Robert Arp (born March 20, 1970) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
philosopher
A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
known for his work in
ethics
Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns m ...
,
modern philosophy
Modern philosophy is philosophy developed in the modern era and associated with modernity. It is not a specific doctrine or school (and thus should not be confused with ''Modernism''), although there are certain assumptions common to much of it ...
,
ontology
In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, becoming, and reality.
Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into categories and which of these entities exis ...
,
philosophy of biology
The philosophy of biology is a subfield of philosophy of science, which deals with epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical issues in the biological and biomedical sciences. Although philosophers of science and philosophers generally have lon ...
,
cognitive science,
evolutionary psychology
Evolutionary psychology is a theoretical approach in psychology that examines cognition and behavior from a modern evolutionary perspective. It seeks to identify human psychological adaptations with regards to the ancestral problems they evolv ...
,
religious studies, and philosophy and
popular culture
Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...
. He currently works as an
adjunct professor
An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and
the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, however the genera ...
teaching philosophy courses in the classroom and
online
In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" or ...
at numerous schools in the
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...
area and other areas of the United States.
Education
Arp completed his
undergraduate degree
An undergraduate degree (also called first degree or simply degree) is a colloquial term for an academic degree earned by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. In the United States, it is usually offered at an institution of higher e ...
in philosophy at
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution ...
(CUA) in 1992, his master's degree in philosophy at CUA in 1993, and PhD in philosophy at
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...
(SLU) during the 2004–2005 school year. He was awarded a prestigious
Theodore B. Basselin Scholarship while at CUA, and was a teaching
fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
, research fellow, and dissertation fellow during his time at SLU. Arp taught as an assistant professor of philosophy at
Southwest Minnesota State University
Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) is a public university in Marshall, Minnesota. It is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. The university has an enrollment of approximately 8,700 students and employs 148 fa ...
(2005–2006)
and then as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy at
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
for a year with
Michael Ruse
Michael Ruse (born 21 June 1940) is a British-born Canadian philosopher of science who specializes in the philosophy of biology and works on the relationship between science and religion, the creation–evolution controversy, and the demarcatio ...
(2006–2007),
as well as at many schools in the
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
area as an
adjunct professor
An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and
the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, however the genera ...
of philosophy (1996–2005), before doing
postdoctoral research
A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to p ...
in ontology through the National Center for Biomedical Ontology with
Mark Musen
Mark Alan Musen is a Professor of Biomedical Informatics and of Biomedical Data Science at Stanford University; at Stanford, he directs the Stanford Center for Biomedical Informatics Research. Musen's research focuses on open science, data stewar ...
and
Barry Smith at the
University at Buffalo
The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...
(2007–2009).
Work in ethics
Arp's paper in ''
International Philosophical Quarterly
The ''International Philosophical Quarterly'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal edited by a group of academics at Fordham University, with the collaboration of the Université de Namur in Belgium. The journal was established in 1961 to provide a ...
'' titled "Vindicating Kant's Morality" offers a defense of
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...
's position against those who would claim that Kant's moral position lacks a motivational component, ignores the spiritual dimensions of morality espoused by a
virtue-based ethics, overemphasizes the principle of autonomy in neglecting the communal context of morality, and lacks a theological foundation.
In "The Double Life of Justice and Injustice in Thrasymachus' Account," published in ''Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought'' (1999, 16:1–2, 17–29), Arp argues that
Thrasymachus
Thrasymachus (; el, Θρασύμαχος ''Thrasýmachos''; c. 459 – c. 400 BC) was a sophist of ancient Greece best known as a character in Plato's ''Republic''.
Life, date, and career
Thrasymachus was a citizen of Chalcedon, on the Bosphorus ...
, the primary interlocutor of
Socrates
Socrates (; ; –399 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no te ...
in Book I of
Plato
Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...
