Semantical Anthropology1

The association between the smell and the bacon is ".natural"., that is to say it is not the result of any human behavhior. But the association between the word ".breakfast". and breakfast is a social matter, which exists only for English speaking people.—B. Russell, ".An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth".     

THE LEGALIST SCHOOL1 AND LEGAL POSITIVISM2

Law is the authoritative principle for the people and is the basis of government; it is what shapes the people.
The Book of Lord Shang, Chap. V, Par. 26.
If the people be led by laws and controlled by punishments, they will try to evade them but have no sense of shame. If they be led by virtue and controlled by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of shame and will moreover attain character.
Analects, book ii, Chap. iii
Lcgge, Vol. 1. p. 146     

Whither Multiculturalism?2

The ideal of multiculturalism has been upheld as a solution to intolerance, prejudice, and intergroup conflict. "Integration", rather than "assimilation", is in turn proposed to be the social-psychological (as well as political) mechanism leading to multiculturalism. Berry is one of the foremost proponents of this view, as elaborated in the lead article. He notes that host society attitudes (towards immigrants) should be taken into consideration but nevertheless claims that integration is the best acculturation strategy even in assimilationist contexts. Although this view is supported by some research, quoted by Berry, it may be positing the necessary but not the sufficient conditions for attaining intergroup harmony. Indeed, if other crucial measures are not taken, unexpected opposite results may ensue, as evidenced by recent ethnic/religious conflict all over the world, including the industrialised West.     

BROWN ON SELF-KNOWLEDGE AND DISCRIMINABILITY1

Abstract:  In her recent book Anti-Individualism and Knowledge , Jessica Brown has presented a novel answer to the self-knowledge 'achievement problem' facing the proponent of anti-individualism. She argues that her answer is to be preferred to the traditional answer (based on Burge, 1988a). Here I present three objections to the claim that her proposed answer is to be preferred. The significance of these objections lies in what they tell us about the nature of the sort of knowledge that is in dispute. Perhaps the most important lesson I draw from this discussion is that, given the nature of knowledge of one's own thoughts, discriminability (from relevant alternatives) is not a condition on knowledge as such.     

REMOVING VEILS OF IGNORANCE1

For more than two millennia the development of philosophy in what is called the West has been the province of men who trace their intellectual heritage to (some) men in ancient Greece. Within “the development of philosophy” I include the training of philosophers as well as publishing and preserving philosophical work in libraries. Thus I regard philosophy as a very material as well as spiritual enterprise. My focus here is on the spiritual impact, actual and potential, of recent changes in the material base of philosophy and the material impact of recent changes in the spiritual focus of philosophers. Before the Twentieth Century, the most significant transitions in the development of Western philosophy were its coming under the domination of Christian religious institutions and then its becoming relatively freed from such domination. Since the advent of the Twentieth Century, the most significant transitions may come from the increasing access to academic institutions of the middle and working classes, of people of color with histories of oppression by white societies, and of women from all classes and ethnic backgrounds—people who do not always or only trace their intellectual heritages to men of ancient Greece. What differences might these changes make to, and call for in, the development of philosophy? What I have thought about most are differences made by women and differences that have drawn in women to academic philosophy in Western democracies, such as the United States. Twentieth Century women in these contexts have published substantial bodies of philosophical inquiry with feminist agendas (both philosophy of feminism and philosophy manifesting feminist perspectives in ethics, epistemology, etc.). I want to comment on two features of such inquiry that often make it attractive to women less readily engaged by the traditions defined by privileged men. These features are holism and what I call “historical particularism.” I begin with “particularism.”     

Conflicting Intuitions about Causality1

In this article I examine five kinds of conflicting intuitions about the nature of causality. The viewpoint is that of a probabilistic theory of causality, which I think is the right general framework for examining causal questions. It is not the purpose of this article to defend the general thesis in any depth but many of the particular points I make are meant to offer new lines of defense of such a probabilistic theory. To provide a conceptual framework for the analysis, I review briefly the more systematic aspects of the sort of probabilistic theory of causality I advocate. I first define the three notions of prima facie cause, spurious cause, and genuine cause. The technical details are worked out in an earlier monograph (Suppes 1970) and are not repeated.     

