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Research paper thumbnail of The Relationship between Truth, Inference, and the Sciences in Hermeneutic Phenomenology

Studia Phaenomenologica, 2024

This paper seeks to bring together two trends in contemporary phenomenological research: an inves... more This paper seeks to bring together two trends in contemporary phenomenological research: an investigation of the sciences and a re-examination of Martin Heidegger’s understanding of logic and inference. I will do so by examining the foundations of the “just-as” truth found in the sciences, finding that scientific truth claims rest on apophantic speech, the contextual nature of disclosure, and, ultimately, the as-structure of Dasein. This leads to the implication that the laws of inference for the sciences are based on how beings show themselves within a science rather than preceding the sciences. I will finish by showing that this implies logical and scientific pluralism and the rejection of philosophical naturalism.

Research paper thumbnail of Baldwin’s Argument against Merleau-Ponty’s Critique of the Natural Sciences

Research paper thumbnail of The Essences of Objects: Explicating a Theory of Essence in Object-Oriented Ontology

Open Philosophy, 2020

In this paper, I will discuss the need for a theory of essences within Object-Oriented Ontology (... more In this paper, I will discuss the need for a theory of essences within Object-Oriented Ontology (OOO) and then formulate one. I will do so by drawing on Graham Harman's work on OOO and Martin Heidegger's thought on the essence of being, presented in his Introduction to Metaphysics. Harman touches on essences, describing them as the tension between a withdrawn object and its withdrawn qualities, but fails to distinguish between essential and inessential qualities within this framework. To fill in the gaps, I will turn to Heidegger's explication of phusis in order to show that an essential aspect of being is how one enters into causal relations and continually reveals oneself to other beings. In bringing OOO and Heidegger together, I will find that each object has a unique way of exerting itself in the world and that the domestic relations that make up this unique profile are essential to it, while other domestic relations, those that do not influence its particular way of exerting itself, are inessential. Thus, the essence will be found to be the set of domestic relations that make up the determinate form, or unique causal profile, of the object.

Research paper thumbnail of Characterizing Pitting Corrosion Caused by a Long-Term Starving Sulfate-Reducing Bacterium Surviving on Carbon Steel and Effects of Surface Roughness

CORROSION, 2014

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are known as potential promoters for microbiologically influenced... more Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are known as potential promoters for microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). Many researchers have studied the SRB-induced corrosion in the presence of organic nutrients. However, SRB-metabolizable organics are not constantly present in corroding environments. In this study, pitting and weight loss of carbon steel (CS) coupons due to corrosion caused by a SRB culture were examined over a 40-day period after the organic substrate had been exhausted. The extents of pitting corrosion on the polished and unpolished sides of the coupons were also compared to investigate the effect of roughness. The study was done in reactors with constant bubbling of nitrogen to ensure the anoxic condition (verified by the redox indicator resazurin). The surface structure of biofilm was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Pit depth, density, and morphology were examined using infinite focus microscopy (IFM). The SRB, surviving through the 40-day starvation of an organic energy source, caused severe pitting corrosion with a maximum pit depth of 46 µm. On the rougher surface the pitting initiated earlier and reached a much higher pit density. The finding of SRB's ability to cause severe pitting corrosion under the condition of no organic energy source is important to the understanding of SRB activities in corroding environments.

Research paper thumbnail of Severe Pitting Corrosion Caused by a Starving Sulfate-Reducing Bacterium Surviving on Carbon Steel and Effect of Surface Roughness

Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) are known as potential promoters for microbiologically influenced... more Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) are known as potential promoters for microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). Many researchers have studied the SRB-induced corrosion with supplemented organic nutrients. However, many corroding environments do not always contain organic substrates that can be metabolized by SRB. In this study, the pitting and weight loss of carbon steel coupons due to corrosion caused by a SRB culture were examined over a 40-day period after organic substrates had been

Research paper thumbnail of On Realism and the Pessimistic Meta-Induction

In this paper I will discuss the Pessimistic Meta-Induction put forth by Larry Laudan in his pape... more In this paper I will discuss the Pessimistic Meta-Induction put forth by Larry Laudan in his paper A Confutation of Convergent Realism and discuss how it overcomes the No Miracles argument for scientific realism. I will then reconcile these two positions through the theory that scientific terms posit and refer to models of reality that are relevantly similar to how the world is. This paper will begin with a discussion of the No Miracles argument and Pessimistic Meta-Induction, resulting in doubt that scientific terms genuinely refer to objects in the world. In order to overcome the anti-realist position that the Pessimistic Meta-Induction has resulted in, I will then put forth a form of realism that does not rely on the genuine reference of terms. This being that scientific terms refer to models and structures that are relevantly similar to objects in reality. This will be done with a brief discussion in the history of science, particularly with a discussion of the caloric fluid the...