's ''
Republic
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
'', actually defines three types of people in a society: the tyrant, the citizens of the society that the tyrant exploits, and the person who wants to be the tyrant and who's clever enough not to be exploited by the tyrant. His argument is unique in the 70-year history of scholarship in this area, since most commentators recognize merely the tyrant and the citizens exploited by the tyrant. By identifying this third type of person, Arp is able to show that Thrasymachus' three statements regarding justice in ''Republic'' I are consistent with one another, namely: justice is (1) "nothing other than the advantage of the stronger" (338c); justice is (2) obeying the laws of the ruler(s) (339b); justice is (3) "really someone else's good, the advantage of the man who is stronger and rules" (343c).
With
Arthur Caplan
Arthur L. Caplan (born 1950) is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor of Bioethics at New York University Grossman School of Medicine and the founding director of the Division of Medical Ethics.
Caplan has made many contribut ...
, Arp edited ''Contemporary Debates in Bioethics'' through
John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., commonly known as Wiley (), is an American multinational publishing company founded in 1807 that focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials. The company produces books, journals, and encyclopedias, in p ...
, containing new papers written by experts in
bioethics
Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but also increasingly includes animal ethics), including those emerging from advances in biology, med ...
and
applied ethics
Applied ethics refers to the practical aspect of moral considerations. It is ethics with respect to real-world actions and their moral considerations in the areas of private and public life, the professions, health, technology, law, and leadersh ...
such as
Don Marquis
Donald Robert Perry Marquis ( ; July 29, 1878 – December 29, 1937) was an American humorist, journalist, and author. He was variously a novelist, poet, newspaper columnist, and playwright. He is remembered best for creating the characters Ar ...
,
Tom Beauchamp
Tom Lamar Beauchamp (born 1939) is an American philosopher specializing in the work of David Hume, moral philosophy, bioethics, and animal ethics. He is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Georgetown University, where he was Senior Research Schola ...
,
Mark Cherry
Mark J. Cherry is the Dr. Patricia A. Hayes Professor in Applied Ethics at St. Edward's University, Austin, Texas., Asiaing.com, accessed January 23, 2010. He is the author of ''Kidney for Sale by Owner: Human Organs, Transplantation, and the Mar ...
,
William J. Winslade
William J. Winslade, Ph.D., J.D. (born 18 November 1941) is the ''James Wade Rockwell Professor of Philosophy of Medicine'' at the Institute for Medical Humanities, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and ''Distinguished Visiting Pro ...
,
Jane Maienschein,
Edwin Black
Edwin Black (born February 27, 1950) is an American historian and author, as well as a syndicated columnist, investigative journalist, and weekly talk show host on The Edwin Black Show. He specializes in human rights, the historical interplay be ...
,
Richard Arneson
Richard J. Arneson is an American philosopher specializing in political philosophy who has taught at the University of California, San Diego since 1973. He chaired the department during 1992–1996 and served as graduate adviser. In 1996, he also ...
, and others.
Work in modern philosophy
In his paper titled "The Quinque Viae of
Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes ( ; 5/15 April 1588 – 4/14 December 1679) was an English philosopher, considered to be one of the founders of modern political philosophy. Hobbes is best known for his 1651 book ''Leviathan'', in which he expounds an influent ...
" (1999, 16:4, 367–394), published in ''
History of Philosophy Quarterly
The ''History of Philosophy Quarterly'' (''HPQ'') is a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to the history of philosophy. The journal is indexed by PhilPapers and the Philosopher's Index.
The ''History of Philosophy Quarterly'' was founded in ...
'', Arp argues that Hobbes actually endorses proofs for the
existence of God
The existence of God (or more generally, the existence of deities) is a subject of debate in theology, philosophy of religion and popular culture. A wide variety of arguments for and against the existence of God or deities can be categorized ...
that are similar to
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...
and found in the very tradition of
Scholasticism
Scholasticism was a medieval school of philosophy that employed a critical organic method of philosophical analysis predicated upon the Aristotelian 10 Categories. Christian scholasticism emerged within the monastic schools that translate ...
that he would seem to reject so vehemently. This view has been applauded, as well as derided.
