Papers by Bradley Warfield
Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology., 2023
In this paper, I discuss some prominent features of our use of social media and what I think are ... more In this paper, I discuss some prominent features of our use of social media and what I think are its harms. My paper has three main parts. In the first part, I use a dialogical framework to argue that much of the discursive activity online is manifested as an ethically impoverished other-directedness and interactivity. In the second part, I identify and discuss several reasons that help explain why so much of the discursive activity on social media is ethically lacking. And in the final part, I mention some of the effects these discursive practices have on us even when offline. Specifically, I suggest that the persistent use of digital communication technologies trains its users to adopt these problematic online discursive attitudes and activities into their experiences offline, making it more difficult for them to engage with themselves and others in more dialogically ethical ways.
Sophia: International Journal of Philosophy and Traditions, 2019
Dmitri Nikulin is one of the only contemporary philosophers to have devoted books to the topic of... more Dmitri Nikulin is one of the only contemporary philosophers to have devoted books to the topic of dialogue and the dialogical self, especially in the last fifteen years. Yet his work on dialogue and the dialogical has received scant attention by philosophers, and this neglect has hurt the ongoing development of contemporary philosophical work on dialogicality. I want to address this lacuna in contemporary philosophical scholarship on dialogicality and suggest that, although Nikulin's account is no doubt insightful and thought-provoking, it is problematic for two main reasons: first, his account fails to recognize the proper relationship between dialogue and agency; and second, his enumeration of the necessary and sufficient conditions for dialogue contains conceptual inconsistencies.
In this paper I argue that the Heidegger of Being and Time is a dialogist, and ought to be situat... more In this paper I argue that the Heidegger of Being and Time is a dialogist, and ought to be situated in the tradition of other twentieth-century dialogists like Bakhtin and Gadamer. Specifically, I claim that Heidegger's conceptions of the " Being-with, " " discourse, " and " solicitude " of Dasein in BT illustrate his endorsement of a conception of dialogicality. There are three advantages to proposing that Heidegger is a dialogist in BT. First, this paradigm offers a more perspicuous vocabulary for describing the discursive nature of Dasein's Being-in-the-world as a Being-with others. Second, it provides a better way of understanding the normative dimensions of " solicitude. " Lastly, it helps to underscore how Dasein's identity remains social even in the seemingly individualizing moment of becoming authentic.
In this paper I shall show how Heidegger's notions of Dasein's " Being-with " (Mitsein), " discou... more In this paper I shall show how Heidegger's notions of Dasein's " Being-with " (Mitsein), " discourse " (Rede), and " solicitude " (Fursorge) illustrate how he has a conception of the dialogical in Being and Time. There are at least three advantages to proposing that Heidegger is a dialogist in Being and Time. First, this paradigm offers an alternative, and more perspicuous, vocabulary for describing the discursive nature of Dasein's Being-in-the-world as a Being-with others. Second, it provides a better way of recognizing and understanding the normative dimensions of " solicitude. " And third, it helps to underscore the ineliminable sociality of Dasein's understanding of itself and of others, such that its identity remains social even in the seemingly individualizing initial moment of becoming authentic. (118 words)
This dissertation attempts to fill, in part, three lacunae in contemporary philosophical scholars... more This dissertation attempts to fill, in part, three lacunae in contemporary philosophical scholarship: first, the failure to identify the two distinct types of dialogismpsychological and interpersonal-that have been operative in discussions of the dialogical self; second, the lack of acknowledgement of the six most prominent features of interpersonal dialogism; and third, the unwillingness to recognize that interpersonal
Scholars often note how Heidegger's notions of “thrownness” and “historicity” in Being and Time i... more Scholars often note how Heidegger's notions of “thrownness” and “historicity” in Being and Time influence Gadamer's insistence on the centrality of tradition for hermeneutical understanding, and his notions of the “fusion of horizons” and the “hermeneutic circle.” But other aspects of Heidegger's influence on Gadamer have been overlooked. I shall address part of this neglect by arguing that 1) for Gadamer, the nature of game-playing, aesthetic experience, and conversation alike must be understood as truth-revealing or -disclosing events, and 2) Gadamer's notion of play can be understood in much the same way as Heidegger's notion of polemos.
