Wolfgang Köhler and Gestalt theory: an English translation of Köhler's Introduction to die physischen Gestalten for Philosophers and Biologists

This article presents an English translation (from the German) of one of gestalt psychology's most significant documents, first published in 1920 in Wolfgang Kohler's Die physischen Gestalten in Ruhe und im stationdren Zustand (The Physical Gestalten at Rest and in a Stationary State). The book it introduces both embodies Kohler's extension of gestalt theory into new domains and did much to ensure the broad impact of these ideas and approaches. This introduction itself well illustrates Kohler's own thought processes both as his ideas emerged and as he sought to convince his readers of their value. Despite the fact that they are more than 70 years old, Kohler's words have many implications for late 20th century discussions of the relationships among psychology, physiology, and physics.     

I. Frege and the rise of analytic philosophy∗

Since the beginning of the ‘eighties of the present century, a circle of relatively young American sociologists who are followers of Jeffrey Alexander are making energetic and spectacular efforts to supply sociology with a uniform and comprehensive theoretical framework by continuing Talcott Parsons' lifework. The present article is an appreciation of Alexander's achievements in the justification of a general sociological theory (especially a theory of action and social order) while pointing to objections that can be raised against the character of his theory. A scrutiny of Alexander's metatheoretical deliberations and of his interpretations of sociological classics such as Marx, Durkheim, Weber, and Parsons reveals that Alexander's metatheoretical frame is not flexible enough to actually reconstruct the problem situation of the classics. Pointers are given toward a theory of action that is not subject to the antinomy of utilitarianism and normativism, so that it is more adequate and appropriate to the heritage of the sociological classics, both from a theoretical and an interpretative angle.     

Temporal alethic–deontic logic and semantic tableaux

The purpose of this paper is to describe a set of temporal alethic–deontic systems, i.e. systems that include temporal, alethic and deontic operators. All in all we will consider 2,147,483,648 systems. All systems are described both semantically and proof theoretically. We use a kind of possible world semantics, inspired by the so-called T × W semantics, to characterize our systems semantically and semantic tableaux to characterize them proof theoretically. We also show that all systems are sound and complete with respect to their semantics.     

Körperinszenierungen

Zusammenfassung Formen zeitgenössischen Körperagierens in der Adoleszenz, wie besondere Haartracht (Punkfrisuren), Tätowierungen und Piercings, sowie pathologische Körpermanipulationen, wie Selbstverletzung und Essstörungen, haben eine auffallende Ähnlichkeit bzw. gehen parallel mit den Körperritualen der sog. Naturvölker, teilweise auch mit denen unseres eigenen Kulturkreises. Bei aller Ähnlichkeit sind jedoch drei in ihrem Wesen verschiedene Formen zu unterscheiden: 1. Die gesellschaftskonformen Körperpraktiken, die der Tradition einer sozialen Gruppe entsprechen und öffentlich-rituell Identitätsschritte in der menschlichen Entwicklung markieren (insbesondere Initiation in der Adoleszenz), wie wir es bei den Naturvölkern und in Rudimenten in unserer Kultur finden. 2. Die Benutzung des eigenen Körpers, um sich als Adoleszenter meist in Peer-Groups provozierend und rebellierend gegen überkommene Traditionen abzugrenzen; hier wird am Körper eine passagere Gegenidentifikation markiert, die gerade nicht den überkommenen Traditionen entspricht, jedoch wieder verlassen wird und in eine reife Erwachsenenidentität übergeht. 3. Die pathologischen Formen des Körperagierens dagegen bedeuten Entwicklungsstillstand und Arretierung der Identitätsentwicklung; sie müssen (wie eine Sucht) ständig wiederholt werden, um eine prekäre Ersatzidentität aufrechtzuerhalten, weil die Entwicklung einer autonomen Identität mit psychosenaher Trennungsangst verbunden wäre. Nur Menschen manipulieren derart ihren Körper, und zwar seit Menschengedenken, als ob der Mensch ständig symbolisch die Natur beherrschen müsste, wie auch sonst die natürliche Umwelt, in mehr oder weniger harmloser bzw. destruktiver Form, und der Körper ist der ihm nächste Teil der Natur.

