arguments against lexical decomposition upon which Fodor relies are flawed. Rather, I argue that even if lexical concepts cannot be decomposed, the possession conditions for having lexical concepts are nonetheless not innately satisfied.