The fall of the Berlin Wall ushered in a tumultuous period of rebuilding in Berlin’s central district, the Friedrichstadt portion of Mitte, during the 1990s. This article examines the application of the theory of Critical Reconstruction to the rebuilding of the area during this period, while also providing an overview of the political, economic and historical factors that shaped Berlin city planners’ choices. Drawing on case studies from within the Friedrichstadt, I discuss the complex political machinations that led to the adoption of this approach as a guiding principle for Berlin’s reconstruction, and the implications of these choices for the city’s future. [pdf ]

Johannes Kepler’s investigation of the epistemology and ontology surrounding the nature of light bridged the gap between his Lutheran and Neoplatonic foundations and his revolutionary idea of a physical, causal astronomy. Kepler sought to find logically the “true cause” behind the virtus motrix (motive power) that moved the planets and determined their organization. He employed Lutheran regressus reasoning and merged Plotinian-Neoplatonic emanationism with his own empirical observations to form a theory of light, which he legitimized with analogy and exemplum reasoning. Though his observations forced him to reject the Neoplatonic idea of light as a virtus motrix he demonstrated that light and the virtus motrix were two species of the genus of forces that attenuate with distance. These conclusions allowed Kepler to theologically, mystically, and empirically confirm the motion of the planets as the effects of a universal, physical law.   [Article]

What does it mean to own a tattoo? How does the tension between running a business and creating art affect the experience of producing and receiving a tattoo? This project consists of two parts: a written paper and a short documentary film. Based on original research, I explore what ownership means to tattoo artists and tattooed persons, and how this idea of ownership may or may not change when a tattoo is transmitted to film. Several participants conclude that the person who wears the tattoo ultimately owns the tattoo, while others believe all those involved in the experience have a stake in the ownership of their tattoo. While my conclusions are decidedly incomplete, partly a result of the originality of this work, I nevertheless draw attention to the significance of this tension to the way one looks at his or her tattoo after it is completed. I also explore in depth the complexities of using film as a research tool, as well as of conducting “field work” at home. [Article & Link to Video]

Identity, Perception and Economic Behavior

Explaining Persistent Poverty

The dominant ideology regarding poverty in the US is one of individualism. Polls have shown time and again that the majority of people hold the opinion that impoverished individuals and families have the capability as humans to rise out of poverty but are not doing so because of individual failings. While structuralist arguments are also prevalent as a counter-argument, this study intends to analyze what the effects of the internalization of these or any ideology surrounding poverty have on its persistence. By analyzing qualitative data obtained from nine focus group interviews, encompassing three sectors of society in three counties in upstate New York, we have uncovered several underlying attitudinal components that show various understandings of poverty. These understandings, once internalized, feed into the stigma or stereotypes surrounding perceptions of poverty, and have an affect on the behavior of both the affluent and the impoverished. This dichotomy in behavior, which is apparent and observable to all in society, perpetuates the inherent and underlying attitudes that were analyzed in this study and were determined to play a role in the persistence of class distinctions. [Article]

Anti-realism and the Consequences