On A Different Ground: From Contests Between Monologues To Dialogical Contest

Feeling that they must aim for certainty in their claims, each side presents its version of reality, monologically, simply for acceptance or rejection by the other. In this form of argumentation, one individualistically formulated, systematic, finished version is pitted (in an essentially Neo-Darwinian struggle) against another. By its very nature, such a form of rational argumentation prevents the construction of a shared version of things; it is not dialogical. In attempting to recover what has been rendered rationally-invisible by our modern modes of (monological) reasoning, I first explore the "structures of passion and feeling" (Raymond Williams) embodied in the ways in which people in a community interrelate themselves. Attention to such structures illuminates the nature of argument in a novel, dialogical, light: those who share in such structures do not share in a system of foundational principles or a logical framework, but in a "living tradition" (MacIntyre) or "living ideology" (Billig et al.). Bakhtins concept of the utterance is then explored as the basic unit for understand dialogical communication and argument within such living traditions.     

Review Essay: On Common Ground: World Religions in America

Diana L. Eck and the Pluralism Project at Harvard University, On Common Ground: World Religiions in America     

On Walter Dubislav

This paper outlines the intellectual biography of Walter Dubislav. Besides being a leading member of the Berlin Group headed by Hans Reichenbach, Dubislav played a defining role as well in the Society for Empirical/Scientific Philosophy in Berlin. A student of David Hilbert, Dubislav applied the method of axiomatic to produce original work in logic and formalist philosophy of mathematics. He also introduced the elements of a formalist philosophy of science and addressed more general problems concerning the substantiation of human knowledge. What set Dubislav apart from the other logical empiricists was his expertise in the history of logic and exact philosophy which enabled him to elucidate and advance the thinking in both disciplines. In the realm of logic proper, Dubislav is best known for his pioneering work in theory of definitions. What is more, he did original work on the so called ‘quasi truth-tables’ which aided Reichenbach in developing his logic of probability. Dubislav also elaborated an influential logic of moral statements.     

The Philosophy of Joel Feinberg*

This paper is offered as a tribute to Joel Feinberg. The first section of the paper applies Feinberg’s analysis of freedom of expression to a contemporary case of academic freedom. The second section engages Feinberg’s work on rights and punishment. The paper ends with numerous quotations from Feinberg’s vast array of writings, words that express his ideas on a number of important problems that occupied his mind throughout his fruitful and influential career.     

Feinberg on the Criterion of Moral Personhood

In a very influential paper, Abortion, Joel Feinberg offers a series of arguments against four popular proposals for the criterion of moral personhood and defends a fifth proposal. In this paper, I demonstrate that two widely-accepted arguments employed by Feinberg against the modified species criterion and the strict potentiality criterion, respectively, are unsound. Moreover, I argue that there is a general feature of his inquiry into the criteria for moral personhood which undermines his efforts to argue convincingly either in favour of his own candidate or against other candidates.     

On the Outcomes of Intergroup Apologies: A Review

Governments and political groups around the world are increasingly offering apologies to atone for past injustices. In recent years social psychologists have begun to empirically explore whether these apologies improve intergroup relations. We organize this literature into a framework outlining potential outcomes of intergroup apologies, mediators of those outcomes, and circumstances that allow those outcomes to be realized. Psychologists have focused most of their efforts around the questions of whether and when intergroup apologies elicit forgiveness and foster positive intergroup attitudes. Thus, in addition to outlining the present state of knowledge on intergroup apologies, this framework highlights areas that require further research; most notably, the model makes evident that we know little about what psychological states mediate intergroup apology effects.     

Justice Within Different Borders: A Review of Caney's Global Political Theory

This essay examines the central claim of Caney's book, viz., that there is no reason to treat the global sphere differently from the domestic sphere. It suggests that there is much that is valuable in having relatively autonomous, differentiated political communities, which both versions of Caney's scope argument ignore. This insight is explored via a critical assessment of both versions of Caney's scope argument; version 1, which is focused on civil and political rights (and argues that that they should be universalized) and version 2, which applies to theories of distributive justice (particularly Caney's global equality of opportunity principle).     

基于不同研究取向的应对问卷述评

随着社会的发展,人们现实和精神压力的增大,压力应对方式的研究日益受到广泛重视。研究者们依据不同的理论模型建构了各种应对问卷,此文总结了5种主要的应对研究取向,包括应对过程研究取向、应对特质研究取向、应对认知思维研究取向、应对能力研究取向以及特定情境应对研究取向等,并对相应的问卷做了一个整体的回顾,最后提出了应对研究发展的新方向以及对应对测量工具提出的新要求     

Greenwald提出的内隐联想测验介绍

内隐联想测验(Implicit Association Test,简称IAT)是Greenwald等于1998年提出的一种新的内隐社会认知的研究方法,其采用的是一种计算机化的辨别分类任务,以反应时为指标,通过对概念词和属性词之间的自动化联系的评估进而来对个体的内隐态度等进行间接测量。该文先对内隐联想测验的由来、原理进行了介绍,再从性能及应用两方面对已有的相关研究进行了归纳、整理和论述。最后,通过分析指出该方法符合现代心理测量学的最新发展方向,将有着强大的生命力。     

创造性与环境因素关系的社会心理学理论

本文介绍了关于创造性研究的社会心理学理论,分析了它们对于环境因素影响创造性行为产生的观点,强调了环境因素与创造性行为关系的动机中介作用的思想,在理论分析的基础上提出探索环境影响因素的结构与动机中介的机制是进一步研究创造性行为的方向。