In "Re-thinking Hobbes's Materialistic and Mechanistic Projects" (2002, 15:1, 3-31), published in ''Hobbes Studies'', Arp maintained that he is in the camp of scholars who read the texts of the great philosophers, such as Hobbes, rather than interpret the texts of philosophers in ways that might lead to
anachronism
An anachronism (from the Ancient Greek, Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronology, chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time per ...
or other types of
fallacy
A fallacy is the use of invalid or otherwise faulty reasoning, or "wrong moves," in the construction of an argument which may appear stronger than it really is if the fallacy is not spotted. The term in the Western intellectual tradition was intr ...
in
scholarly method
The scholarly method or scholarship is the body of principles and practices used by scholars and academics to make their claims about the subject as valid and trustworthy as possible, and to make them known to the scholarly public. It is the met ...
.
More recently, in his chapter titled "If the
Devil
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...
Did Not Exist, It May Be Necessary to Invent Him in Certain Contexts" published in a book titled, ''Philosophical Approaches to the Devil'', through
Routledge
Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...
's Studies in the Philosophy of Religion series, Arp argues not only that
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...
's claim, "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him" is probably false given the preponderance of non-theistic ethical systems, but also that the claim "If the Devil did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him" is false as well. However, he does argue that it is "not unreasonable to utilize God and the Devil as makeshifts for psychological comfort and social order, given a context in which we have people who are not able to self-soothe or act correctly without the fear of God's judgment and the Devil's pitchfork. So, the upshot is that if God and the Devil did not exist—or do not exist—it may be necessary to invent them in certain contexts."
Work in philosophy of biology
Concerning
biological function
In evolutionary biology, function is the reason some object or process occurred in a system that evolved through natural selection. That reason is typically that it achieves some result, such as that chlorophyll helps to capture the energy of sunl ...
, Arp has put forward a middle position between the two viable accounts of function today—namely, the organizational account of function (usually attributed to Robert Cummins) and the modern history account of function (usually attributed to Paul Griffiths and
Peter Godfrey-Smith
Peter Godfrey-Smith (born 1965) is an Australian philosopher of science and writer, who is currently Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney. He works primarily in philosophy of biology and philosophy of mind, ...
)—and his position has been called "reconciliatory" and "pluralist." His article with Barry Smith titled "Function, role and disposition in basic formal ontology" published in ''
Nature Precedings
''Nature Precedings'' was an open access electronic preprint repository of scholarly work in the fields of biomedical sciences, chemistry, and earth sciences. It ceased accepting new submissions as of April 3, 2012.
''Nature Precedings'' function ...
'' has been cited more than 140 times, according to
Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes the full text or metadata of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines. Released in beta in November 2004, the Google Scholar index includes p ...
.
Besides his work in functions and
teleology
Teleology (from and )Partridge, Eric. 1977''Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English'' London: Routledge, p. 4187. or finalityDubray, Charles. 2020 912Teleology" In ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'' 14. New York: Robert Appleton ...
, Arp has attempted a definition of life, arguing that the "components and attending processes of an organism must be considered as living, emergent phenomena because of the way in which the components are organized to maintain homeostasis of the organism at the various levels in the organismic hierarchy." He calls this position the homeostatic organization view of biological phenomena. With
Alexander Rosenberg
Alexander Rosenberg (who generally publishes as "Alex") is an American philosopher and novelist. He is the R. Taylor Cole Professor of Philosophy at Duke University, well known for contributions to philosophy of biology and philosophy of economic ...
, Arp has edited ''Philosophy of Biology: An Anthology'' (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009), with
Francisco J. Ayala
Francisco José Ayala Pereda (born March 12, 1934) is a Spanish-American evolutionary biologist, philosopher, and former Catholic priest who was a longtime faculty member at the University of California, Irvine and University of California, Dav ...
