Abstract: Despite, or perhaps because of, the enormous changes wrought upon social, economic, and political life by digital technology, there has been relatively little work done on a political theory of the digital. Thinkers who are engaging with the political dimensions of digital technology often end up framing the changes resulting from the digitization of life as a “reontologization” that results in a “denatured ontology”. Given the emergence of the “internet of things” one could even suggest that political theorists trying to grapple with digital technology should seek guidance from object oriented ontology or new materialist thinkers. However, the triadic relationship between politics, technology, and ontology is less than clear, and the turn toward, and then away from, political ontology has done little to provide clarity moving forward. In this paper I assess the value and limits of an ontological approach to a political theory of digital technology. First, I question the accuracy of claims emanating from new media scholars that digital technologies are ontologically transformative. Second, I argue that, if we accept the correctness of such descriptions, we would require a wholly new approach to political subjectivity, one that a digital ontology itself can’t provide. I suggest that, in examining the political effects of new media, ontology may be of less utility as a conceptual framework than the philosophy of language.

Paper / Communication

Abstract: "Inspired by Aristotle’s dictum that “no one would choose to possess every good in the world on condition of becoming someone else,” (Ethics, 1166a) this paper analyzes transhumanist conceptions of identity, highlighting questions regarding continuity of the self. Affirming “the possibility and desirability of fundamentally improving the human condition through applied reason,” (Transhumanist FAQ) the transhumanist account of progress implies the existence of a stable component of the self that will persist throughout radical physiological change. However, the nature of this “stable self” has received little commentary in the writings of prominent transhumanists. This paper has three objectives: (1) To show that the transhumanist project necessitates this stable component of the self. In other words, that the project becomes incoherent if the “stable self” cannot be established. (2) To show that, although examples from the literature make passing reference to this issue, serious questions remain concerning who or what might survive the radical enhancements advocated by transhumanists. And (3) to argue that, although the aims of transhumanism seem extreme (“uploading” consciousness, for example), many of their objectives are not so far removed from popular sentiments regarding the promise of biotechnologies; and that, as a result, this analysis may help inform contemporary debates surrounding medical biotechnology."

Paper / Communication

Abstract: "This paper is a study and defense of natural right in the face of the greatest challenge posed to it by modernity. The 20th century saw renewed interest in classical political philosophy (Grant, MacIntyre, Arendt, etc.). However, this revival has been tempered by skepticism regarding the extent to which classical thought could adequately speak to the modern world. One of the reasons for this reticence is the belief that natural right, a central teaching of classical political philosophy, has been scientifically disproved. Modern physics, which for my purpose can be summed up as the belief that the world consists solely of matter in motion, is often thought to empirically disprove ancient theories regarding teleology and natural purposes. This paper will make a necessary first step towards refuting this popular belief by exploring the role that conceptions of scientific inquiry play in what counts as scientific knowledge. It will argue that rather than being an empirical claim, natural right is the culmination of Aristotelian investigation into nature, which sought the ultimate causes of a thing, not simply whatever could be observed and quantified. To this end, the majority of the paper will be an interpretation of the first 2 books of Aristotle’s Physics. It will close with a brief comparison to the early modern conception of scientific inquiry, in order to highlight the reasons why it is usually thought to have disproved natural right. Keywords: natural right, teleology, Aristotle, science"

Paper / Communication