Teleological Essentialism: Generalized

Natural/social kind essentialism is the view that natural kind categories, both living and non-living natural kinds, as well as social kinds (e.g., race, gender), are essentialized. On this view, artifactual kinds are not essentialized. Our view—teleological essentialism—is that a broad range of categories are essentialized in terms of teleology, including artifacts. Utilizing the same kinds of experiments typically used to provide evidence of essentialist thinking—involving superficial change (study 1), transformation of insides (study 2), and inferences about offspring (study 3)—we find support for the view that a broad range of categories—living natural kinds, non-living natural kinds, and artifactual kinds—are essentialized in terms of teleology. Study 4 tests a unique prediction of teleological essentialism and also provides evidence that people make inferences about purposes which in turn guide categorization judgments.     

Plato's dream hypothesis: A meta-communicative statement

Continental Philosophy Review -     

Topological Essentialism

Philosophical Studies -     

Teleological Essentialism

Placeholder essentialism is the view that there is a causal essence that holds category members together, though we may not know what the essence is. Sometimes the placeholder can be filled in by scientific essences, such as when we acquire scientific knowledge that the atomic weight of gold is 79. We challenge the view that placeholders are elaborated by scientific essences. In our view, if placeholders are elaborated, they are elaborated by Aristotelian essences, a telos. Utilizing the same kind of experiments used by traditional essentialists—involving superficial change (study 1), transformation of insides (study 2), acquired traits (study 3), and inferences about offspring (study 4)—we find support for the view that essences are elaborated by a telos. And we find evidence (study 5) that teleological essences may generate category judgments.     

人格:从本质论到社会建构论

“本质论”作为认识和理解世界的一种方式,认为任何事物(包括人类)都有它自己特殊的本质,这些本质是可以界定和被发现的,它们内在于事物之中,并且可用来解释事物如何反应(行动)。本质论的观点反映在人格研究中,便是认为要从纷繁复杂、稍逊即逝的表面行为背后寻找影响和支配人的行为的深层人格“实体”或“本质”。这个人格“本质”内在于人的行为之中,     

柏拉图的神

对于柏拉图的哲学,国内学界研究颇多,但是其神学思想一直没有得到应有的重视①。实际上,作为西方哲学与宗教神学思想的重要源头,柏拉图的哲学和他的有神论是密不可分的。柏拉图的有神论从哲学和宗教神话两个方面受到前苏格拉底时期希腊思想的影响。几乎此前的所有哲人都以各自不同的方式涉及到了神的概念和问题;宗教方面主要是来自于希腊神话的崇拜奥林匹斯神的流行宗教。以及宣扬灵魂轮回和禁欲主义的俄耳甫斯教及相关的狄奥尼索斯崇拜。由于篇幅所限,柏拉图所受到的影响（以及他对后世的影响）只能另文刊出。本文将直接探讨柏拉图对话中的神学思想、本文的基本观点,是从理念论的角度,按照与理念的内在关系来探讨、理解柏拉图的有神论,即“理念有神论”（Ｉｄｅａｌ Ｔｈｅｉｓｍ）,并视之为柏拉图神学的实质。     

On Husserl's Essentialism

Abstract

The present paper argues that Merleau-Ponty’s notion of Flesh/reversibility intellectually is significantly flawed, and leads phenomenology into something of a dead end. This is shown through the following strategy. First Merleau-Ponty’s account of originary perception and his critique of the reflective attitude are expounded. They are shown to culminate in rejection of the subject-object relation as an ontological fundamental in favour of a ‘hyper-reflective method’. A critique of Merleau-Ponty’s position is then offered. It argues that originary perception is not logically prior to reflective thought, and that Merleau-Ponty fails to do justice to the scope of the subject-object relation. Specifically, he overlooks the way in which the relation is the basis of our practical perceptual orientation. It is then shown how this relation actually pervades Merleau-Ponty’s own all-important ‘hyper-reflective’ alternative – the notion of ‘Flesh’. Possible counter-arguments are considered and refuted. The need for a post-analytic phenomenology is posited.     

Against Teleological Essentialism

In two recent papers, Rose and Nichols present evidence in favor of the view that humans represent category essences in terms of a telos, such as honey-making, and not in terms of scientific essences, such as bee DNA. Here, I challenge their interpretation of the evidence and show that it is directly predicted by the main theory they seek to undermine. I argue that their results can be explained as instances of diagnostic reasoning about scientific essences.     

Feeding violence: A reply

Genetic Screening: Ethical Issues, Nuffield Council on Bioethics, 1993, 115 pages, pb £6.00 from Nuffield Foundation, 28 Bedford Sq. London W1.

Draft Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and the Dignity of the Human Being with Regard to the Application of Biology and Medicine: Bioethics Convention and Explanatory Report, DIR/JUR (94) 2, Strasbourg: Council of Europe, July 1994.

UNESCO International Bioethics Committee: Report of the subcommittee on genetic screening and testing, Paris; November 1994.     

孔子与柏拉图的教育思想比较

孔子和柏拉图分别是中西教育史上的奠基式人物,他们的思想对于中西教育传统的形成产生了极为深刻而久远的影响。通过对两者教育思想形成背景、教育作用、教育目的、教育对象、教育内容和教育方法等方面的比较,我们可以发现,他们的思想各具特色,又存在相似之处。研究比较孔子和柏拉图的教育思想,有助于我们更深入地认识中西教育思想发展的特点和规律。     

The Virtue of Nussbaum's Essentialism

This paper shows that Nussbaum's Aristotelian essentialism effectively combines resources for constructive social criticism (even in "traditional" societies) with concern for the concrete particulars of realized ways of life. Many critics of Nussbaum's views have failed to appreciate its many virtues in this regard. Yet Nussbaum's confidence in the broad possibilities of internal social criticism demands a better account of the moral openness of human cultures than anything Nussbaum has herself provided. Even Nussbaum's reading of Aristotle – as well as the ethical antirelativism on which it depends – demands a richer account than Nussbaum has so far offered of the essential openness of human world interpretations.     

Accreditation: A reply to mathers

Accreditation in counselling is meant not for the benefit of the counsellor but for the protection of the public. It is concerned more with guaranteeing certain standards of ethics than with the acclamation of status. Whatever method is used, it must avoid the pitfalls of conservatism and academicism which in other professions have been jointly responsible for the attack on accreditation itself as a process. Those involved in counselling and psychotherapy should not wait passively until Parliament acts, but need to be critically involved in bringing into being a system of accreditation which is both flexible and creative.