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Body enactmentsOn parallels between body acting of primitive cultures, contemporary adolescents and pathologic forms

There are obvious parallels between contemporary body acting of adolescents such as the manner of wearing ones hair, using tattoos and piercings, as well as some kinds of pathologic body manipulation (like self-inflicting or eating disorders), and ritual body performances of the so-called primitive or savage cultures. But in part there are also parallels with ubiquituous body activities in our culture. In this paper three groups of body-acting are distinguished: 1. In conformity to social rules traditional body practices are marking steps of identity development, for example rites of initiation in primitive cultures and rudimentary ceremonies in our culture. 2. Ones own body is used to define oneself in adolescence rebelliously against social traditions. Such unconventional body-acting occurs in peer-groups and is seen as a passagère phenomenon in average identity development. 3. Pathologic forms of self destructive body-acting signify a cessation of development. In an addiction-like repetition they build up a precarious identity surrogate, because arriving at an autonomous identity would be connected with psychotic separation anxiety. Only human beings are able to treat their bodies (in normality and pathology), as if humans are constantly compelled to dominate nature symbolically in every moment, and their bodies are the nearest part of nature to them.

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Erweiterte Fassung dreier Vorträge: Psychotherapietage NRW, 1. Nov. 2002, Bad Salzuflen; Symposium der Wissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft Freiberg der Arbeitskreise für Psychoanalyse in Österreich, Salzburg, März 2003; Fachtagung der Vereinigung Ostschweizer Psychotherapeutinnen und Psychotherapeuten, St. Gallen, September 2003.     

König's Infinity Lemma and Beth's Tree Theorem

König, D. [1926. ‘Sur les correspondances multivoques des ensembles’, Fundamenta Mathematica, 8, 114–34] includes a result subsequently called König's Infinity Lemma. Konig, D. [1927. ‘Über eine Schlussweise aus dem Endlichen ins Unendliche’, Acta Litterarum ac Scientiarum, Szeged, 3, 121–30] includes a graph theoretic formulation: an infinite, locally finite and connected (undirected) graph includes an infinite path. Contemporary applications of the infinity lemma in logic frequently refer to a consequence of the infinity lemma: an infinite, locally finite (undirected) tree with a root has a infinite branch. This tree lemma can be traced to [Beth, E. W. 1955. ‘Semantic entailment and formal derivability’, Mededelingen der Kon. Ned. Akad. v. Wet., new series 18, 13, 309–42]. It is argued that Beth independently discovered the tree lemma in the early 1950s and that it was later recognized among logicians that Beth's result was a consequence of the infinity lemma. The equivalence of these lemmas is an easy consequence of a well known result in graph theory: every connected, locally finite graph has among its partial subgraphs a spanning tree.     

Revisiting Wittgenstein on Köhler and Gestalt psychology

In an article in this journal, Nicholas Pastore rejected Ludwig Wittgenstein's critique of Wolfgang K?hler and Gestalt psychology. Pastore appears not to have appreciated Wittgenstein's argument that K?hler mistook conceptual questions for factual ones. A simi-lar confusion seems to underlie at least some aspects of contemporary neuroscience. Be that as it may, Wittgenstein has had minimal influence on the research practices of psychologists while K?hler remains influential. This outcome would not have surprised Wittgenstein, who predicted that scientists would not see his work as relevant to theirs.     

Husserl’s philosophy of mathematics: its origin and relevance

This paper offers an exposition of Husserl's mature philosophy of mathematics, expounded for the first time in Logische Untersuchungen and maintained without any essential change throughout the rest of his life. It is shown that Husserl's views on mathematics were strongly influenced by Riemann, and had clear affinities with the much later Bourbaki school.

