Once in a while I have a thought pop into my head.  When I do, there's a good chance that I will develop the need to discuss the thought with others.  Whether this discourse be realizes itself through the written or the verbal, it is the interaction - the debate - that makes it all worthwhile.  Below are a few of my papers on various philosophic topics.  Soon I will expand upon this collection to include less formal musings - just give me time, I'll think of something.

Life, Death, and Participation

The final paper of my undergraduate career.  This is an attempt to provide a close and careful study of the concept and practices of participation, as well as some of the limits imposed on participation.  The problem will be addressed by utilizing selected works of Luce Irigaray, as they pertain to participation in life a sexed identity and Jacques Derrida, as they address his ethic of mourning and methods by which one ought to participate in the death of the other.

Omnipotent or Obtrusive?: A Discourse on the Role and Existence of God

In today’s increasingly secular society, a number of Descartes' arguments come under close scrutiny as his ideas are closely tied to God and, in some cases, rely entirely on God’s existence.  In this discussion on the issue, God's role in the Meditations and the Principles will be outlined, identifying the faults in Descartes' reasoning regarding the existence of God, and offering alternative ideas as to how Descartes' central arguments could remain intact even with the exclusion of God.