Research paper thumbnail of The Relationship between Truth, Inference, and the Sciences in Hermeneutic Phenomenology

Studia Phaenomenologica, 2024

This paper seeks to bring together two trends in contemporary phenomenological research: an inves... more This paper seeks to bring together two trends in contemporary phenomenological research: an investigation of the sciences and a re-examination of Martin Heidegger’s understanding of logic and inference. I will do so by examining the foundations of the “just-as” truth found in the sciences, finding that scientific truth claims rest on apophantic speech, the contextual nature of disclosure, and, ultimately, the as-structure of Dasein. This leads to the implication that the laws of inference for the sciences are based on how beings show themselves within a science rather than preceding the sciences. I will finish by showing that this implies logical and scientific pluralism and the rejection of philosophical naturalism.

Research paper thumbnail of Baldwin’s Argument against Merleau-Ponty’s Critique of the Natural Sciences

Research paper thumbnail of The Essences of Objects: Explicating a Theory of Essence in Object-Oriented Ontology

Open Philosophy, 2020

In this paper, I will discuss the need for a theory of essences within Object-Oriented Ontology (... more In this paper, I will discuss the need for a theory of essences within Object-Oriented Ontology (OOO) and then formulate one. I will do so by drawing on Graham Harman's work on OOO and Martin Heidegger's thought on the essence of being, presented in his Introduction to Metaphysics. Harman touches on essences, describing them as the tension between a withdrawn object and its withdrawn qualities, but fails to distinguish between essential and inessential qualities within this framework. To fill in the gaps, I will turn to Heidegger's explication of phusis in order to show that an essential aspect of being is how one enters into causal relations and continually reveals oneself to other beings. In bringing OOO and Heidegger together, I will find that each object has a unique way of exerting itself in the world and that the domestic relations that make up this unique profile are essential to it, while other domestic relations, those that do not influence its particular way of exerting itself, are inessential. Thus, the essence will be found to be the set of domestic relations that make up the determinate form, or unique causal profile, of the object.

Research paper thumbnail of Characterizing Pitting Corrosion Caused by a Long-Term Starving Sulfate-Reducing Bacterium Surviving on Carbon Steel and Effects of Surface Roughness

CORROSION, 2014

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are known as potential promoters for microbiologically influenced... more Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are known as potential promoters for microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). Many researchers have studied the SRB-induced corrosion in the presence of organic nutrients. However, SRB-metabolizable organics are not constantly present in corroding environments. In this study, pitting and weight loss of carbon steel (CS) coupons due to corrosion caused by a SRB culture were examined over a 40-day period after the organic substrate had been exhausted. The extents of pitting corrosion on the polished and unpolished sides of the coupons were also compared to investigate the effect of roughness. The study was done in reactors with constant bubbling of nitrogen to ensure the anoxic condition (verified by the redox indicator resazurin). The surface structure of biofilm was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Pit depth, density, and morphology were examined using infinite focus microscopy (IFM). The SRB, surviving through the 40-day starvation of an organic energy source, caused severe pitting corrosion with a maximum pit depth of 46 µm. On the rougher surface the pitting initiated earlier and reached a much higher pit density. The finding of SRB's ability to cause severe pitting corrosion under the condition of no organic energy source is important to the understanding of SRB activities in corroding environments.

Research paper thumbnail of Severe Pitting Corrosion Caused by a Starving Sulfate-Reducing Bacterium Surviving on Carbon Steel and Effect of Surface Roughness

Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) are known as potential promoters for microbiologically influenced... more Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) are known as potential promoters for microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). Many researchers have studied the SRB-induced corrosion with supplemented organic nutrients. However, many corroding environments do not always contain organic substrates that can be metabolized by SRB. In this study, the pitting and weight loss of carbon steel coupons due to corrosion caused by a SRB culture were examined over a 40-day period after organic substrates had been

Research paper thumbnail of On Realism and the Pessimistic Meta-Induction

In this paper I will discuss the Pessimistic Meta-Induction put forth by Larry Laudan in his pape... more In this paper I will discuss the Pessimistic Meta-Induction put forth by Larry Laudan in his paper A Confutation of Convergent Realism and discuss how it overcomes the No Miracles argument for scientific realism. I will then reconcile these two positions through the theory that scientific terms posit and refer to models of reality that are relevantly similar to how the world is. This paper will begin with a discussion of the No Miracles argument and Pessimistic Meta-Induction, resulting in doubt that scientific terms genuinely refer to objects in the world. In order to overcome the anti-realist position that the Pessimistic Meta-Induction has resulted in, I will then put forth a form of realism that does not rely on the genuine reference of terms. This being that scientific terms refer to models and structures that are relevantly similar to objects in reality. This will be done with a brief discussion in the history of science, particularly with a discussion of the caloric fluid the...