Causal Theories of Knowledge1

Causal theories of knowledge require some causal connection between belief and the conditions whose existence make that belief true. Lacking this connection, the belief may be true, it may be altogether reasonable, but it is not knowledge.     

A Type of Non-Causal Explanation1

There is a type of explanation frequently employed in the sciences, particularly the quantitative ones, that I intend to focus on. It seeks to understand some phenomenon or regularity that occurs in a type of system S by deriving an equation describing that phenomenon or regularity from a set of equations that govern S. I want to propose a way of understanding such explanations.     

GOD'S ACTION IN THE REAL WORLD1

Abstract. The scientific and theological enterprises are regarded as interacting and mutually illuminating approaches to reality. The theological consequences of the transformation of the scientific worldview through twentieth-century physics and cosmology are considered with respect to notions of God's transcendence, time, continuous creation, determinism, and multiple universes. The theological implications of the worldview of biology are similarly assessed with respect to certain features of biological evolution: its continuity, its open-endedness, its mechanism, and the role of "chance" and law. The model of human agency for the agency of God in the hierarchy of natural systems is examined. The article concludes with some reflections on a science-informed understanding of God's relation to the world as transcendent, incarnate, and immanent.     

JOHN MILBANK's THEOLOGY OF THE "GIFT" AND CALVIN's THEOLOGY OF GRACE: A CRITICAL COMPARISON1

In his theology of the Gift, John Milbank advocates a theology of “reciprocity” between God and humanity, involving “active” rather than “passive” reception of the divine gift. Calvin and other Reformation theologians are criticized by Milbank as demeaning the role of the human partner by advocating “passivity” in the reception of grace. This essay compares Milbank's theology of the Gift with Calvin's theology of grace, showing how Calvin overcomes the schematic options of “passivity” or “reciprocity” in the divine‐human relation, all the while holding much more in common with Milbank's concerns about sanctification and participation than has generally been recognized.     

论中国文化中的社会认知思想

中国文化中具有十分丰富的社会心理学思想,其中包括社会认知的思想。中国文化中的社会认知思想包括知人观、知人术和有关认知者的理念等内容,是一个从有关知人的重要性、困难性、可能性到各种知人的方法、技巧以及认知者理念的内涵丰富的整体系统。知人术即是典型的中国人社会认知的方式,它以中国社会、中国文化、中国人的思维和生活方式以及中国语言特有的形式表现出来,既不同于西方的社会心理学思想,也有别于现代社会心理学的理念和范式,形成了独具特色、自成体系的中国人的社会认知思想。其中,有关具身认知的思想,与现代具身认知的理念相一致,同时又具有独特的中国人和中国文化的具身特点,显示出中国古人有关社会认知思想的先见性与高明性。中国文化中的社会认知思想既是中国本土化心理学的重要组成部分,也是对当代社会心理学有关社会认知内容的不可或缺的重要补充。     

REVELATION, CREATION AND LAW1

Through faith we understand that the worlds were made by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear (Hebrews 11:3, AV )
By faith we understand that the universe was framed by God's command, so that the visible came forth from the invisible (Hebrews 11:3, NEB )     

The evolution of tianxia cosmology and its philosophical implications

The terminology tianxia has both historical evolution and cultural and philosophical connotations. This concept not only denotes a geographical and spatial meaning, but also implies the moral construct of metaphysics. A systematic study of its historical and cultural repercussions can show that the evolution of the meaning “tianxia” not only embodies the cosmological construction, moral belief and self-identity of the Chinese nation, but also manifests the historical processes of modern China evolving from “tianxia” to a modern nation-state. Meanwhile, the deconstruction of the tianxia cosmology has shattered the old Chinese concept of a single united tianxia, or the whole world under one Heaven. Also, “Confucian China” has been increasingly losing its vitality and strong hold on the people, while the concept of nation-state has gained its way into people’s consciousness, which has added more diversity and open-mindedness to the concept of tianxia. __________ Translated from Wenshizhe 文史哲 (Literature, History and Philosophy), 2004 (6) by Huang Deyuan     

