西美尔关于现代宗教形而上学重建的构想——从外在的超验对象到内在的生命品性

在"生命"反抗"形式"的现代性文化境遇下,传统宗教也发生了现代转化,即宗教信仰成为宗教生命冲动的表达,这既使"宗教"由外在建构走向活生生的内在的"宗教性"生存,也面临着失去确定的形而上学目标的现代性困境。走出这一困境只能通过一条内在的精神的途径,就是将"灵魂的宗教性存在本身"视为"形而上学的价值",由此跳出主体需要和客体对象之间的二元对立,故而,确立起灵魂存在的形而上学宗教性的自觉意识和内在信仰是宗教现代性重建的关键。     

The Problematics of Human Subjectivity: Gilles Deleuze and the Deweyan Legacy

This article is part of alarger project exploring the continuity betweentwo philosophical positions – that of Frenchpoststructuralist Gilles Deleuze (1925–1995)and John Dewey – that appear at first sight tobe separated by time, place and culture. Thescope of the present paper is necessarilylimited and focuses on one aspect of theproject, namely: the problematics ofsubjectivity, or subject formation, inDeleuze's philosophy. Deleuze's position isestablished as pragmatic by virtue of itssharing the value allotted by Dewey toexperiential and experimental inquiry inphilosophy. By drawing initial parallels with anumber of selected Dewey's excerpts, this paperaims to open up a space for the imaginarydialogue between two philosophical thoughts soas to consider a possibility for applyingDeleuze's philosophy to educational theory andpractice in the context of current debates andin a manner continuous with the Deweyan legacy.The paper concludes by affirming Deleuze'splace in the contemporary scholarship on Dewey.     

The prehistory of sociology: Montesquieu,Vico, and the legal tradition

In this article the history of sociology is set in the context of the European legal tradition, especially that of Roman law and its modern interpretations and transmutations; and Montesquieu and Vico are briefly examined as social thinkers illustrating a kind of paradigm-shift from the old art of law to the new science of society.     

The sociology of sociobiology

This paper turns the tables on the criticisms of sociobiology that stem from a sociological perspective; many of those criticisms lack cogency and coherence in such measure as to demand, in their turn, a psycho‐sociological explanation rather than a rational justification. This thesis, after a brief exposition of the main ideas of sociobiology, is argued in terms of four of the most prominent complaints made against it. Far from embodying tired prejudices about the psychological and sociological implications of biology, sociobiology actually reverses a number of naive assumptions about the consequences of natural selection. I surmise that what really provokes the critics of sociobiology is a certain philosophical relevance of sociobiology both in the broad sense (the application of natural selection principles to behaviour) and in the narrow sense (the insistence on the centrality of certain mechanisms, such as gene selection). In both cases, taking biology seriously affects our philosophical vision of the nature of human beings. At the deepest level, however, the distinction between the level at which rational criteria apply and those where we must have recourse to psycho‐social explanations probably breaks down.     

A happy medium: The sociology of Charles Horton Cooley

The career, teaching, and writing of Charles Horton Cooley (1864–1929), sociologist at the University of Michigan, show that a middle ground between broadly integrative, general knowledge and specialized knowledge prevailed well into the early twentieth century, both at the level of professional social science and within the modern university curriculum. Cooley's social science rested upon introspection and the study of art and literature, and he eschewed the drift of social science toward behaviorism and quantification. As a university professor, he conceived of specialized knowledge within the context of general culture, not in opposition to it.     

Bearers of Transience: Simmel and Heidegger on Death and Immortality

This article reconsiders the relationship between Simmel and Heidegger. Scholars commonly argue that Simmel’s work on the topic of death and mortality influenced the early Heidegger’s work on the same topic, as evidenced in Being and Time. I argue however that Simmel’s work particularly in the Lebensanschauung should be read as challenging the basic presuppositions of Heidegger on death. I then compare the two on the issue of immortality in order to show that Simmel is much closer to the subsequent critics of Heidegger than he is to Heidegger himself.     

The User Interface in Computer-based Selection and Assessment: Applied and Theoretical Problematics of an Evolving Technology

Although its central role in human-computer interaction is recognized by industry, the user interface (UI) has received scant attention in the computer-based testing (CBT) literature. Industrial and European Community ergonomic directives have been established regarding UI design issues, however, which may significantly impact upon CBT. Accordingly, the UI’s CBT role is discussed regarding central CBT/UI constructs and dynamics. On the basis of one CBT UI design issue (here: paging) it is shown that many ergonomic regulatory definitional traps exist for the unwary CBT practitioner and UI designer. Newer UI developments in windowing technology and computer-based UI ergonomic regulation conformance analysis are described. Finally, open issues regarding CBT UI problematics are discussed, showing that, rather than continuing to lead a shadowed existence, the UI is deserving of considerably increased research effort regarding its CBT impact.     

The sociology of the sacred: A conversation with Jeffrey Alexander

Over the past 20 years, Jeffrey C. Alexander has been a leading social theorist and a pioneer of the ‘strong program’ in cultural sociology, which emphasises the significance of cultural structures of meaning for social life. Following an introductory overview of his work, this article records a public conversation with Alexander about the role and significance of the concept of the sacred in his sociological work. Issues addressed in this conversation include situating Alexander's interest in the sacred in his intellectual biography (including his significant intellectual influences), the mistrust of the concept of the sacred within the wider sociological community, the universality of cultural structures of sacred meaning, the limitations of sociological analysis focused on sacred meaning and methodological approaches to the study of the sacred.