Psychoanalytic enlightenment and the greening of diplomacy

The author reviews aspects of psychoanalytic theory which have helped him in his career as an American diplomat and political analyst. He cites the works of Erikson (1950, 1968, 1969), Volkan (1979, 1987), and Mack (1979, 1983) as especially helpful, and praises the late Jeanne Knutson, founder of the International Society of Political Psychology, for her work on the psychology of victimhood. The role and function of completed and incomplete mourning are discussed as fundamental aspects of unresolved ethnic and sectarian conflict, and the importance of asking and granting forgiveness in the resolution of violent political conflict is explored. The paper ends with a specific application of the meaning of forgiveness in the relationship between Christians and Jews.     

Information technology from Homer to DENDRAL

To understand the impact which the newly self‐conscious technology of information is likely to have, and to develop that technology effectively, it is necessary to appreciate two previous revolutions in information technology, those which followed the introductions of writing and of printing. Understanding the role which these technologies have in our intellectual lives may help to avoid the misconceptions which are generated by the temptation to think of the instruments of communication as having a life independent of the use to which humans put those artifacts.     

The ethics of secret diplomacy: a contextual approach

Under what conditions is secret diplomacy normatively appropriate? Drawing on pragmatic theories of political and ethical judgement, this paper argues that a three-dimensional contextual approach centred on actors' reasoning process offers an innovative and reliable analytical tool for bridging the ethical gap of secret diplomacy. Using the case of the US extraordinary rendition programme, the paper concludes that secret diplomacy is ethically unjustifiable when actors fail to invoke normatively relevant principles of justification, inappropriately apply them to the context of the case and when the actors' moral reasoning process suffers from deficient levels of critical reflection concerning the broader implications of secret engagements for diplomatic conduct.     

Information technology and quality of work life: Comparing users with non-users

This paper is concerned with the potential future effects of information technology on office-type work and job attitudes. An argument from labour process theory has suggested that such technology will simplify and deskill jobs, thereby reducing the quality of work life. This proposition was explored within several government agencies. Over one hundred users' and nonusers' attitudes concerning information technology's future effects upon their jobs and quality of work life were assessed and compared. Data indicates that respondents did not anticipate uniform deskilling effects in the future. Differences between computer users and nonusers were limited, although significant differences between the two groups did exist for communication, job complexity and accountability/feedback scales. Effects of socio-demographic variables upon attitudes were also assessed and the results suggest that salary, age and education may be responsible for attitude differences that occur within each group. Implications for practitioners and researchers are outlined.The authors would like to thank Nancy Carter, Aaron Cohen, Cathy Kirchmeyer and Richard Long for their insightful comments made on an earlier draft of this paper as well as Brenda McPhail's and Hj Shawyer's editorial assistance. Usual disclaimers apply. Financial support for this research project was provided by the Social Sciences Research Council of Canada, Contract No. 494-86-0003 and by a grant from the Alberta Manpower Program, Contract No. 083080 and the Faculty of Management, The University of Lethbridge. The views expressed in this paper are the author's own and are not necessarily shared by these organizations.At the time this research was conducted the second author was an undergraduate student at the University of Lethbridge.     

Information technology from a knowledge system perspective: Concepts and issues

Studying knowledge utilization and related processes calls for a conceptual framework. We look at the actors that engage in these processes in a specific field of human activity, and the interfaces and linkages between them, as a Knowledge and Information System (KIS). Although this KIS perspective originates from agriculture it also can be applied to other knowledge domains. Evidence gathered shows that for a KIS to be effective the actors (e.g., researchers, extensionalists, and clients) must act synergically. This inspired us to look for basic KIS principles that indicate opportunities for intervention. This article provides a brief state-of-the-art overview, presents some insights gained to date; and states the main issues for the use of information technology in knowledge management.     