Book Reviews by Bradley Warfield
Teaching Documents by Bradley Warfield
Welcome to Race, Sexuality, and Class! You may call me either Dr. Warfield or Brad. My pronouns a... more Welcome to Race, Sexuality, and Class! You may call me either Dr. Warfield or Brad. My pronouns are he/him/his. You are welcome-though not required, of course-to let me know your pronouns. Please be sure to read the entire syllabus carefully so that you know all the course requirements and expectations. I will respond to student emails within 24 hours. However, if for some reason I have not responded to your email within 48 hours, please send me a follow-up email. If you have any questions about any part of the syllabus, please do not hesitate to ask me. In your correspondence with me, please include which course you are in. Of course, I am also happy to make an appointment with you at another time if my office hours do not work well for your schedule. You may also call me or text me in the case of an emergency. Note on COVID-19 I recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented all of you with many unexpected challenges and perhaps exacerbated pre-existing hardships, economic and otherwise. I know many of you work at least one job, take a high course load each semester, and have significant familial responsibilities, many of which the pandemic may have intensified. Given these realities, while your education in general and this course in particular are very important, our top priority right now should be staying healthy and safe, and doing what we can to help others stay healthy and safe. I will keep this in mind as we progress through the course this semester. With that in mind, I encourage you to let me know if you are facing an especially challenging hardship that affects your ability to fulfill some aspect of the coursework. I will do my best to work with you and help you.
Narrator: "When people think you're dying, they really, really listen to you, instead of just… Ma... more Narrator: "When people think you're dying, they really, really listen to you, instead of just… Marla Singer:-instead of just waiting for their turn to speak?-Fight Club (1999) Chuck Palahniuk and Jim Uhls "Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity."-Simone Weil, First and Last Notebooks "Attention without feeling, I began to learn, is only a report. An openness-an empathy-was necessary if the attention was to matter."-Mary Oliver, Our World "Odysseus, washed up on shore, covered with brine, having nearly drowned, comes upon a human community and one person in particular, Nausicaa, whose beauty simply astonishes him. He has never anywhere seen a face so lovely; he has never anywhere seen anything so lovely. "No, wait," he says, oddly interrupting himself. Something has suddenly entered his mind. Here are the lines:
The self is a relation that relates itself to itself."-Søren Kierkegaard "I came into this world ... more The self is a relation that relates itself to itself."-Søren Kierkegaard "I came into this world anxious to uncover the meaning of things, my soul desirous to be at the origin of the world, and here I am an object among other objects."-Frantz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks "I can't help but feel somewhat like my body marred my soul"-Lana Del Rey, "Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd" "I am often struck by the dangerous narcissism fostered by spiritual rhetoric that pays so much attention to individual self-improvement and so little to the practice of love within the context of community."-bell hooks, All About Love: New Visions "I have faith but don't believe it / It's not there enough to leave it / Everything I love is on the table / Everything I love is out to sea / I have only two emotions / Careful fear and dead devotion / I can't get the balance right / With all my marbles in the fight"-The National, "Don't Swallow the Cap" Welcome Welcome to the Senior Seminar: Philosophy of the Self! You may call me either Dr. Warfield or Brad. My pronouns are he/him/his. You are welcome-though not required, of course-to let me know your pronouns. Please be sure to read the entire syllabus carefully so that you know all the course requirements and expectations. I will respond to student emails within 24 hours. However, if for some reason I have not responded to your email within 48 hours, please send me a follow-up email. If you have any questions about any part of the syllabus, please do not hesitate to ask me. In your correspondence with me, please include which course you are in. Of course, I am also happy to make an appointment with you at another time if my office hours do not work well for your schedule. During my scheduled office hours, you are welcome to stop by for any reason, such as if you have a question or concern or just want to talk. I am happy to meet with you via Zoom, as well. You may also call me or text me in the case of an emergency. Teaching Statement Human being, in general, and education, in particular, are dialogical. They involve speaking with and listening to other people and ourselves. Education, specifically, is a way for one to become a more thoughtful person, a better critical thinker, and more considerate of and caring towards others and oneself. In my teaching, I emphasize the dialogical foundation of learning and invite you to participate in the dialogue that emerges from the course readings and the class discussions. IMPORTANT: Requirements and expectations for responsible technology use in this course Many people do not use digital technology responsibly, which makes us less considerate of and attentive to each other. Our technological devices and their high-definition screens solicit our attention (even when we're not actively using them, and they're only within sight). We often find ourselves not only seduced by