, he has edited ''Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Biology'' (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009), and with George Terzis, he has edited ''Information and Living Systems: Philosophical and Scientific Perspectives'' (MIT Press, 2011).
Arp has also offered suggestions for the interactions of philosophers and scientists as they go about their work in
philosophy of science
Philosophy of science is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ultim ...
.
Work in cognitive science and evolutionary psychology
In his first book published through
MIT Press
The MIT Press is a university press affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts (United States). It was established in 1962.
History
The MIT Press traces its origins back to 1926 when MIT publish ...
, ''Scenario Visualization: An Evolutionary Account of Creative Problem Solving'', Arp adds to
Steven Mithen
Steven Mithen, (born 16 October 1960) is a Professor of Archaeology at the University of Reading. He has written a number of books, including ''The Singing Neanderthals'' and ''The Prehistory of the Mind: The Cognitive Origins of Art, Religion ...
's
cognitive fluidity view by arguing that such fluidity would be random and chaotic without mechanisms of selection and integration. Thus, what he calls "scenario visualization"
[
] is a necessary ingredient in creative problem solving, and likely was one of the first things that emerged in human
consciousness
Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...
. Scenario visualization is defined by Arp as a "conscious ability to segregate and integrate visual images in future scenarios."
While this view has been applauded as "innovative and interesting," a "valuable resource and a stimulating contribution," and even "ambitious,"
there are those who critique Arp's position as "saying nothing new" and suffering from "a form of selectivity deficit – an inability to judge what is and isn't relevant to his claims."
Arp's view continues to be referred to as plausible by cognitive scientists and others doing work in
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
, philosophical psychology, and other areas of study.
Work in ontology
Arp has worked as an ontologist with the
CGI Group
CGI Inc. is a Canadian multinational information technology consulting and systems integration company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. CGI has a market value of $21.8 billion, making it one of the top 30 companies in Canada. The co ...
and
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. ...
on projects for the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
,
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...
, and
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
. He has published papers dealing with
philosophy of science
Philosophy of science is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ultim ...
and
conceptual model
A conceptual model is a representation of a system. It consists of concepts used to help people knowledge, know, understanding, understand, or simulation, simulate a subject the model represents. In contrast, physical models are physical object su ...
s and produced numerous technical documents as a
technical writer
A technical writer is a professional information communicator whose task is to transfer information between two or more parties, through any medium that best facilitates the transfer and comprehension of the information. Technical writers researc ...
. Arp has also used
RDF,
RDFS
RDF Schema (Resource Description Framework Schema, variously abbreviated as RDFS, , RDF-S, or RDF/S) is a set of classes with certain properties using the RDF extensible knowledge representation data model, providing basic elements for the descr ...
,
OWL
Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...
, and
SPARQL
SPARQL (pronounced "sparkle" , a recursive acronym for SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language) is an RDF query language—that is, a semantic query language for databases—able to retrieve and manipulate data stored in Resource Description F ...
to assist in building ontologies for the
Next Generation Air Transportation System
The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is an ongoing United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) project to modernize the National Airspace System (NAS). The FAA began work on NextGen improvements in 2007 and plans to finis ...
, making use of ontology-building tools such as TopBraid and
Protégé
Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...
. He was part of the initial steps in developing the world's first weather ontology with other ontologists at
Lincoln Laboratory
The MIT Lincoln Laboratory, located in Lexington, Massachusetts, is a United States Department of Defense federally funded research and development center chartered to apply advanced technology to problems of national security. Research and dev ...
. He was also part of the genesis of the Infectious Disease Ontology through meetings and discussions in 2007 and 2008. The Infectious Disease Ontology is one of the ontologies in the Open Biological and Biomedical Ontologies Foundry, also known as the
OBO Foundry
The Open Biological and Biomedical Ontologies (OBO) Foundry is a group of people dedicated to build and maintain ontologies related to the life sciences. The OBO Foundry establishes a set of principles for ontology development for creating a su ...
.
