Speciesism as a Moral Heuristic

In the last decade, the study of moral heuristics has gained in importance. I argue that we can consider speciesism as a moral heuristic: an intuitive rule of thumb that substitutes a target attribute (that is difficult to detect, e.g. “having rationality”) for a heuristic attribute (that is easier to detect, e.g. “looking like a human being”). This speciesism heuristic misfires when applied to some atypical humans such as the mentally disabled, giving them rights although they lack rationality. But I argue that it is not necessarily irrational or inconsistent to hold on to this heuristic rule, because we have to take time and knowledge constraints, uncertainty aversion and emotional costs into account. However, this “heuristic defense” of speciesism uses a target attribute (rationality) that has implications of disrespect towards some atypical humans. Therefore, based on notions of impartiality and compassion, I argue for a morally better target attribute: sentience (“having a sense of well-being”). “Being a vertebrate” is suitable as a corresponding heuristic attribute because it is easy to detect and has a strong correlation with the target attribute of sentience.     

Useful resolution for picture perception as a function of eccentricity

Observers inspected for different lengths of time pictures which contained high-resolution information within an eye-contingent viewing window and low-resolution information outside the area of that window. A recognition test followed in which the pictures inspected were presented together with other, distractor, pictures. The time required to reach 75% picture recognition (the criterion study time) was determined as a function of window size and degree of completeness of video sampling of information outside the window. For each level of information sampling density, criterion study time decreased as window size increased up to a critical size, and then remained approximately constant beyond this size. From these critical-window sizes, a function which describes the resolution actually used by the visual system at each eccentricity (the useful-resolution function) was obtained and this decreased monotonically with eccentricity. The useful resolution at each eccentricity was coarser than the resolution available at that eccentricity as determined by visual acuity, suggesting that useful resolution is not limited by visual acuity. The relationship between useful resolution and saccade length was also analyzed.     

Heuristic research as a vehicle for personal and professional development

This paper reports one aspect of a more extensive narrative inquiry into how two counsellors experienced their involvement in heuristic research and the contribution it made to their personal development. The paper is located within stories of Becoming a Reflexive Researcher: Using Our Selves in Research (2004) and shows how reflexive conversations enabled participants to co‐construct meaning and create what Rosanna Hertz called ‘reflexive knowledge’ (1996).     

Open-Mindedness as a Critical Virtue

This paper proposes to examine Daniel Cohen’s recent attempt to apply virtues to argumentation theory, with special attention given to his explication of how open-mindedness can be regarded as an argumentational or critical virtue. It is argued that his analysis involves a contentious claim about open-mindedness as an epistemic virtue, which generates a tension for agents who are simultaneously both an arguer and a knower (or who strive to be both). I contend that this tension can be eased or resolved by clarifying the nature of open-mindedness and by construing open-mindedness in terms of its function. Specifically, a willingness to take a novel viewpoint seriously is sufficient for making open-mindedness both an epistemic and a critical virtue.     

Care as a Basis for Radical Political Judgments

The best framework for moral and political thought is the one that creates the best climate for good political judgments. I argue that universalistic theories of justice fall short in this regard because they cannot distinguish idealization from abstraction. After describing how an ethic of care guides judgments, I suggest the practical effects that make this approach preferable. The ethic of care includes more aspects of human life in making political judgments.     

Theorizing Critical Placemaking as a Tool for Reclaiming Public Space

As economic inequality and segregation continue to grow in the U.S., psychology has an important role to play in exploring and promoting processes that can disrupt social injustice. This paper identifies the privatization of public space as a social problem that contributes to the entrenchment of social, economic, and racial inequality, and advances “critical placemaking” as a tool for reclaiming public space for public use. Drawing from key concepts in environmental psychology, narrative psychology, and community psychology, the proposed framework seeks to theorize the processes by which placemaking may contribute to transforming community narratives and building more inclusive, participatory, and democratic communities. Policy implications and future directions for empirical work are discussed.     

