Youth's Dilemma: To Be or To Become

Youth should be engaged in three basic intellectual and moral activities: (a) selecting life purposes, (b) limiting their concern for immediate satisfaction, and (c) striving to become their highest and best potentiality. Teachers and counselors have a responsibility to aid growth in confronting the dilemmas inherent in these problems.     

How To Extend The Dialogical Approach To Provability Logic

The core ideas of the dialogicalapproach to modal propositional logic are explainedby means of an elementary example. Subsequently,ways of extending this approach to the system G ofso-called provability logic are checked, therebyraising the question whether the dialogician is inneed of shaping his Nichtverzögerungsregel(non-delay-rule), in order to get it sufficiently precise,in different ways for different modal systems.     

To Achieve Sustainability

Having passed the level of sustainability, we now face a depleted planet and the possible extinction of our species. With hunter-gatherer brains we have created a civilization we cannot handle. We must understand what's gone wrong, what's needed for sustainability, and the difficulties we will face achieving it. We need a holistic view of the world and a better understanding of the biosphere and ourselves. We must reorient our economy away from perpetual growth toward meeting needs of humanity within the limitations of the planet. Our conscious mind must take control over the unconscious, and we must become more than what we now are.     

为伪科学正名

读者或许记得,本刊2003年第三期刊登了刘岳松《论科学研究中的斗争哲学》一文。当时我们就感到,刘文之用意,在于鼓励伪科学“坚持,坚持,再坚持”。所以我们同时发了未名《民间科学大突破可以休矣》,并加按语,说明错误的东西不仅不该坚持,而且应该“休矣”。 日前我们又接到刘岳松先生《为伪科学正名》一文。该文并附言质问本刊:“有勇气登吗?！”颇有点叫板骂阵的味道。而我们之所以要登出这篇文章,并不是有什么勇气,而是因为它佐证了我们的感觉,那就是刘先生的确是在为伪科学张目,鼓励伪科学“坚持、坚持、再坚持”。其次,我们也是要告诉读者,科学和伪科学的争论是没有穷期的,科学和无神论的宣传工作应不断提高自己的理论水平,以应对伪科学随时可能进行的挑战。 刘先生此文以“为伪科学正名”为题,却没说清“正名”何意?是正其为“伪”呢,还是证其“不伪”?如证其为“伪”,难道不该反吗?如果“不伪”,又何来为“伪”正名?如果不是由于本刊的特殊性质,此文实在是没有刊登的价值。而且,该文连无限的“永动”和有限的年分(不管是一千、一亿)都分不清;还歪曲对王洪成水变油的批判,讲什么水之“分解”王氏的水变油闹剧过去不到十年,这场斗争就被人如此歪曲、混搅,看来,给后人实事求是地讲点历史,真是必要极     

Habituation To The Reinforcer May Contribute To Multiple-schedule Behavioral Contrast

Habituation to the reinforcer may contribute to multiple-schedule behavioral contrast. According to this argument, reducing reinforcers in one component of a multiple schedule reduces habituation to the reinforcer. Reducing habituation enhances the value, or effectiveness, of the remaining reinforcers, producing positive contrast. Enriching the reinforcers in one component increases habituation to that reinforcer. Increasing habituation decreases the effectiveness of the reinforcer, producing negative contrast. Such an idea is simple and parsimonious. It is not contradicted by any well-established finding in the contrast literature. It makes several tested and untested predictions that are unusual. However, habituation cannot explain all contrast. A complete explanation requires postulating that at least one additional mechanism, controlled by the conditions of reinforcement in the following component, also contributes to contrast.     

测字术解析

测字术在中国古代是一种具有广泛影响的算命术。所谓测字,就是用加减汉字笔画、拆合字体结构的方式附会人事,进而推断祸福凶吉的一种迷信活动。从表面上看,某个人的前程命运或者某件事的凶吉祸福都是从文字中来,实际上并不是那么回事。因为事实上汉字本身并不具备反映凶吉祸福的功能。靠汉字预测人生命运前程的测字只能说是古人不能正确认