The Problem of Evil and the Problem of God

Books reviewed: D. Z. Phillips, The Problem of Evil and the Problem of God (London: SCM Press, 2004). xxiii + 280 , price £19.99 pb.
Reviewed by Patrick Sherry, Lancaster University
Religious Studies Department
Lancaster University
Lancaster LA1 4YG     

The Exclusion Problem Meets the Problem of Many Causes

In this paper I develop a novel response to the exclusion problem. I argue that the nature of the events in the causally complete physical domain raises the “problem of many causes”: there will typically be countless simultaneous low-level physical events in that domain that are causally sufficient for any given high-level physical event (like a window breaking or an arm raising). This shows that even reductive physicalists must admit that the version of the exclusion principle used to pose the exclusion problem against non-reductive physicalism is too strong. The burden is on proponents of the exclusion problem to provide a reason to think that any qualifications placed on the exclusion principle will solve the problem of many causes while ruling out causation by irreducible mental events.     

通货膨胀是价格问题还是货币问题——通货膨胀与物价上涨的概念差异及不同治理策略

通货膨胀首先是货币现象,预示着投入流通的货币量太多。但是在中西方经济学界,却将通货膨胀等同于物价上涨、通货膨胀率等同于物价上涨率。笔者以为这是一种似是而非的认识。通货膨胀与物价上涨既有联系又有区别,治理通货膨胀与控制物价上涨需要采取基本不同的手段。     

No Role of Initial Problem Representation in Insight Problem Solving

The literature on insight problems—problems that supposedly can only be solved by rejection of an initial faulty problem representation and sudden comprehension of another, nonobvious representation (restructuring)—suggests that the size of initial representations affects the very process of problem solving. Large initial representations impose systematic, analytical search, whereas only small representations promote intuitive, associative processes assumed by some theorists to underpin insight. In a group of 353 young healthy participants, 6 previously validated insight problems were applied in either a small or large initial representation variant. Results demonstrated no reliable difference in performance between the problem variants with regard to (a) solution accuracy, (b) self-reported insight accompanying solutions, (c) effects of fatigue, (d) correlations with another 6 small representation-size problems, and (e) correlations with working memory capacity (which were notable). This outcome suggests that the size of initial faulty representation plays no role in insight problem solving process, supporting the account assuming its strong similarity to systematic, analytical problem solving.     

比较应用题的问题表征策略研究

采用2×2×4三因素混合实验设计,对不同年级学生解比较应用题过程中的各种指标进行分析,结果表明:学生解比较应用题时的问题表征策略存在显著的年级差异;数学成绩优生、差生存在不同的问题表征策略;题目呈现方式对学生的问题表征策略有显著影响。     

Problem Parameter and Problem Finding in Art Education

The significance of problem parameters in art education is examined. Problem parameters are delineated by the art instructor in the problem finding stage of the creative process before problem solving occurs. Problem parameters define problems and focus students' creative processes. In the delivery of an assignment, the art teacher presents problem parameters to students and students respond to parameters. A model is proposed illustrating the relationship between the presented problem parameters of art assignments and the creative processes of students. Characteristics of the instructional implementations of parameters are examined: Incomplete Parameters; Overly and Inadequately Restrictive Parameters; and Expanding and Contracting Parameters. Student responses to parameters are explored: Disregarded, Self-imposed, and Stretched Parameters. The implications of the model in art education are discussed.     

Sidgwick's Problem

Henry Sidgwick regarded his failure to reconcile the claims of rational egoism with those of utilitarianism to reveal a fundamental contradiction within practical reason. However, the conflict that concerns him arises only in relation to a particular kind of agent. While Sidgwick construes his version of the problem to be a systematic formulation of a conflict that arises within the practical reasoning of ordinary people, it is actually an example of a worst-case scenario that reflects the common philosophical tendency to deal with issues in their most challenging form. But such a transformation of ordinary conflicts between self-interest and morality into an insoluble philosophical problem obscures the nature of the more typical practical conflict.     

The Problem of Peer Review is the Most Important Philosophical Problem

As philosophers we should have as one of our aims to produce as much philosophical knowledge as possible. A lot of potential philosophical knowledge is lost because of the flaws of the peer review system, and so a lot of philosophical knowledge would be gained were the system improved. Accordingly, as authors we should write papers about how to fix peer review, and as editors we should accept such papers if they are good. This paper presents some familiar problems with peer review, elaborates on and motivates the argument just given, and replies to some objections to it, making the case that fixing peer review is both a philosophical problem and one that admits of a solution.     

The Problem of Consciousness

This paper attempts to begin to answer four questions. 1. What is consciousness? 2. What is the relation of consciousness to the brain? 3. What are some of the features that an empirical theory of consciousness should try to explain? 4. What are some common mistakes to avoid?     

存在论的基本问题

唯名论和实在论之间的较量在整个哲学史上占据着重要地位。由于贝克莱、休谟和康德等人的工作,唯名论在哲学上一直处于主导地位。然而,当唯名论进入语言分析后,在处理不同语境的句子的联合这个存在论的基本问题时,给出了无数的讨论,但仍然无法给出让人接受的解决办法。于是,人们另辟新径、提出了偶态分析。美国哲学家普兰廷伽的偶态分析相当完整地解决了唯名论语言分析所遇到的问题。有意思的是,为了说明全部可能世界的存在意义,普兰廷伽不得不引进基督教的全知上帝概念。把普兰廷伽的偶态观念运用在认识论上,隐含着对恩典概念的引进。我们发现,恩典概念是可操作的,而且对存在论讨论是必要的。