Water,Plant, Light,and Mirror: On the Root Metaphors of the Heart-Mind in Wang Yangming’s Thought

Clarifying Wang Yangming’s thought through a study of his root metaphors of heart-mind is an important step toward explaining his further concepts of the human world. Along with the root metaphors of water and mirror, the metaphors of plant and light work together for Wang to form a coherent theoretical and practical system of xin (heart-mind). This method is also a good way to unravel the various theories of the “three teachings” that are intermingled in his thinking. By using this methodology Wang’s attempts to harmonize several ancient traditions of heart-mind that appear as possibly polarized to modern readers, are illuminated (though they did not appear contradictory to the Neo-Confucians).     

How to Make Sense of the Claim “True Knowledge is What Constitutes Action”: A New Interpretation of Wang Yangming’s Doctrine of Unity of Knowledge and Action

No one denies the importance of applying knowledge to actions. But claiming identity (unity) of knowledge and action is quite another thing. There seem to be two problems with the claim: (1) the identity claim implies that the sole cause for one to fail to act on what one judges to be right is ignorance, but it is obviously false that the sole cause of failure in moral actions is ignorance. (2) The identity statement implies non-separation of knowledge and action. But knowledge does not necessarily lead to action. However, the identity of knowledge and action is what a famous Ming Confucian scholar, Wang Yang-ming, proposed and the concept became the central doctrine of his teaching. Though there are several major interpretations of Wang’s doctrine in contemporary literature, it is not clear to me how they deal with the above mentioned difficulties. In this article, I will discuss these interpretations of the doctrine and propose a new interpretation. My purpose is to give an interpretation of Wang’s doctrine that has the capacity of dealing with these challenges to the doctrine and also captures the essence of his teaching.     

Warranted Neo-Confucian belief: Religious pluralism and the affections in the epistemologies of Wang Yangming (1472–1529) and Alvin Plantinga

In this article, I argue that Wang Yangming'sNeo-Confucian religious beliefs can bewarranted, and that the rationality of hisreligious beliefs constitutes a significantdefeater for the rationality of Christianbelief on Alvin Plantinga's theory of warrant. I also question whether the notion of warrantas proper function can adequately account fortheories of religious knowledge in which theaffections play an integral role. Idemonstrate how a consideration of Wang'sepistemology reveals a difficulty forPlantinga's defense of the rationality ofChristian belief and highlights a limitation ofPlantinga's current conception of warrant asproper function.     

Oil,Crime, and Disorder: A Methodological Examination of the Oil Boom’s Impact in North Dakota

This article examines the impact the oil boom has had on crime and disorder in North Dakota. Particular attention is paid to the methods used to analyze these impacts. Several quantitative analyses, including t-tests and regressions, were performed and critiqued. Overall, few significant relationships were found that could link the oil boom to increases in crime and disorder. In addition, this article introduces location quotients as an alternative method to examine crime and disorder in boomtown settings. The results suggest that the impact of the boom was localized in that different counties experienced differential crime and disorder impacts.     

Examination of long-term visual memorization capacity in the Clark’s nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana)

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review - Clark’s nutcrackers exhibit remarkable cache recovery behavior, remembering thousands of seed locations over the winter. No direct laboratory test of their...     

Soccer Hooliganism in Iran: A Test of Agnew’s General Strain Theory

Fan aggression (verbal and physical) at sporting events is seemingly becoming increasingly more prevalent, so much so that that one form has been coined as “soccer hooliganism.” Although an emergent area of social and criminological inquiry, few studies have attempted to predict or explain this behavior through a theoretical lens. The present study applies Agnew’s general strain theory to self-reported data on Iranian soccer fans’ verbal and physically aggressive behaviors. The results of both hierarchical multiple regression analyses and structural equation modeling reveal solid support for Agnew’s theory. As expected, strains are both directly and indirectly (via negative affect) associated with fan aggression. Moreover, the effects of strain on fan aggression are also conditioned by both self-control and social support, but less so by criminal peer associations. Finally, although the data support Agnew’s theory with regard to deviant fan aggression, they do not support his theory with regard to conventional coping strategies; conventional coping is inversely associated with strain.     