As a theoretical ontologist, having worked closely with Barry Smith (also a philosopher/ontologist), Arp has contributed to Smith's
Basic Formal Ontology
Basic Formal Ontology (BFO) is a top-level ontology developed by Barry Smith and his associates for the purposes of promoting interoperability among domain ontologies built in its terms through a process of downward population. A guide to buil ...
in the areas of function, role, and disposition. Arp's book with Smith and Andrew Spear published in 2015 through MIT Press, ''Building Ontologies with Basic Formal Ontology'', has been cited more than 650 times on
Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes the full text or metadata of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines. Released in beta in November 2004, the Google Scholar index includes p ...
. Within the context of Basic Formal Ontology,
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
, and
bioinformatics
Bioinformatics () is an interdisciplinary field that develops methods and software tools for understanding biological data, in particular when the data sets are large and complex. As an interdisciplinary field of science, bioinformatics combi ...
, although Arp's definition of function has been criticized as inapplicable to "entities above or below a certain size," the definition not only offers an attempt at a "coherence between the concepts of biological function and technical function," but it also has been used by researchers doing work in biochemical processes, hypersensitivity conditions, service systems, and domain conceptual modeling in general.
Like Barry Smith, Arp also has sought to defend a common sense realist position concerning the construction of domain ontologies (essentially,
scientific realism
Scientific realism is the view that the universe described by science is real regardless of how it may be interpreted.
Within philosophy of science, this view is often an answer to the question "how is the success of science to be explained?" Th ...
) whereby a domain ontology should, if possible and appropriate, represent the actual entities out there in the world that fall under the purview of science.
[
] One argument Arp puts forward is a restatement of the "no-miracles argument" for
scientific realism
Scientific realism is the view that the universe described by science is real regardless of how it may be interpreted.
Within philosophy of science, this view is often an answer to the question "how is the success of science to be explained?" Th ...
which states that it would be miraculous if scientific theories were not at least approximately true descriptions of the world, since they are so (seemingly) successful at prediction and control. He has argued for this position in the past.
However, cognizant of the difficulties surrounding a realist position (especially for practical, working ontologists), Arp has argued for a form of as-if
philosophical realism
Philosophical realism is usually not treated as a position of its own but as a stance towards other subject matters. Realism about a certain kind of thing (like numbers or morality) is the thesis that this kind of thing has ''mind-independent exi ...
, along the lines of
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...
and
Hans Vaihinger
Hans Vaihinger (; September 25, 1852 – December 18, 1933) was a German philosopher, best known as a Kant scholar and for his ''Die Philosophie des Als Ob'' ('' The Philosophy of 'As if), published in 1911 although its statement of basic ...
whereby the "commitment to the pursuit of abstract objects could become instrumental in guiding the life of philosophy and science in a limited as if manner."
Just as Kant spoke of the value of the regulative ideas as aiding in, not only the rounding off of our systematic picture of reality, but also prompting us to do further research and investigation, so too, according to Arp thinkers are to act as if there is a reality "out there" (the ding-an-sich or
noumenon
In philosophy, a noumenon (, ; ; noumena) is a posited object or an event that exists independently of human sense and/or perception. The term ''noumenon'' is generally used in contrast with, or in relation to, the term ''phenomenon'', which ...
, as it were) when they construct domain ontologies or engage in any other kind of scientific endeavor. Given the as-if nature of this position, similar to that of
Hans Vaihinger
Hans Vaihinger (; September 25, 1852 – December 18, 1933) was a German philosopher, best known as a Kant scholar and for his ''Die Philosophie des Als Ob'' ('' The Philosophy of 'As if), published in 1911 although its statement of basic ...
, there is always the possibility that there may be practical or pragmatic concerns in building domain ontologies which actually trump the realist pursuit, and Arp is mindful of this possibility.
