Rouse-ing out the Legitimation Project: Scientific Practice and the Problem of Demarcation

This essay critically examines Joseph Rouse's arguments against what he dubs the 'legitimation project', which are the attempts to delimit and justify the scientific enterprise by means of global, 'a priori' principles. Stipulating that a more adequate picture of science can be obtained by viewing it as a continuously transforming pattern of situated activities, Rouse believes that only by refocusing attention upon the actual practice of science can philosophers begin to detach themselves from the irresolvable epistemological problems that have remained the primary byproduct of the traditional philosophical approach. On closer inspection, however, Rouse's project appears susceptible to the criticism that it is either too relativistic to do the work he envisioned for it, or that it participates in the very same legitimation venture that it was intended to replace (in addition to its own brand of metaphysical/epistemological problems). This unexpected outcome, moreover, suggests that such legitimation projects may be an integral component of the very practice of science, contrary to Rouse's estimate.     

Huygens' Center-of-Mass Space-Time Reference Frame: Constructing a Cartesian Dynamics in The Wake of Newton's “De gravitatione” Argument

This paper explores the possibility of constructing a Cartesian space-time that can resolve the dilemma posed by a famous argument from Newton's early essay, De gravitatione. In particular, Huygens' concept of a center-of-mass reference frame is utilized in an attempt to reconcile Descartes' relationalist theory of space and motion with both the Cartesian analysis of bodily impact and conservation law for quantity of motion. After presenting a modern formulation of a Cartesian space-time employing Huygens' frames, a series of Newtonian counter-replies are developed in order to estimate the viability of this relationalist project.     

Repercussions of Mortgage Foreclosure: Loss of Place Attachment,Adult Roles,and Trust

Clients coping with mortgage foreclosure suffer from multiple losses, including the loss of placement attachment, neighborhood, and trust in organizations. These losses can result in depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and complicated grief. Counselors can enhance treatment by integrating organizational role and attachment theory.     

Spacetime,Ontology, and Structural Realism

This essay explores the possibility of constructing a structural realist interpretation of spacetime theories that can resolve the ontological debate between substantivalists and relationists. Drawing on various structuralist approaches in the philosophy of mathematics, as well as on the theoretical complexities of general relativity, our investigation will reveal that a structuralist approach can be beneficial to the spacetime theorist as a means of deflating some of the ontological disputes regarding similarly structured spacetimes.