Suszko’s Thesis,Inferential Many-valuedness,and the Notion of a Logical System

According to Suszko’s Thesis, there are but two logical values, true and false. In this paper, R. Suszko’s, G. Malinowski’s, and M. Tsuji’s analyses of logical twovaluedness are critically discussed. Another analysis is presented, which favors a notion of a logical system as encompassing possibly more than one consequence relation.

[13, p. 281]

Presented by Jacek Malinowski     

Religion, and not just Religious Reasons, in the Public Square: A Consideration of Robert Audi’s and Nicholas Wolterstorff’s Religion in the Public Square

For the last several decades, philosophers have wrestled with the proper place of religion in liberal societies. Usually, the debates among these philosophers have started with the articulation of various conceptions of liberalism and then proceeded to locate religion in the context of these conceptions. In the process, however, too little attention has been paid to the way religion is conceived. Drawing on the work of Robert Audi and Nicholas Wolterstorff, two scholars who are often read as holding opposing views on these issues, I argue that, for the purposes of their argument about liberalism, both have implicitly accepted a concept of religion that has come under severe attack in recent work on the subject. Namely, they have accepted a concept of religion that identifies religion primarily with belief, ritual practice, and ecclesial institutions. Following recent scholarship, I suggest that religion is better conceived as a kind of culture. To conclude the essay, I gesture toward what the beginnings of a re-visioned debate about religion and liberal society might look like if one started from this revised conception of religion.     

Marital and Family Therapist’s Action Research in Light of Some Research Problems: A One-Cycle Example

Some major problems in marital and family therapy (MFT) research remain evident. Practitioners often see research as insufficiently related to their concerns and want it to be more applicable. Often-used integrative (or eclectic) practices in MFT and their idiographic nature make the applicability of research even more problematic. Greater use of action research, which often has been overlooked in MFT, could be useful for addressing some of these problems. There are many types of action research; one of the most common uses repeating cycles of the four basic steps (observing and gathering information, reflecting, planning, and acting). In this article the authors’ use of these four steps for studying MFT is presented and discussed in the light of some research trends and problems. A one-cycle case example is used to illustrate the process.     

Considering Meta-Analysis,Meaning, and Metaphor: A Systematic Review and Critical Examination of “Third Wave” Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies

In this review, we examine common usage of the term “third wave” in the scientific literature, systematically review published meta-analyses of identified “third wave” therapies, and consider the implications and options for the use of “third wave” as a metaphor to describe the nature of and relationships among cognitive and behavioral therapies. We demonstrate that the “third wave” term has grown in its use over time, that it is commonly linked with specific therapies, and that the majority of such therapies have amassed a compelling evidence base attesting to their clinical and public health value. We also consider the extent to which the “third wave” designation is an effective guide for the future, and we encourage scientific inquiry and self-reflection among those concerned with cognitive and behavioral therapies and the scientific basis of psychotherapy more broadly.     

An Empirical Examination of Women’s Empowerment and Transformative Change in the Context of International Development

This paper responds to calls from social scientists in the area of globalization and women’s empowerment to test a model that investigates both structural and individual components of women’s empowerment in the context of globalization. The investigation uses a liberation psychology framework by taking into account the effects of globalization, human rights discourse, and women’s activism within social movements to identify how structural inequities may be related to empowerment. Surveys conducted in rural Nicaragua revealed that land ownership and organizational participation among women were related to more progressive gender ideology, and in turn, women’s power and control within the marital relationship, individual levels of agency, and subjective well-being. The study demonstrates that psychology can bridge the theoretical arguments surrounding human rights with the practical implementation of development interventions, and provide empirical support that has yet to be demonstrated elsewhere. The findings have important implications for strategies and interventions that can improve conditions for women and contribute to the aims of social justice articulated in the Beijing Platform for Action.