Also, following other ontologists he has drawn a distinction between philosophical ontology (
physical ontology
In philosophy, physicalism is the metaphysical thesis that "everything is physical", that there is "nothing over and above" the physical, or that everything supervenes on the physical. Physicalism is a form of ontological monism—a "one substanc ...
), domain ontology, and
upper ontology
In information science, an upper ontology (also known as a top-level ontology, upper model, or foundation ontology) is an ontology (in the sense used in information science) which consists of very general terms (such as "object", "property", "rela ...
(also known as top-level or formal) ontology,
and has attempted to articulate principles for best practices in the building of domain ontologies in radiology, cell signaling, bioethics, and finance.
Work in religious studies
Arp has added to the discussion concerning the issue of classifying mystical union with the
One in the
Neoplatonism
Neoplatonism is a strand of Platonism, Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and Hellenistic religion, religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a chain of ...
of
Plotinus
Plotinus (; grc-gre, Πλωτῖνος, ''Plōtînos''; – 270 CE) was a philosopher in the Hellenistic philosophy, Hellenistic tradition, born and raised in Roman Egypt. Plotinus is regarded by modern scholarship as the founder of Neop ...
, a topic in
mysticism
Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...
with a crossover in
religious experience
A religious experience (sometimes known as a spiritual experience, sacred experience, or mystical experience) is a subjective experience which is interpreted within a religious framework. The concept originated in the 19th century, as a defens ...
and
spirituality
The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...
more generally. In contradistinction to the theistic union view (where the soul retains its identity in union with the One) on one hand, and the monistic identity view (where the soul loses its identity in union with the One) on the other, Arp has argued in a much-cited paper titled "Plotinus, Mysticism, and Mediation" in the prestigious journal ''Religious Studies'' for what he calls a "mediated union" position in the doctrines of
Plotinus
Plotinus (; grc-gre, Πλωτῖνος, ''Plōtînos''; – 270 CE) was a philosopher in the Hellenistic philosophy, Hellenistic tradition, born and raised in Roman Egypt. Plotinus is regarded by modern scholarship as the founder of Neop ...
where the noetic part of the soul is not fully transcended in union with the One.
Arp also has published on mystics such as
Lydwina of Schiedam,
Margaret of Castello
Margaret of Città di Castello (1287 – 12 April 1320) was an Italian Roman Catholic and professed member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic. Margaret had disabilities and became known for her deep faith and holiness. Her parents abandoned her ...
, Saint
Benedict Joseph Labre
Benedict Joseph Labre (french: Benoît-Joseph Labre, 25 March 1748 – 16 April 1783) was a French mendicant, Franciscan tertiary, and Catholic saint. Labre was from a well to do family near Arras, France. After attempting a monastic lifestyle, ...
, Saint
Rita of Cascia
Rita of Cascia, born Margherita Lotti (1381 – 22 May 1457), was an Italians, Italian widow and Augustinian nuns, Augustinian nun venerated as a List of Catholic saints, saint in the Roman Catholic Church.
After Rita's husband died, she joine ...
, and others who claim that God's goodness and love can be experienced through, or in the midst of, pain and suffering. Drawing on the work of
Simone Weil
Simone Adolphine Weil ( , ; 3 February 1909 – 24 August 1943) was a French philosopher, mystic, and political activist. Over 2,500 scholarly works have been published about her, including close analyses and readings of her work, since 1995.
...
and
Diogenes Allen
Diogenes Allen (October 17, 1932 – January 13, 2013) was an American philosopher and theologian who served as the Stuart Professor of Philosophy at Princeton Theological Seminary. He was an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church, whi ...
, he offers a unique
theodicy
Theodicy () means vindication of God. It is to answer the question of why a good God permits the manifestation of evil, thus resolving the issue of the problem of evil. Some theodicies also address the problem of evil "to make the existence of ...
as a response to the
problem of evil
The problem of evil is the question of how to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient God.The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,The Problem of Evil, Michael TooleyThe Internet Encyclope ...
in his paper titled "Suffering as Theodicy" from the journal ''Cahiers Simone Weil''.