THE OBLIGATION TO GIVE: A REPLY TO TANNER1

Divine giving, Kathryn Tanner suggests in her recent Jesus, Humanity and the Trinity, generates an obligation to give to the needy. This duty, she argues, is a duty to those in need, but not to God. This essay compares Tanner's proposal for the structure of human obligation with two other theological models, and suggests a revised version of her analysis. The obligation to give is reconceived as an obligation to God and self, as well as the needy neighbor. This account removes such charitable giving from the realm of purely supererogatory acts, but does not thereby eclipse the appropriateness of gratitude on the part of the recipient.     

Darwinian Happiness: Can the Evolutionary Perspective on Well-Being Help us Improve Society?

The concept of Darwinian Happiness was coined to help people take advantage of knowledge on how evolution has shaped the brain; as processes within this organ are the main contributors to well-being. Fortuitously, the concept has implications that may prove beneficial for society: Compassionate behavior offers more in terms of Darwinian Happiness than malicious behavior; and the probability of obtaining sustainable development may be improved by pointing out that consumption beyond sustenance is not important for well-being. It is difficult to motivate people to act against their own best interests. Darwinian Happiness offers a concept that, to some extent, combines the interests of the individual with the interests of society.     

植物人研究中的一些神经心理学问题

自从Ｊｅｎｎｅｔｔ等提出＂持久的植物状态＂概念之后,有关植物人的问题已经引起中国医疗卫生界的广泛重视,并且在临床治疗方面取得了一定的成绩。该文对国内及国际植物人研究状况作了简要的评述．作者认为统一关于植物人定义的认识,研究植物人的病理生理机制以及确定临床观察的心理学定量指标乃是中国科学工作者当务之急。     

中国员工基于组织自尊的内容探析：概念构图法的应用

基于对26名来自不同组织、有不同职业背景员工的深度采访,本文运用定性和定量相结合的分析方法——概念构图法,实证探索了中国员工基于组织的自尊（OBSE）的内容。本研究发现,中国员工自尊包括五个维度：基于工作单位的自尊、基于工作绩效的自尊、基于工作角色的自尊,基于领导的自尊和基于下属和同事的自尊。本文通过对OBSE的实证分析详细介绍了概念构图法的过程和应用,为如何对新概念、新现象进行探索性研究提供了参考。     

CONSEQUENTIALISM, TELEOLOGY, AND THE NEW FRIENDSHIP CRITIQUE1

Abstract: A powerful objection to impersonal moral theories states that they cannot accommodate the good of friendship. This paper focuses on the problem as it applies to consequentialism and addresses the recent criticism that even the most sophisticated forms of consequentialism are incompatible with genuine friendship. I argue that this objection fails since those who pose this challenge either seriously oversimplify consequentialism's theory of value, misunderstand its theory of practical reason, or put too much weight on the good of friendship itself. I conclude by assessing a contemporary consequentialist response in order to suggest a workable conception of consequentialist friendship.     

PLEASURE AS THE STANDARD OF VIRTUE IN HUME's MORAL PHILOSOPHY1

Abstract: David Hume provides several accounts of moral virtue, all of which tie virtue to the experience of pleasure in the spectator. Hume believed that the appropriate pleasure for determinations of virtue was pleasure corrected by “the general point of view.” I argue that common ways of spelling this out leave the account open to the charge that it cannot account adequately for mistaken judgments of virtue. I argue that we need to see Hume as offering both a metaphysics and an epistemology of virtue, and that Hume's account of virtue can adequately account for mistakes if he is understood as offering a definition of virtue tied to pleasure, but pleasure understood externally.