Aristotle's Ethics develops a complex theory of the qualities which make for a good human being and for several decades there has been intense discussion about whether Aristotle's theory of ...voluntariness, outlined in the Ethics, actually delineates what modern thinkers would recognize as a theory of moral responsibility. Javier Echeñique presents a novel account of Aristotle's discussion of voluntariness in the Ethics, arguing - against the interpretation by Arthur Adkins and that inspired by Peter Strawson - that he developed an original and compelling theory of moral responsibility and that this theory has contributed in important ways to our understanding of coercion, ignorance and violence. His study will be valuable for a wide range of readers interested in Aristotle and in ancient ethics more broadly.
This article provides an interpretation of the eloquent diagram of moral dispositions to be found at Eudemian Ethics II 3. In the first section the double thesis is defended according to which the ...third column of this diagram, integrated by a list of moral virtues, is an interpolation, and that the original two-column diagram, listing the moral vices, contributes in an original way to elucidating the intermediate nature of moral virtue. In the second section I examine the differences between the EE II 3 diagram and the diagram referred to in Nicomachean Ethics II 7, partly as an attempt to reinforce the thesis defended in the first section.
In his Encomium of Helen, Gorgias provides us with a variety of arguments in order to show that Helen was not to be held accountable for having eloped with Paris. The main thesis advanced in this ...article is that these arguments, despite their apparent diversity, are given a unitary structure by the concept of force, and by the analogy that Gorgias estalishes between persuasion, the emotions, and sense-perception on the one hand, and this concept on the other. If this argument is successful, it shows that practically none of our actions are such that we are morally responsible for them. I discuss the cogency of this argument in connection with Aristotle’s objections to it.
Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2005.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 43-46).
Thrombosis is an initiating response to a vascular ...injury, which aids in the repair and remodeling of the vessel wall. However, if this process remains unchecked, occlusion of the arterial lumen may quickly occur. The arterial vascular bed is a delicate and life-sustaining environment, in which a pathological thrombosis can bring about devastating conclusions such as acute vascular syndromes or post-interventional thrombosis. In order to explore these flow-dependent thrombotic reactions, it is essential to consider the physical environment present inside the vasculature. A novel in vitro, high-throughput method for creating one-pass blood flows has been developed to model the arterial environment. Flow is generated in a matrix of small glass tubes with varying inner diameters through the use of a constant pressure drop. Using this technique, a variety of flow rates are created in the numerous tubes, resulting in a variety of flow shear rates. In addition, this technique allows for the monitoring of sensitive, flow-dependent processes without the disturbances from pump action and circuit effects. A detailed discussion about the goals of the proposed systems is included, as well as the methodology employed to choose the optimal flow system, and the process by which the components of the system evolved in design.
(cont.) Finally, tests are formulated in order to explore the issues of biological feasibility, noise, precision, and accuracy related to the proposed system and make to make improvements on the design accordingly.
by Javier Jacobo Echenique.
S.B.
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2007.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 111-114).
Controlled thrombosis initiates and regulates tissue ...repair and remodeling in the vessel wall. Processes from heart attack to stroke, and deep vein thrombosis to pulmonary embolism, are all derived from unrestricted clotting. The frustrating aspects of these diseases lie not only in the difficulty of their timely diagnosis, but in the selection of appropriate therapy, titration of intervention, and identification of patients at risk. Assays like the INR, PTT, and ACT can follow the course of specific pathways that govern activation of specific coagulation factors or platelet function, but they do not provide the insight into mechanism, risk and potential therapeutic benefit. We posit that elucidation of the complex dynamics of clot generation requires an integrated assessment that takes into account all of the factors driving thrombosis simultaneously. Virchow's Triad, has for years been identified as the three critical parameters of clot formation. We propose to examine an individual's clot propensity and response to therapy on minute blood samples, in virtual real time, across a range of flow rates, blood state, and wall conditions with the use of our newly developed in vitro high-throughput testing device.
(cont.) In this manner we will generate a unique thrombotic fingerprint that defines an individual's risk of clotting at a specific point in time over a range of stresses. This fingerprint can aid in tailoring therapeutic clinical treatments, determining the duration and dose of therapy, and assist in clinical trial management and establishment of clinical norms.
by Javier Jacobo Echenique.
S.M.
In his ethical treatises Aristotle offers a rich account of those conditions that render people’s behaviour involuntary, and defines voluntariness on the basis of the absence of these conditions. ...This dissertation has two aims. One is to offer an account of the significance of the notions of involuntariness and voluntariness for Aristotle’s ethical project that satisfactorily explains why he deems it necessary to discuss these notions in his Ethics. My own account of the significance of these notions for Aristotle’s Ethics emerges from my arguments against the two most influential views concerning this significance: I argue that Aristotle’s concern with voluntariness in his Ethics is not (primarily) shaped by a concern with accountability, i.e. with those conditions under which fully mature and healthy rational agents are held accountable or answerable for their actions; nor is it (primarily) shaped by a concern with the conditioning of pain-responsive agents for the sake of socially useful ends that are not, intrinsically, their own. Rather, his concern is with reason-responsive agents (which are not morally accountable agents, nor merely pain-responsive agents) and the conditions for attributing ethically significant behaviour to them. This is what I call ‘ethical ascription’. The second aim of this dissertation is to provide a comprehensive account of those conditions that defeat the ascription of ethically significant pieces of behaviour to reason-responsive agents, and to show the distinctiveness of Aristotle’s views on the nature of these conditions. The conclusions I arrive at in this respect are shaped by the notion of ethical ascription that I develop as a way of reaching the first aim.
In his ethical treatises Aristotle offers a rich account of those conditions that render people’s behaviour involuntary, and defines voluntariness on the basis of the absence of these conditions. ...This dissertation has two aims. One is to offer an account of the significance of the notions of involuntariness and voluntariness for Aristotle’s ethical project that satisfactorily explains why he deems it necessary to discuss these notions in his Ethics. My own account of the significance of these notions for Aristotle’s Ethics emerges from my arguments against the two most influential views concerning this significance: I argue that Aristotle’s concern with voluntariness in his Ethics is not (primarily) shaped by a concern with accountability, i.e. with those conditions under which fully mature and healthy rational agents are held accountable or answerable for their actions; nor is it (primarily) shaped by a concern with the conditioning of pain-responsive agents for the sake of socially useful ends that are not, intrinsically, their own. Rather, his concern is with reason-responsive agents (which are not morally accountable agents, nor merely pain-responsive agents) and the conditions for attributing ethically significant behaviour to them. This is what I call ‘ethical ascription’. The second aim of this dissertation is to provide a comprehensive account of those conditions that defeat the ascription of ethically significant pieces of behaviour to reason-responsive agents, and to show the distinctiveness of Aristotle’s views on the nature of these conditions. The conclusions I arrive at in this respect are shaped by the notion of ethical ascription that I develop as a way of reaching the first aim.
PDF
