Agency,Structure, and Power: An Inquiry into Racism and Resistance for Education

This paper argues that the agency/structure dichotomy thatpredominates in racism discourse is problematic because itobscures how racism is produced and resisted at the local sitesof relations between individuals and between individualsand institutions. Racism permeates social relations,ensured by `knowledge' and guaranteed through self-regulation. Resistance to racism requires arecognition of racism's `local' character. As aresult, educators, particularly in classrooms,play important roles in resistance-practices.     

Racism: Flew's Three Concepts of Racism

ABSTRACT In an article in Encounter, Antony Flew usefully opens up the issue of what racism is by giving three 'concepts': (1) 'unjustified discrimination'; (2) 'heretical belief; and (3) 'institutionalised racism'. He rejects senses (2) and (3) in favour of (1) and finds much 'anti-racism'in fact guilty of it. This article, while benefiting from Flew's account, argues that it basically misconceives and underestimates racism by ignoring its complex ideological (sense 2) and institutional (sense 3) character. In regard to (2) it is argued that we need to distinguish scalar and statistical claims from the binary 'us/them'essentialism characteristic of racism. In regard to (3) it is argued both that affirmative action is required by justice and that it entails 'collateral injustice'as well as consequential uncertainties.     

The Definition of Racism

ABSTRACT This essay considers definitions of racism which emphasise its behavioural, motivational, and cognitive features. The behavioural definition ('the failure to give equal consideration, based on the fact of race alone') is rejected, primarily due to its inability to distinguish between 'true'and 'ordinary'racism. It is the former which is morally most objectionable — and which identifies the essence of the racist attitude and belief. The central part of the essay argues in favour of the motivational approach to the definition ('the infliction of unequal consideration, motivated by the desire to dominate, based on race alone') and clarifies the way in which racism, thus understood, conflicts with the principle of human equality. Finally, the cognitivist definition ('unequal consideration, out of a belief in the inferiority of another race') is also rejected, despite its intuitive appeal. The overall discussion has important implications for moral philosophy. It is shown both that the principle of human equality does not strictly imply equal consideration, and that one may violate the principle of equal perception, yet not deny the principle which, from the perspective of this argument, is the more fundamental element in the principle of human equality, the principle of equal human worth.     

Corruption and Representations of Scholarly Output

In this paper I analyze representations of scholarly output for the purpose of identifying corrupt practices. Accordingly, the components of output—price, quantity, and time—are examined. A key part of the analysis is recognizing the unique role that the scholarly community plays in scholarship and the implications this has for the roles of groups other than the scholarly community. Finally, a survey of students indicates that particular representations of scholarly output are viewed by students as unethical.     

吕祖谦学术渊源略考

吕祖谦(1137—1181),字伯恭,号东莱,婺州人,与朱熹、张栻时称“东南三贤”话闳衔?南宋金华学派的创始人。对于吕祖谦的学术渊源,《宋元学案》认为,“先生文学术业,本于天资,习于家庭,稽诸中原文献之所传,博诸四方师友之所讲,融洽无所偏滞”(《东莱学案》,1653页)。全祖望《同谷三先生书院记》说:“宋乾、淳以后,学派分而为三:朱学也,吕学也,陆学也。三家同时,皆不甚合。朱学以格物致知,陆学以明心,吕学则兼取其长,而复以中原文献之统润色之。”(同上)总的来说,全氏认为吕祖谦之学主要是家传,其次是兼收并蓄,博取融会各家学说。兼取各…     

Formulations of self and family systems

The observations of systemic family therapy and self psychology fit together conceptually because both rest upon systems theory. Underlying assumptions common to both fields of inquiry are reviewed. The concept of the self and its parts is examined, with discussion of its systems properties featuring stability and change. Parallels are noted between healthy self-functioning and healthy family functioning; self-formation processes and family developmental processes; and sense of self and family paradigm. It is suggested that there are isomorphic patterns in these formulations that allow us to switch back and forth easily between the individual and the family. Two clinical case examples are also included.     

Faithful Learning and the Christian Scholarly Vocation

Books reviewed: Henry, Douglas V. and Agee, Bob R., eds., Faithful Learning and the Christian Scholarly Vocation
Reviewed by Laura K. Simmons
George Fox Evangelical Seminary     

Agency and obligation

The purpose of this paper is to explore a new deontic operator for representing what an agent ought to do; the operator is cast against the background of a modal treatment of action developed by Nuel Belnap and Michael Perloff, which itself relies on Arthur Prior's indeterministic tense logic. The analysis developed here of what an agent ought to do is based on a dominance ordering adapted from the decision theoretic study of choice under uncertainty to the present account of action. It is shown that this analysis gives rise to a normal deontic operator, and that the result is superior to an analysis that identifies what an agent ought to do with what it ought to be that the agent does.