Critical Theory as a Legacy of Post-Kantianism

This paper traces some lines of influence between post-Kantianism and Critical Theory. In the first part of the paper, we discuss Fichte and Hegel; in the second, we discuss Horkheimer, Adorno, and Honneth.     

前景理论在重症医学临床决策中的应用

临床决策是每一个医生每天面临的工作,正确的临床决策不仅可以带给患者较好的结果,同时也可以让医生与患者及家属沟通更加良好。本文首先论述了重症医学的临床决策特点,每一个救治方案的收益与损失的权衡不仅仅是取决于患者病情,而且与决策者的风险偏好有明显关系。为了更好地解决这个问题,把诺贝尔奖获奖者丹尼尔的前景理论引入到重症患者的...     

作为一种实在论的批判的语境经验主义

批判的语境经验主义将社会和规范方面融入对科学的理解中,实践实在论也使文化和规范方面在理解科学时发挥重要作用。对二者的比较分析表明,前者可作为实在论的一种形式。二者的结合可发展出"多元社会实在论"这一新的实在论形式。在讨论了地图类比、目标导向的经验主义对不充分决定性问题的分析之后,通过借助海伦·朗基诺的最近研究可得出,多元社会实在论尽管可能,但由于缺乏上帝视角,它在为不充分决定性问题提供决定性解决方案时并不乐观。     

重症医生培养新模式：交叉查房

重症患者病情复杂多变,临床医生面临诸多不确定性。不断改善临床思维模式,提高处理临床问题的判断力和决策力,是青年重症医生成长中亟待解决的问题。传统的查房模式在此方面作用有限。为此,探索了一种新的模式—交叉查房。交叉查房是对传统教学查房模式的拓展,由一线医生扮演上级医师的角色承担查房任务,上级医师扮演评价者的角色,对查房的整体过程和关键环节进行把关、纠错和补充,查房结束后通过量化指标对查房效果进行评估。交叉查房作为一种新的训练工具,能有效提高查房质量,是一种值得推广的教学查房模式。

     

Examining Applicants' Attributions for Withdrawal From a Selection Procedure

This study applied the attribution framework described by Weiner (1986) to understand the psychological reasons applicants withdrew from a police officer selection process, as well as the consequences of their attributions for withdrawal. Individuals ( n = 196) who withdrew from the selection process were contacted and were asked to indicate their primary reason for withdrawal; and then rated this reason on locus, stability, and controllability dimensions. They also reported future application expectancies. Results indicate minority and female applicants appeared to indicate different reasons for withdrawing than did White and male applicants. Finally, race and controllability interacted in the prediction of reapplication expectancies, such that the relationship between expectancies and controllability was negative for White applicants and positive for minority applicants.     

重症医学科医生心理健康的损害及其调控策略

重症医学科医生由于工作对象及工作环境的特殊性,心理健康容易遭受损害。从目前重症医学科医生心理健康损害的现状入手,陈述其心理健康损害的具体表现,分析产生其心理健康问题的常见原因,并从多个角度提出了解决其不良心理健康问题的调控策略。     

The Nature and Meaning of the Near-Death Experience for Patients and Critical Care Nurses

This study was designed to develop a conceptual framework for the near-death experience (NDE), reflecting its nature and meaning for the patient and the critical care nurse. The study used naturalistic inquiry to examine the question: What is the nature and meaning of an NDE and how has it influenced the individual's view of the self, the future, and feelings and beliefs about life and death? The NDE Scale (Greyson, 1983) was used with patients and semi-structured interview guides were used with both nurses and patients to explore the NDE from a comprehensive perspective. An NDE was defined as the report of “unusual” recollections associated with a period of unconsciousness during either serious illness or injury, or resuscitation from a cardiac or respiratory arrest. The sample included 12 patients who experienced an NDE and 19 nurses who cared for patients who experienced NDEs. This study highlighted the emotional aspects of the NDE. Patients described how the NDE transformed their lives and nurses reported how their experiences with patients changed them personally and professionally.