Borrowing the concept of
solidarity
''Solidarity'' is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. It is based on class collaboration.''Merriam Webster'', http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio ...
as used by the famous environmental
ethicist An ethicist is one whose judgment on ethics and ethical codes has come to be trusted by a specific community, and (importantly) is expressed in some way that makes it possible for others to mimic or approximate that judgment. Following the advice of ...
Robin Attfield
Robin Attfield, MA (Oxon), PhD (Wales) has been Professor of Philosophy at Cardiff University since 1992.
Robin Attfield read Greats ('' Literae Humaniores'') at Christ Church and theology at Regent's Park College, Oxford.
He is a member of ...
in his view known as ''biocentric consequentialism'', Arp has sought to establish a Ubiquitous Ethical Principle of Solidarity. Deriving its modern usage from the French ''solidarité'' meaning "communion of interests and responsibilities" or "mutual responsibility," the concept of solidarity was championed by
Émile Durkheim
David Émile Durkheim ( or ; 15 April 1858 – 15 November 1917) was a French sociologist. Durkheim formally established the academic discipline of sociology and is commonly cited as one of the principal architects of modern social science, al ...
in his De la division du travail social: étude sur l'organisation des sociétés supérieures (
The Division of Labor in Society
''The Division of Labour in Society'' (french: De la division du travail social) is the doctoral dissertation of the French sociologist Émile Durkheim, published in 1893. It was influential in advancing sociological theories and thought, with i ...
, 1893). There, Durkheim envisions ''solidarité'' as a kind of human fraternity dependent upon the existence of personal bonds, which are needed for the realization of common goals or ideals within groups. Unlike
justice
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
, which tends to focus on rules and principles without specific references to personal bonds, solidarity requires an acknowledgement of subjective ties; it involves a degree of ''sentiment de camaraderie'', or fellow feeling, which is shared by subjects within or between groups. Durkheim was part of numerous
Judeo-Christian
The term Judeo-Christian is used to group Christianity and Judaism together, either in reference to Christianity's derivation from Judaism, Christianity's borrowing of Jewish Scripture to constitute the "Old Testament" of the Christian Bible, or ...
ethical and political systems that responded to the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
at the close of the 19th century. Arp tries to extend Attfield's notion of solidarity and show how, in addition to the Judeo-Christian tradition, solidarity as an ethical principle may be found in
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
,
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
,
Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current ...
,
Confucianism
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
,
Daoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...
,
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
, as well as in certain
traditional African religions
The traditional beliefs and practices of African people are highly diverse beliefs that include various ethnic religions.Encyclopedia of African Religion (Sage, 2009) Molefi Kete Asante Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptura ...
, and
Native American religions
Native American religions are the spiritual practices of the Native Americans in the United States. Ceremonial ways can vary widely and are based on the differing histories and beliefs of individual nations, tribes and bands. Early European ...
and among the religions of
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
. It is through the ubiquitousness of solidarity, then, that issues having to do with local, national, and global forms of environmental justice (for example, poverty, human rights deprivation,
environmental racism
Environmental racism or ecological apartheid is a form of institutional racism leading to landfills, incinerators, and hazardous waste disposal being disproportionally placed in communities of colour. Internationally, it is also associated with ...
) may be confronted. Religious beliefs are part of the very fabric of human existence, so if a religious-based ethical sentiment can be harnessed—as one finds in solidarity—and used as a motivator for confronting environmental ''in''justice, then it is more likely to be enduring. So claims Arp.
Work in philosophy and popular culture
Arp has chapters in more than 40 books in the genre known colloquially as Philosophy and Popular Culture, including ''Metallica and Philosophy'', ''Family Guy and Philosophy'', ''Lost and Philosophy'', ''24 and Philosophy'', ''The Office and Philosophy'', ''Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy'', ''Watchmen and Philosophy'', ''Final Fantasy and Philosophy'', ''Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy'', ''True Blood and Philosophy'', ''30 Rock and Philosophy'', and others. He has worked numerous times with
William Irwin, General Editor of The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series through
Wiley-Blackwell (publisher)
Wiley-Blackwell is an international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons. It was formed by the merger of John Wiley & Sons Global Scientific, Technical, and Medical business with Blackwell Publish ...