‘Mr K’ – A successful case of analytic oriented therapy documented empirically: the role of the therapeutic relationship and reflexive self-awareness

A successful case of analytic treatment over the course of 250 sessions is described from different perspectives, including considerations from the two-year follow-up. The therapeutic alliance and the patient’s experiencing were evaluated. Pre-treatment diagnosis was validated via diagnostic interview. Symptoms and interpersonal problems were assessed at intervals. Data were analysed using two different time-series analyses. Aspects of agency with regard to mentalizing capacity were assessed with the Metacognitive Assessment Scale. We obtained the following main results: (1) Symptoms and interpersonal problems improved continuously until the end of treatment. Symptom severity fell to below the clinical cut-off. This successful outcome remained stable at the two-year follow-up. (2) The therapeutic relationship improved during the therapeutic process. (3) The patient’s capability for reflexive self-awareness, operationalized as experiencing, decreased. (4) The metacognitive mastery of the patient increased. The following conclusions were made after combining the empirical data with the clinical observations: (1) Mr K improved clinically in terms of symptoms, self-regulation and interpersonal problems as a result of his gaining affect control. (2) The patient’s experiencing does not capture a positive outcome in all cases. (3) Aspects of agency (i.e. metacognitive mastery) deserve further attention in psychoanalytic treatments.     

Supernaturalist analytic existentialism: Critical notice of Clifford Williams’ Religion and the meaning of life

International Journal for Philosophy of Religion - In this critical notice of Clifford Williams’ Religion and the meaning of life, I focus on his argumentation in favour of the moderate...     

Pavlovvs. Köhler

During the 1920s, I. P. Pavlov’s scholarly interests broadened to consider problem-solving. Distrusting Wolfgang Köhler’s Gestalt explanation of the problemsolving process and its interspecies aspects, Pavlov performed, from 1933 to 1936, a number of experiments, including a replication of Köhler’s building experiment, using chimpanzees as subjects. Confirming Köhler’s findings, Pavlov explained the problemsolving process in terms of unconditional reflexes and the establishment, by Pavlovian conditioning and the Thorndikian method of trial and error, of temporary neural connections identical, on the psychological level, to associations. In contrast to Köhler’s “structural” explanation, Pavlov emphasized the processes of analysis and synthesis. According to Pavlov insight is achieved progressively—as the result of the organism’s problem-solving behavior—contradicting Köhler’s thesis of a sudden subjective reorganization of the environmental situation. Pavlov explained interspecies differences among higher organisms in terms of the range of a species behavior, with the second signal system as the main distinguishing characteristic between human and nonhuman species.     

Which of the fallacies are fallacies of relevance?

This paper looks around among the major traditional fallacies — centering mainly around the so-called gang of eighteen — to discuss which of them should properly be classified as fallacies of relevance. The paper argues that four of these fallacies are fallacies primarily because they are failures of relevance in argumentation, while others are fallacies in a way that is more peripherally related to failures of relevance. Still others have an even more tangential relation to failures of relevance. This paper is part of a larger research project on dialecical relevance in argumentative discourse, currently underway in collaboration with Frans van Eemeren and Rob Grootendorst.     

Out of Sight,Out of Time? A Meta‐analytic Investigation of Procrastination and Time Perspective

Recent theory suggests that trait procrastination is a form of temporal self‐regulation failure that reflects a disjunction between the present and future self. Yet research to date is sparse and inconsistent regarding the nature of the associations of procrastination with time perspective. The current study aimed to meta‐analytically summarize the evidence to date to address the question of how procrastination is linked to future and present time perspective, and to test whether stress and positive affect explained the link between procrastination and future time perspective. A search of the available literature yielded six published studies and three unpublished studies, which were combined with five unpublished data sets for a total of 14 samples with 4312 participants. The meta‐analysis revealed that procrastination had a moderate and significant negative association with future time perspective, and a small but significant positive association with present time perspective. Mediation analyses across two of the samples found that high stress and low positive affect explained in part the association between procrastination and future time perspective. Overall, these findings support the notion that procrastinators focus less on the future and highlight the dynamic interrelations of affect and cognition that underlie procrastinators' intertemporal choices. Copyright © 2014 European Association of Personality Psychology