Psychological concepts useful in the building of political foundations between nations: Track II diplomacy

There are two phases in the process of negotiating for peace with antagonistic national groups. The leader (or leaders) of one such group will not negotiate with his opposite number until political foundations to support such negotiation are laid down, and obstacles to peace identified and dealt with; at least some measure of success is anticipated by both sides. Accordingly, the first phase requires the building of bridges between those representing opposing nations. The activities in this preliminary phase are sometimes called Track II diplomacy; they differ from those of official or Track I diplomacy. I suggest two kinds of concepts that may be useful in Track II diplomacy, and present them in the hope of initiating further discussion, and exploration of metapsychological underpinnings of each concept. As Mitscherlich (1971) suggested, the psychology of international politics may be better understood if psychoanalysts are willing to engage in interdisciplinary work with others engaged in such endeavors.     

The psalms of lament and the transformation of sorrow

This article explores how the psalms of lament can be used as a resource for pastoral care, and how ultimately they point toward the transformation of sorrow. Relying on Walter Brueggemann's scheme of orientation--disorientation--new orientation as a way to recognize the depth of human experience, the article sees the laments as honest engagement and dialogue with God within a covenantal relationship where hurt and pain are acknowledged rather than denied and avoided. The implications of using the psalms of lament in pastoral care and in Clinical Pastoral Education are discussed.     

Relation of the verbal transformation and the phonemic restoration effects

This study examined the relationship between illusory changes of repeated words (“verbal transformations” or VTs) and illusory presence of phonemes replaced by noise (“phonemic restorations” or PhRs). Separate groups of 20 subjects were each presented with one of four taped variations of the repeated stimulus word “magistrate”: stimulus intact (MAGISTRATE); speech sound “s” removed and replaced with a silent gap (MAGI TRATE); speech sound “s” removed and replaced with a louder extraneous sound (MAGI¹TRATE); syllable “gis” removed and replaced with a louder extraneous sound (MA⁷¹TRATE). The stimuli MAGI¹TRATE and MA⁷¹TRATE evoked PhRs, and with these stimuli, the phonetic changes corresponding to VTs were concentrated at the perceptually restored portions of the word. It is suggested that both PhRs and VTs are related directly to perceptual processes employed normally for the correction of errors and resolution of ambiguities in speech. Other effects of PhRs upon VTs are described and implications of these findings for mechanisms underlying speech perception are discussed.     

Visiting the labyrinth of religious transformation

Understanding the complexity of religious transformation requires empirical contextualized research on the continuous dynamic relationship between formation and transformation. Narrative study in context unveils the implicit meaning of phenomena made explicit in stories. This article, through a biographical case study of a Mennonite woman’s religious journey, explores the complex nature of religious transformation with particular attention to intricate interplay of factors. Critical insights regarding the inseparable relationship between formation and transformation are made clear through an in‐depth examination of lived experience, yielding implications for religious education.     

论《太玄》对《周易》的模仿与改造

<太玄>是模仿<周易>而作,无论是在形式上还是内容上,<太玄>的模仿痕迹都很明显.从性质上看,<太玄>像孟、京易学一样,是一种天人之学.<太玄>的独创性在于体例上采用"三、九"系统;赞辞以生动形象的比喻直接说明事理;<太玄数>所说的筮法仅是扬雄的一个小把戏,没什么实际用途,而他又把五刑、律吕、月令等方面的内容引入<太玄>,以使其也具有"以卜筮者尚其占"的功用.     

Fichte's Creuzer review and the transformation of the free will problem

Fichte's early review of C. A. L. Creuzer's neglected and idiosyncratic skeptical book on free will posed a serious challenge to what at the time was emerging as a consensus Kantian position on the role of free choice (Willkür) in the generation of imputable action. Fichte's review was directed as much against Reinhold's important (and only recently published) letter on freedom of the will as it was against Creuzer himself. In the course of his brief review, Fichte suggests an important recasting of the strategy of the Kantian postulates of rational faith; he poses a dilemma for the Reinholdian understanding of the relationship among an autonomous practical will, a free power of choice, and the actions of natural human organisms; and he hints at a radical reappropriation of the rationalist doctrine of pre‐established harmony in re‐orienting the search for a defensible reconstruction of a broadly Kantian position on the problem of free will.