No woman gets an orgasm from shining the kitchen floor."-Betty Friedan "Love is awful. It's awful... more No woman gets an orgasm from shining the kitchen floor."-Betty Friedan "Love is awful. It's awful. It's painful. It's frightening. It makes you doubt yourself, judge yourself. Distance yourself from the other people in your life. Makes you selfish. Makes you creepy. Makes you obsessed with your hair. Makes you cruel. Makes you say and do things you never thought you would do. It's all any of us want, and it's hell when we get there. So no wonder it's something we don't want to do on our own. I was taught if we're born with love, then life is about choosing the right place to put it. People talk about that a lot, it feeling right. 'When it feels right, it's easy.' But I'm not sure that's true. It takes strength to know what's right. And love isn't something that weak people do. Being a romantic takes a hell of a lot of hope. I think what they mean is, when you find somebody that you love, it feels like hope."-The "Hot Priest" from Fleabag, Season Two, written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge "The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing."-Blaise Pascal Welcome Welcome to Philosophy of Love and Sex! You may call me either Dr. Warfield or Brad. My pronouns are he/him/his. You are welcome-though not required, of course-to let me know your pronouns. Please be sure to read the entire syllabus carefully so that you know all the course requirements and expectations. I will respond to student emails within 24 hours. However, if for some reason I have not responded to your email within 48 hours, please send me a follow-up email. If you have any questions about any part of the syllabus, please do not hesitate to ask me. In your correspondence with me, please include which course you are in. Of course, I am also happy to make an appointment with you at another time if my office hours do not work well for your schedule. During my scheduled office hours, you are welcome to stop by for any reason, such as if you have a question, concern, or just want to talk. I am happy to meet with you via Zoom, as well. You may also call me or text me in the case of an emergency. Course Readings All course readings will be available as PDFs in Blackboard.
Welcome to Ethics, Happiness, and the Good Life! You may call me either Dr. Warfield or Brad. My ... more Welcome to Ethics, Happiness, and the Good Life! You may call me either Dr. Warfield or Brad. My pronouns are he/him/his. You are welcome-though not required, of course-to let me know your pronouns. Please be sure to read the entire syllabus carefully so that you know all the course requirements and expectations. I will respond to student emails within 24 hours. However, if for some reason I have not responded to your email within 48 hours, please send me a follow-up email. Please include the course and section number in your email. If you have any questions about any part of the syllabus, please do not hesitate to ask me. Of course, I am also happy to make an appointment with you at another time if my office hours do not work well for your schedule. You may also call me or text me in the case of an emergency. Note on COVID-19 I recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented all of you with many unexpected challenges and perhaps exacerbated pre-existing hardships, economic and otherwise. I know many of you work at least one job, take a high course load each semester, and have significant familial responsibilities, many of which the pandemic may have intensified. Given these realities, while your education in general and this course in particular are very important, our top priority right now should be staying healthy and safe, and doing what we can to help others stay healthy and safe. I will keep this in mind as we progress through the course this semester. With that in mind, I encourage you to let me know if you are facing an especially challenging hardship that affects your ability to fulfill some aspect of the coursework. I will do my best to work with you and help you.
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Papers by Bradley Warfield
Book Reviews by Bradley Warfield
Teaching Documents by Bradley Warfield
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Scholars often note how Heidegger's notions of “thrownness” and “historicity” in Being and Time influence Gadamer's insistence on the centrality of tradition for hermeneutical understanding, and his notions of the “fusion of horizons” and the “hermeneutic circle.” But other aspects of Heidegger's influence on Gadamer have been overlooked. I shall address part of this neglect by arguing that 1) for Gadamer, the nature of game-playing, aesthetic experience, and conversation alike must be understood as truth-revealing or -disclosing events, and 2) Gadamer's notion of play can be understood in much the same way as Heidegger's notion of polemos.
In his most explicit treatment of Mikhail Bakhtin’s conception of the dialogical self, Charles Taylor suggests the endorsement of the latter’s view. On Bakhtin’s view, the dialogical self is composed of multiple, co-existing “voices,” “perspectives,” or “I positions” which remain on equal epistemic footing--and are in continuous dialogue--with one another (i.e., the “thick” version). Contra Taylor’s own claims, I argue that he must be committed to rejecting the Bakhtinian view, and must endorse, instead, a “thin” version of the dialogical self, in which the multiplicity of voices is subsumable, at any time, under a dominant voice. This is because this “thin” version alone is consistent with Taylor’s insistence, in his moral ontology, that for the health of the moral self a single “I position” must dominate the other “I positions,” thereby giving coherence to the relation between one’s moral deliberations and one’s “strong evaluative” moral self.