. In 2006 Arp edited the flagship book in that series, ''
South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today'', which has been translated into the Italian, the
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
, and
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
.
He also co-edited ''Batman and Philosophy: The Dark Knight of the Soul'' with Mark White, soon to be translated into the German language. Arp and White were interviewed in 2008 by
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
and, when asked by The Globe, "Do some scholars see this kind of thing (i.e., Philosophy and Popular Culture books) as silly?" part of Arp's response was: "At root we are trying to bring philosophy to people and bring people to philosophy." Arp and White also contributed an article to The Globe called "Should Batman Kill the Joker?" in 2008. This article is reprinted in the eighth edition of ''The Norton Sampler: Short Essays for Composition'' (in Chapter 12: Argument), published by
W. W. Norton & Company.
Arp has also worked with Mark Conard and The Philosophy of Popular Culture series through
The University Press of Kentucky
The University Press of Kentucky (UPK) is the scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and was organized in 1969 as successor to the University of Kentucky Press. The university had sponsored scholarly publication since 1943. In 194 ...
, as well as with
David Ramsay Steele
David Ramsay Steele (born 23 June 1944) is the author of ''The Mystery of Fascism: David Ramsay Steele's Greatest Hits'' (2019, a collection of 23 previously published articles), ''Orwell Your Orwell: A Worldview on the Slab'' (2017, a study of Ge ...
and the Popular Culture and Philosophy series through
Open Court Publishing Company
The Open Court Publishing Company is a publisher with offices in Chicago and LaSalle, Illinois. It is part of the Carus Publishing Company of Peru, Illinois.
History
Open Court was founded in 1887 by Edward C. Hegeler of the Matthiessen-Hegel ...
, which has produced titles such as ''
The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer'', ''Star Wars and Philosophy'', ''Star Trek and Philosophy'', ''The Beatles and Philosophy'', ''James Bond and Philosophy'', and many others. One of Arp's latest projects is as editor of ''Tattoos – Philosophy for Everyone: I Ink, Therefore I Am'' with Fritz Allhoff (General Editor of the Philosophy for Everyone series) and Wiley-Blackwell Publishers.
Arp was Plenary Speaker for Pop Culture and Philosophy Conferences at Eastern Washington University (2010) and Georgia Southern University (2013).
Arp's edited book, ''1001 Ideas That Changed the Way We Think'', was published through
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...
in 2013 and has sold thousands of copies worldwide in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Czechoslovakian.
Concerning reviews of the book,
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
stated, "Editor Robert Arp has produced a reference guide that's fun to browse," while
Library Journal
''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
claims the book is "highly attractive... recommended" and
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
notes that it is "entertaining and informative."
Of the nearly 50 ratings and 10 reviews of the book on
Goodreads
Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and read ...
, 1001 Ideas has received a rating of 4.35 out of 5.0.
In September 2015, Arp was interviewed by
Ed Berliner on his show, The Hard Line with Ed Berliner, through
Newsmax TV
Newsmax TV is an American conservative television channel owned by Newsmax. The network primarily focuses on opinion-based talk shows. It carries a news/talk format throughout the day and night, with documentaries and films on weekends. During a ...
about
South Park (season 19)
The nineteenth season of the American animated sitcom ''South Park'' premiered on Comedy Central on September 16, 2015, and ended on December 9, 2015, containing ten episodes. As with most seasons of the show, all episodes are written and directed ...
.
On January 22, 2019, Arp appeared with other philosophers on the
podcast
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
devoted to philosophy and popular culture titled, I Think, Therefore, I Fan.
References
External links
*
Ontology Research Group Website
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