Millikin student's award-winning paper on 'Passivity' accepted by philosophy journal
Lukas Myers, a senior philosophy major at Millikin University, has been exploring ways to further define and establish a principle of "Passivity" by trying to answer the following question: How do I know that I am not all that exists? This research process led him to crafting a paper titled "Epistemology from Passivity," which centers on criticism of philosophical skepticism.
Myers' undergraduate philosophical research has recently garnered accolades, including being accepted for publication in the next edition of Aporia: an undergraduate Journal of Philosophy published by Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Aporia is published twice yearly: an online edition in the fall, and a print edition in the spring.
"I am extremely excited about the publication. It was obviously a welcome surprise," said Myers, of Taylorville, Ill. "In the paper I attempt to further define and establish a principle of 'Passivity' in response to a thesis of epistemological solipsism. The question I am working on looks something like 'How do I know that I am not all that exists?' To which I invoke the principle of 'Passivity' – I know that there must be something else that exists other than myself, because my experiences are not under my control, I am passive in receiving them."
Myers' work focuses on philosophers from the "Modern" Period, which in philosophy means somewhere between the 16th to the end of the 18th century. His argument is based around the claim that the tools for solving solipsism (a theory that the self is all that can be known to exist) were already contained within the philosophers who worried about it in their respective era: Passivity.
"Lukas' work on his paper is an excellent example of the type of commitment to engaged reflection and thinking that our program seeks to foster in our students," said Dr. Robert Money, professor of philosophy and chair of the Philosophy Department at Millikin.
Myers' inspiration for his paper initially came from a course at Millikin titled Modern Philosophy, led by Dr. Money. He engaged some of the most influential philosophical works in the Western philosophical tradition, including works by Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant. Myers developed his paper as a project that was completely independent of all other course assignments.
"He engaged in the project not because it was required, but because he found the topic interesting and wanted to devote time to thinking seriously about it," said Dr. Money. "Our Department encourages and celebrates this kind of intellectual curiosity and creativity, and all of our faculty provided him with feedback as he worked to develop the paper."
Myers presented his paper at Truman State University's 28th Annual Undergraduate Philosophy and Religion Conference in December 2017, and submitted his paper for Millikin's Humanities Undergraduate Research Forum (HURF) where it was awarded second place.
"I plan to pursue a Ph.D. in Philosophy, and thus I hope for many more repetitions of this process throughout my academic career," said Myers. "This opportunity gives me a chance to learn what the process is like to submit a paper for publication. Additionally, being published allows me to further develop my resume and statement of purpose for graduate school applications."
In addition to his research, Myers was also a member of Millikin's Moot Court team this past spring semester where he received the award for Best Legal Brief at the 2018 Model Illinois Government Moot Court Competition held in Springfield, Ill., March 1-4.
"Lukas' sustained commitment to the development of the paper is exemplary and stands as a model for 'Performance Learning' in philosophy," said Dr. Money.